Logan Voss
Settling into an apartment for the first time? Explore our tips for setting up your first apartment to ensure the experience goes as smoothly as possible.
Plan and Schedule Ahead
Especially in the summertime, people hire movers and rent moving trucks like crazy. Schedule your time with a moving company at least a week in advance to avoid getting stuck with an unfavorable moving option and price at the last minute. Nailing down the logistics of how you’ll physically relocate your goods will also alleviate some stress regarding the move.
Set Up Your Utilities
The last thing you may want to do after a hard—and likely stressful—day’s work is to configure Wi-Fi or speak with an electricity provider. However, you’ll want to tackle all your utility information at the latest within the first day or two of moving into your apartment, so you’re not left in the dark or unable to work online. Here are a couple of tips for setting up your first apartment with utilities.
Do It in Advance
Many providers will allow you to set up your utilities in advance so that they’re ready to go on move-in day. Since you’ll have a lotgoing on when setting up your new place, it’s worth figuring out your providers ahead of time.
Explore Your Options
Investigate the best course of action for establishing amenities. Review a Wi-Fi setup tutorial online to make things easier on yourself, for instance. Or, if you plan on having a wired network in your apartment, it’s worth exploring the dos and don’ts of installing Ethernet cables to streamline your setup process.
Label a Box To Open First
You should label all your moving boxes, but specifically, you should designate one as the box for you to open first. Pack it with essentials, such as prescription medications, eye contact necessities, or anything else that you’ll need access to on the first day or night in your new apartment.
Know Where To Place the Big-Ticket Items
A kitchen table, front room sofa, bedroom dresser–you’ll want to move all these larger items in first. Doing so will help you form a better idea of your new space and how it’ll eventually look when you’ve populated it.
In taking couches, dressers, and mattresses out of the moving truck first, you’ll also get the most difficult step out of the way early. If you’re not moving these items yourself, be sure that your movers know where to place your furniture and other heavy belongings.
