Living+on+Your+Own

=Renting an Apartment= In addition to owning their own vehicle, many teens look forward to their first apartment. Along with the fun of having his/her own place to live, however comes the responsibilities for renting/leasing an apartment. In this unit, you will research the details of leasing and maintaining an apartment of your own.

**Tasks to Accomplish:**

Apartments
First, read a short pdf about renting an apartment, found belwo. Then, using the Internet, find three apartments that you think will meet your future needs. Make an appointment and visit the apartments. During your visit take digital pictures (with your phone or check out a digital camera from Carrie), determine rent and/or lease terms, deposits, utilities, cable, Internet, etc. Keep notes on all your research using this form. Be sure to make a copy of the form and share it with Carrie when it is completed.

Furnishing Your Apartment
What will need to be purchased while living in an apartment? Examples of what you will need to purchase include, but are not limited to, the following: Using Google spreadsheet, make a listing of all your monthly needs. You should include on this spreadsheet columns and entries like the following: You are to shop for all these items at two different stores of your choice, noting the prices for each of these two stores. After completing your shopping list, determine the //total monthly cost// for all these items representing your monthly needs. Here is a grocery list of supplies that may provide you with some guidance regarding the products you may need to live in your apartment.
 * food (milk, juice, bread, pizza, soda pop, meats, cheese, ice cream, soup, and so very much more)
 * paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, etc.)
 * cleaning supplies (broom, mop, dish soap, dishwasher soap, bucket, laundry soap, etc.)
 * toiletries (aspirin, toothpaste, toothbrush, shaver/soap, soap, shampoo, hairspray, etc.)
 * other (light bulbs, flashlight, pet supplies, etc.)
 * = Product ||= Qty ||= Each ||= Cost at Store #1 ||= Total Cost at Store #1 ||= Cost at Store #2 ||= Total Cost at Store #2 ||
 * = Quilted Northern Toilet Paper ||= 2 ||= 4 rolls ||= $2.88 ||= $5.75 ||= $2.99 ||= $5.98 ||

**Final Report** In this blog post, you need to include everything you have learned about renting your first apartment. In your report, include an understanding of the following:
 * apartment needs and wants (location, space, furnishings, garage, pets, etc.)
 * pictures of the apartments
 * term of rental/lease
 * deposit (1st and last month's rent, apartment damage deposit, utilities deposits, telephone deposits, etc.)
 * utilities (deposits and monthly costs of electricity, gas, telephone, long distance calls, etc.)
 * insurance (coverages, premiums, deductibles, claims, etc.)
 * roommates (do you plan to have a roommate, how many, how will you find a roommate, how do you split expenses, who is responsible for the lease, what is someone leaves, etc.)
 * entertainment costs (cable, Internet, etc.)
 * furnishing costs (furniture, appliances, etc.)
 * living costs (food, paper goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, groceries, etc.)