4 Things I Like about... Living in an Apartment

11.20.2013


Following up on last week's post of 5 Things I Like about Budgeting... here are 4* things I like about apartment living.

1. Maintenance.

In May, when the tornadoes came through and we had to hide out in a damp storm shelter for two hours with twelve people and a dog, our roof leaked. But we didn't have to deal with insurance or contractors.... we just called our office building! Same thing when the toilet broke or the door jammed or the hot water heater when out. When you have a house, you're in charge of all that yourself. And that's no fun at all.

2. A year-round gym membership.

My apartment complex has a fantastic gym with six treadmills, multiple indoor bikes, and a large weight room. It's also a short jog away from my building. I am a huge wimp when it comes to running outside in the winter months, and I am thankful for the indoor treadmills, so I can run while watching reruns of 18 Kids and Counting, because at 5 a.m. it's either that or Wen infomercials. What up, Alyssa Milano!

3. A pool. 

Last summer I went to the pool at my apt complex approximately 0 times. But I loved knowing it was there if I wanted to use it.

4. Limited storage space.

Yes, I'm serious about this one. We do not have a lot of storage space (closets and cabinets and whathaveyou), and this is at once horribly frustrating and freeing because we do not have room for extra crap! Seriously, when I'm about to go on a Target binge, I just stop and think, Realistically, where will I store this? If the answer is, On the counter, I don't buy it. This lack of space has saved me from a number of useless purchases that waste my valuable space and my money (see #1).

*I fully intended on following the pattern and writing down 5 things I like about apartment living, but as hard as I tried, I could only find 4. The truth is, I am ready to be out of here. And yet, God has withheld the blessing of a house from us, at least for the time being. We're still saving up for a down payment, and as much as I would love a house, I've accepted the fact that we're here for now. It's really not so bad, and there are things to be thankful for. After all, that's the whole point of this post and this series.

What are you thankful for about your current living situation?
Any other things about apartment living I should be thankful for?
Rachel said...

My family had to move into an apartment shortly before I married and moved out, and at first I was sad for my sisters that they wouldn't get to experience the space that I grew up having--but after over three years in that apartment, I can see that they especially enjoy the pool and the ping pong tables, squash court, etc--all those nice activity spots that you wouldn't have in a normal house!

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

A gym and a pool are total perks! I would so rather have someone else do the yard work!!

Brittany said...

I MISS having a pool, that is definitely a perk. And yes, not having to do yard work, and not having to replace things when they break is also a huge perk. Look at you, there are silver linings afterall.

Niken said...

i'm thankful for my current living situation because finally i can get my stuff under the same roof (at least the ones that i brought here), have my work nook and a queen size bed all for myself. it's not big but it's just what i need for now.

Helene in Between said...

this makes me miss living in an apartment. i think my favorite was the gym, soooo freaking close!

Anonymous said...

I do miss living in an apartment because of all of that stuff! Mostly the gym and the pool! Now, I have to invite myself over to friend's place's that have a pool. :)

Tracy said...

Renters insurance is so much cheaper than home insurance. There is your number 5.

Breenah A said...

I don't even have 4. I like that there's a pool and that there's maintenance. That's about it.

Brittanylea02 said...

It has some perks for sure!! You will have your house one day and it will be amazing! :)

Unknown said...

the maintenance bit was the hardest part about moving to a house. I can't call somebody to just the door?! What?!

Anonymous said...

I really miss apartment living. I used to be so much closer to downtown too which is great to just walk out the door and walk everywhere!

Kate @ Another Clean Slate said...

Well, I feel like I'm missing out since my apartment doesn't have a gym or pool! Lucky!

Amber Marie said...

I agree with what you said, especially the space thing. My goal is to live as simply as possible…but that's actually quite a challenge for me because I really enjoy retail therapy. Living small has kept me in check about buying "extra crap" that I just really don't need! I also would agree with all the other stuff you pointed out, except in the two months we have lived at our apartment our landlord has quite blatantly sucked. You won't see him unless, you don't pay him. Why is it so hard for some people to do just take care of their responsibilities? Whoa, now-I'm going to save you before this rant takes off! Anyway, from one apartment liver to another, good points and way to keep a positive, thankful mind! (and "liver" being one that lives in an apartment, not the organ of an apartment that filters toxins, which would actually be nice-no obnoxious occupants sharing our unit wall!)

Anonymous said...

No yard work! I love to plant flowers but when it comes to mowing the grass someone else can do it.

Anglican Mama said...

We lived in a dorm room for a year, then in an apartment for a year! Now we live in a camper, haha. I blogged about it here: http://yubnubcafe.blogspot.com/2013/09/tour-de-wheelburrow.html
And talked about so many of the same things! While you're ready to bust out of your tiny space, it's a blessing while you're in it. I definitely hear you on the storage space, and saving money part!

I've also appreciated the ability to clean small spaces in a short amount of time! Not necessarily deep cleaning, but quick pick-ups don't generally take very long in a tiny space. Although, tiny spaces sure do clutter up in a hurry, too. :)

17 Perth said...

Amen--Amen! I still miss our gym and pool membership! lol

Jessica said...

