5 years ago today, i moved into my very first apartment. i totally lucked out when i got it, too: it's only 6 blocks away from where i work, close to a bus line and lots of places to eat/shop, and the rent's dirt-cheap in comparison to other apartments in downtown minneapolis. also, the company that owns and maintains the building is totally awesome--for its age (the building i live in was built in 1915 or so), my apartment's very well-kept. no roaches/mice, none of that.

it was really strange when i first moved in, because up till that point some of my family members--namely, my older sister--would always tell me that i wouldn't be able to live on my own or be able to take care of myself, just to put me down. plus i was kinda apprehensive at the idea of renting my own apartment, due to all the troubles that went on while living with my folks in all the apartments we'd lived at.

what if the landlord's an ass and never fixes anything?
what if i can't pay rent on time? where will i go live then?
what if i have a creepy/obnoxious/stupid neighbor?

...well, the new landlady's really cool (the landlord before her quit and moved outta the building and outta state...he never could pronounce my name right ), i've only had problems with one neighbor (elderly downstairs neighbor who for some reason liked to leave nasty notes on my and other tenants' doors for no reason at all...that's a long story there--thankfully he got evicted for harassing people a while ago), and the realty company doesn't bug about if my rent's late and i pay whatever i can when money's tight.


i love the hell outta my apartment, and i love the hell outta minneapolis. if any of you wanna share stories about your first apartment here, go ahead.

My first one was during my sophomore year of college. A three bedroom I shared with 4 other guys. sooooo clean!

For a while, we were looking for roomates (when we only had three of us). One of the people who came by was a girl with her mother. This was the day after some huge party, and in the kitchen were about a hundred empty beer bottles with a cloud of flies above them.

She didn't move in.

GOOD FOR YOU!

awww...

my first apartment was in Boston, 1066 Commonwealth Ave., at the end of the BU campus. It was a 2-bed 2nd story apartment that I shared with Lance, Federico & Debra. The heat was ALWAYS on. We had our windows open thru most of the Boston winter because it was so fricking hot!

I celebrated my 20th birthday in the apt. My memories of it are wrapped up in "The Immaculate Collection," "Graffiti Bridge," "Eroica," and "Listen Without Prejudice." Those were the soundtrack of the day.

There was a primo pizza place just blocks away and the finest indy record store, too. It was there that I first found crystall ball, livesexy, and loads of other stuff.

And the apt was haunted! After 3 of us heard late night spooky voices, we went out and got a Ouija board. we learned that Bob had killed Rachel in the apt in 1927. it was bizarre and scary! especially since all my roommates left for Spring break right after that and I stayed there alone!

NDRU said:

This was 1991-1993. Gett Off, Sexy MF, Nothin But A G Thing, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Blood Sugar Sex Magic, Jump Around. Good times

Next year I got a place by myself (MY first apt.), and I was totally unprepared. I spent the whole year by myself smoking pot and missing class, contemplating suicide, until Kurt did it instead. I decided being a negative creep wasn't the best life path.

NDRU said:

we're glad u made that decision!

madartista said:

thanks, me too

my brother went to law school at BU. never got to visit, though.
[Edited 10/31/06 11:55am]

NDRU said:

another thing about my apartment is that nobody here in town seems to have never heard about the street i live on. probably because it's not that much of a street, it's a short little thoroughfare nearby a freeway ramp. that, and people get the street name mixed up..."no, it's not lyndale."

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

you GO girl!!!!! it's a great feeling (tough sometimes too) to make it on your own, ain't it????

My first apartment was in Capital Hill.

I had a roommate, and she had a daughter... Her daughter was partime, I could never understand why she couldn't take care of her. She'd always ship her off to Houston to be with her mom.

Anyway, she'd have these get togethers and never invite me. So I'd either leave, or lock myself in my room. With a chair up against the door. Hell, I didn't know any other these men she invited.

One day I couldn't take it anymore so I moved out into my own place. It was the cutest apartment on 12th and Downing. It had a french porch, and french doors, wood floors. Very clean.

I lived there until I found this duplex on 10th and St. Paul... 2 bedbrooms, upstairs, downstairs.. fireplace. Front yard, back yard. Nice neighborhood.. I lived there for 8 years.

My rent was $225 a month.

Congratulations Dej, you did good!

congrats! it feels good to be settled in a home space for a long time, i think. keeps ya grounded.

since i moved from chicago to NYC, i lived in the same place for almost six years, which is the longest i've ever lived ANYwhere in my adult life. i only broke the streak to move into a different unit in the same building, so technically i'm still at the same place!

my first apartment was soon as i turned 18 and still a senior in high school!
What friggin fun!!!

sag10 said:

my share of rent was $267.50.

