By: Wendy Dessler

The days of bringing baked goods to new neighbors are in the past. Now, breaking the ice can be downright intimidating, especially in an apartment community. Everyone wants to have a strong relationship with their neighbors. Who else can you rely on to watch over your home when you’re out for the weekend? Good neighbors make our lives easier, and it helps everyone feel like part of a community.

Whether you’ve been in your apartment community for years or you’re just moving in, you might need some extra help finding the best way to introduce yourself. Yes, it can be awkward at first, but there are easy ways to make it less intimidating. Are you ready to make a change and turn your neighbors into people you feel confident running into in the hallways?

Smile Often

This is the easiest way to meet people, but also the most often overlooked. How often do you walk between your apartment and your car looking at nothing other than your phone screen? Put that phone away and be aware of your surroundings. Not only is this a great habit to get into in everyday life, but it gives you the chance to meet people.

Smile as you pass people in the hallway. Introduce yourself, and let them know where you live. You don’t have to take up any more time than that, but your neighbor will remember your friendly hello going forward. This is how you start breaking down those walls.

Connect Online

This is the digital age, so it’s no wonder neighbors have taken to social media. With the NextDoor app, you can be sure you’re only seeing posts for the people immediately near you. While connecting online isn’t a substitute for real-life interaction, it is a great way to put names to faces. If you have any questions or ideas for the community, this can be a great space to ask.

Go to Events

Neighborhood events are the perfect chance to actually meet people. Not only do they sometimes involve free food (yum!), but you’re likely to run into someone new. Be active at these events, and ask the community if you can bring baked goods or a food dish to share. Food will always make people eager to talk to you. These events are designed to bring the community together. Don’t keep putting off Friday Night Socials and holiday feasts.

Be Respectful

Finally, one of the best ways to meet your neighbors on the right terms is to be a good member of the community. Every apartment community has a set of rules, most of which are for the peace and respect of everyone who lives there. Nobody likes the neighbor who blasts music until 2 am or the person who always leaves trash outside their door.

The same goes for your property manager. Many property managers also live on-site, and this is a great way to get to know them when you see them out during the day or at events. However, never impose your questions or concerns on a property manager after hours when they’re no longer on duty.

Another common problem is renting your apartment through Airbnb when you’re not in town. This might seem like a good way to make extra cash, but it exposes your community to unknown tenants. Your property managers might be alerted through a service like Rentbelly, so it’s never worth the risk.

Following the rules might not get you very far on its own, but without it, you’ll have the hardest time making a good impression on your neighbors. The more you can learn to respect the rules, the more pleasant your community will be as a whole. As long as you smile, put yourself out there, and are an asset to the community, your neighbors will welcome you.

The post Ways to Introduce Yourself to Your Apartment Neighbors appeared first on Northlake Farms Blog.

1. Grease or oil – Just because it is out of sight does not mean the garbage disposal “disposed” of it. Usually, the grease will solidify, and cause build up in your pipes.
2. Vegetable peels – You might get away with it from time to time, but odds are, eventually this one will catch up with you – and leave you a soupy backfilled mess in your sink.
3. Egg shells – Believe or not, the membrane on the inside of the egg can wrap around the blades and wreak havoc for your disposal.
4. Coffee Grounds – These seem like they go down fine, but over time, the little grounds build up like sediment in the pipes and end up causing trouble.
5. Pits or seeds – Think: peach pits, avocado pits, cherries, etc., which aren’t disposable. If you don’t swallow it, why should your sink have to?
6. Bones – We hope this is an obvious one. Bones aren’t degradable in enough time to be put down the drain.
7. Anything in bulk – Feed your disposal small meals, let it grind it up, then add more.
8. Garbage – Again, if you don’t want to eat it, why should your sink have to?
9. Rice and pasta – Every time you turn the water on, the pasta and rice will continue to expand – even after your supposedly ground it up.
10. Stringy veggies – Celery, corn husks, or even some types of lettuce can wrap around the blades, which then causes resistance to them.

We hope this helped you determine what belongs in your sink and what belongs in the trash. We understand it’s no fun dragging your trash out after dinner each night because it’s full of items that can’t go down the sink, but in the long run, it’s worth it to avoid backups in your pipes. Feel free to contact the leasing office with any questions you might have!

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Organization is vital.

When it comes to apartment spaces, sometimes even the most spacious set up can feel cramped when there’s clutter. Naturally, kids are messy folk so it takes a super family to keep it all on lock.