Currently we own a great little house but because my husband is going to law school next year we will be renting again shortly. Most likely an apartment and to be honest, I couldn't be MORE excited. Owning a house is a lot of work. I am not sure of your situation entirely but don't rush!!!! It is wonderful but it has its faults too :) I hope our apartment has a pool and gym!

Unknown said...

Um, amen to number 3! I loved living in an apartment with a pool! It made summer completely blissful. I sometimes miss living in an apartment, especially in college when all my best friends were just a unit away. Love this list!

Erika from America said...

This may not work for your situation, I'm glad that apartments are easy to move on from... meaning, you can leave pretty easily if you need to. Selling a house -- depending on the market (local/financial) can be so difficult -- especially sometimes getting the price you want. With an apartment, when your lease is up, you are free to go and that's it. You don't have to upgrade the apartment, you don't really have to do anything but get your stuff and get going for the most part.

Anyway, good list! There are definitely trade-offs for both and I commend you for trying to look at the bright side when you're ready to move on! :)

Bailie @ The Hemborg Wife said...

Ok this is bad but my geography sucks so I do not know if it snows where you live but that is what I love most about living in an apartment right now, it snows so much and I do not have to do anything about it piling up my driveway or what not!

The Lady Okie said...

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your story :) You're so right about cleaning! It does take so much less time because there's less space!

Sarah said...

I'm in a condo and can totally relate to all of these. I will be honest and say our gym is tiny and our condo is HUGE so it's always packed. You just need to find times when it's less busy. :)

Lauren said...

I wish my house had a fantastic gym with 6 treadmills! What would I do with 6 treadmills? Well, I'm not sure. But you make it sound so wonderful!

I suppose I could run with 5 of my closest friends and family members....

Julie @ Just the Joy's said...

I'm definitely jealous of #1, 2, and #3! For example, our sump pump went last weekend... with having a well, we can't live without that, so $180 out of the pocketbook later... it was fixed! The gym and pool thing you got going on would be awesome! My "pool" is our pond. Which I don't mind floating around in. But the second a fish touches my leg I'm a little uneasy. Lol. Another thing I think would be beneficial of living in an apartment is having neighbors close by. Don't get me wrong, some of my favorite things about our living arrangement is that I love living in the country, not having neighbors, and having privacy... however sometimes it would be nice to run out my door and go grab my neighbor for something! I also like having a large yard for the dogs to run and get exercise without having to worry about traffic! Oh and I suppose I love the woods out back that allows us to hunt! ;)

Anonymous said...

All of those things are awesome! My first house has been a rental since I moved in with Kevin and I just got word form the property management company that there's something wrong with the electrical and I'm going to need to shell out some moula to get it fixed. Not fun. So there are definite perks to apartments and renting - you hit the nail on the head with that for sure.

-Amy

Erin LFF said...

We like our house, but definitely miss some aspects of apartment life too! The gym and pool would be huge bonuses. And the whole no-yardwork EVER thing :)

Curious Runner said...

I am very thankful to live in a house that we own, although it is really small and I can't wait to move somewhere bigger and more 'family friendly' one day. Apartment living is fun for a season, we did it when we lived in Italy. It was uber fast for cleaning and was nice to have people really close when you needed some sugar :)

Betsy said...

oh MAN I love maintenance. My building was recently bought by a new management company and it's ASTONISHING how wonderful they can be when you need help. (The old guys were... not helpful. to put it mildly.)

Curly Pink Runner said...

haha- love that you listed the pool as a perk even thought you never used it!! :)

Jeneric Generation said...

I'm with you on the limited storage space thing (most of the time). I am hoping it will making moving one day painless. I am thankful for our big windows. In our kitchen/living room area we have three big windows all in a row. It makes our apartment so happy! Our apartment complex has a pool because every spring, they post information about pool passes. However, after two years of living there we have yet to find it. I know it is not outdoors though, so I guess that is what has kept me from inquiring about it. Still, I am curious where one hides a pool....

Holly @ Hello Audrey Ruth said...

I'm sure you'll get to your goal of owning a house faster than you think. I can't believe the amount of stuff Adam and I have accumulated since moving into our house from the apartment. I'm honestly not sure where we put it in our one bedroom apartment. I somehow now have a guestroom and an attic filled with junk. I need to do some serious cleaning. I do miss the maintenance free living of apartment life though. Luckily we built our house so we haven't had anything crazy happen yet and after all the storms our neighbor who was a roofer was able to come check out my roof for free. heck yeah!

Laura Morgan said...

I feel ya. Sort of. Even though we're in a house, it's a rental, so the maintenance stuff applies. I'm grateful to be in a house and everything, but I'm eager to have our own house that doesn't have the world's grossest carpet. PATIENCE LAURA. Anyway. I talk myself out of Target bingeing by imaging myself packing, moving, and unpacking things.

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