$1070/mo for a 2-bedroom apt. in Boston. wonder what that rents for now...

I was nearly 18, it was 1989. I moved into a 2 bedroom apartment with an older girl called Debbie who I learned to hate with a passion. She had a stupid boyfriend who stayed over 4 nights a week and more often than not had concussion from the football.
In the evenings I could hear them in her room putting all their dollar coins in one of them dollar coin saver/counters things. Then, without fail she would start giggling hysterically and then the moaning would begin. Luckily they were usually asleep by 9pm. She had a bath every night and was in bed by 8:30 on the nights she was on her own. Debbie was forever washing and the apartment was full of her drying laundry The only thing she could cook was chili con carne.
The only thing I could cook was toasted sandwiches.
We had a landlord who would let himself in when he thought we weren't home to do maintenance. Once he let himself in when my boyfriend and I were having sex on the couch. I reported him to the landlord tribunal.


god, I hated those years so much
I had no money, the apartment was cold and mouldy.

we shouyld get to see pics of such a great appartment

OMG! and the lady upstairs with the marijuana plants growing in full view on her balcony (which sadly disappeared after a friend of a friend came to visit me), and her humming child who hummed non-stop, even when sleeping I swear!.

Glad you're so happy living at your apartment, Deja.


My first apartment? Would that be the one in Uni or the one after I left Uni?

The one in Uni was your typical student hall of residence - shared kitchen/ bathroom, about 8 students to a block. I had to share a room with this guy I'd never met before (who ended up being like my big brother). It was a right rag-bag of people - me; the rugby team captain (the one I shared a room with); another guy (who I ended up falling head-over-heels in love with ); some rock dude who was absolutely hilarious; a posh bloke; another guy that I never really got to know properly; some geek who looked and acted like Napoleon Dynamite (played 'Rock Me Amadeus' constantly); and this gay guy, who was my first encounter with all things homosexual. (His room was covered in Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Debbie Harry posters ). Then he moved out and some mentally disturbed bloke moved in who could 'hear' our electricity and who chased me on a bicycle once. I also found him naked in the bath. Weird.

I had my first kiss in that room. I discovered Prince in that room. I had many drunken nights in that room. I met people who never in a million years would've talked to me in school yet became my bestest friends. Good times.






.
[Edited 11/1/06 7:22am]

every time i see this thread title i wanna sing "THAT'S ALL WE'VE GOT!!! FIIIVE YEARS, MY BRAIN HURTS A LOT!!!!"

I shared a house with 3 other students (later 4) in Reading, England, paying 275 pounds a month. The house was a dump, but one redeeming feature was the loft room having this small space in the roof with a skylight where we'd sit, look out at the night sky and the people passing down below in the street, listen to music, drink vodka and get stoned.

Anx said:

A CLASSIC!

ZombieKitten said:

oh, yeah, I forgot about our enormous marijuana patch!

NDRU said:

ditchweed?

is this the same landlord (what a bad word for someone you rent space from) who didn't tell you utilities were not included and they were therefore turned off?

purplerein said:

whose landlord, mine?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

closetweed

actually it was more of an armoir with bright light shining out through the cracks and a very strong smell emanating from it

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

you're right..it was Heretorockyourworld's landlord.

purplerein said:

yeah...i was gonna say, my landlord let me know right off the bat that the only things included in my rent were heat and water.

Oh man. I don't even want to THINK about my one-room shack. That piece of shit "apartment" for lack of a better word. $375 a month for what...FOR WHAT?? The landlord shoulda payed my ass to live there. I didn't like him anyway. He reminded me of Doctor Octopus. And oh Lawd..don't let the rent be a fucking day late...I got payed on Fridays, so if the 1st fell on a wednesday or something, and I didn't sent the rent out until Friday, you best believe I was getting a knock on the THAT Saturday. And he was always telling me about high this and this bill was *Newsflash Doc Oc, I'm not the only fucking tenant in the building* I was on the 4th floor, and all the other tenants were Mexicans. I could smell and hear those bitches every damn night. The cops maced some guy on my steps, these two chicks across the street were ALWAYS arguing at like 3 in the morning and shit, people got shot up and down the street, somebody in the building had roaches. Now, I can deal with noise and what not, but roaches? Hell and No. That was it I was like "You know what? Fuck this place." So I stopped paying rent and I got evicted now I'm back with my parents. I moved out on May 31st, and he told me that I still need to pay him all the back rent I owe him. He can kiss my ass. So now I'm waiting to hear from my job if I got this position that would let me move to Harrisburg.

It's great that you're enjoying your independence. It makes you realize that you can accomplish almost anything. Don't let others bring you down and try to convince you that you can't make it when you know in your heart that you can.

Someday, I'm sure you'll own your own home and that will be amazing!