Pro Tip: Get furniture that doubles as storage and invest in plenty of shelves. The more you can tuck away the better.

Photo courtesy: (L) xoyos.com (R) pixabay.com

Being on time is hard. This just in: that’s totally normal.

Keeping up with different schedules is harder than it looks. Once you’re in a regular routine and find your niche, it’ll feel like clockwork. But until then (fingers crossed that day comes) remind yourself that practice makes perfect.

Pro Tip: Buy an actual alarm clock and don’t just rely on your smartphone. By simply setting a few alarms throughout your morning, you’ll have extra motivation to get up, find the clock, and remind yourself to get going on a task. It’s not a bad idea to set reminders on your phone as a backup…. after all, this isn’t the dark ages.

Purge what you don’t need.

This is no time to hoard those socks with holes in them or that toy your kids haven’t touched in months. Sometimes you have to accept that no amount of strategic storage will cut it when you just have too.much.stuff.

Pro Tip: Find your local donation service and go through all your things at least once every two months. Give away anything which your family doesn’t have a blatant sentimental or practical use.

Plan plan plan.

Keeping a visible planner can really help kids conceptualize time management and what they have going on that week. This should be displayed in a family space, such as the kitchen, and as detailed as your family is comfortable with keeping consistent.

Pro Tip: DIY a dinner schedule so older kids can know what to expect and you can plan your grocery trips or budget how much you can spend on a dinner out on the town. When you know a few days in advance what your family’s meals will be that week, you can pre-pack or pre-cook meals with far less stress.

Work space vs. living space

The key to productivity is having a set work space that is comfortable and organized. This is important for little ones too…plus, establishing an area for them to do homework helps you out with clean up time.

Pro Tip: Set up a work space for your kids like you would for yourself and it will make them feel like they’re being a grownup. Whether this is for homework or for play, it will ensure your space looks like it has a purpose and isn’t another play area with cluttered toys lying around.

Whether you’ve been doing this like a champ for years, or might consider trying one of our tips for the first time, know that we understand the importance of family and always hope you are happy and healthy in your apartment home.

The post Tips for Apartment Home Living with Kids appeared first on Northlake Farms Blog.

If you want your own Christmas tree…the beautiful thing about living in a smaller space is that less is more, so you don’t need to break the bank on a 12 ft. monster-size tree. Instead, find a tree that fits your space. It’s easier to set up and tear down so you have more time to decorate with your own flare.

Looking for a classy but subtle look? Add white and gold accents around your home. A new set of accent towels for the kitchen and bathrooms, soap dishes, or picture frames are good places to start. You could also buy large apothecary jars or another kind of clear container and fill with whatever goes best with your home’s look. Need inspiration? Think tinsel, ornaments, garland, string lights, gold accents, pinecones, or faux snow.

You may not have the opportunity to go full blown Griswald Family Christmas on decorations for the outside of your apartment home, but that just gives you more opportunity to bring the outside, in. Hang string lights on your walls and at night you’ll have extra ambiance for the season. You could also hang holiday wreaths on the inside of your doors so you can enjoy the greenery and liven up your every day décor.

Want to hang stockings but don’t have a fireplace? No problem. You could hang the stockings from a wall coat rack, a curtain rod, a stair railing, or even just on an open wall!

We hope this helped spark some new ideas for decorating your holiday apartment home and during this holiday season, we hope you and your loved ones are safe, happy, and healthy.

 We wish you a very Happy Holidays!

The post Celebrating the Winter Holidays in your Apartment Home appeared first on Northlake Farms Blog.

Get creative and make use of ever square foot of your home’s counter and floor space. Depending on how many people you plan to host, strategically planning ahead of time and re-arranging your home will allow you to live out the “more the merrier” lifestyle.

1. Hang string lights and decorations rather than focusing on an elaborate center piece. By freeing up your table and counter top space, you can serve more food and drinks while keeping festive. Hint: Hang a festive Autumn wreath inside your home as a simple way to set the tone for the season.
2. Instead of worrying about ironing a table cloth that will inevitably get dirty, buy craft or butchers paper and decorate however you choose. Great for kids and adult doodlers, plus you can use this to label any food that’s sensitive for dietary restrictions.
3. Seems simple, but try to prepare as many meals ahead of time as possible. It also doesn’t hurt to require guests to bring their own side dishes while you’re in charge of the main course. Once guests arrive, you won’t want to be running around still cooking pies!
4. Clear your floor space and designate an area for guest’s personal items. If furniture can be moved to your bedroom, clear it out so you can have optimal space for entertaining.

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