A separate checking account just for rent and bills
One account for fixed bills, one for everything else. How I set up the split before moving and how much buffer…
Renters insurance quotes for a 480-square-foot studio
Three quotes, one landlord requirement and a lot of fine print. What I covered, the $500 deductible I picked a…
Why my loan payments drop to $550 when I move out
Paying rent means I can't keep sending $800 a month. How I picked the new number and what it does to my payoff…
I signed a lease: a $1,295 studio in Evanston
Heat and water included, a third-floor window over a courtyard and a June 1 start. What I signed, what I paid …
Getting my credit ready for an apartment application
Landlords check credit, income and history. What my 752 score and my reports looked like before I applied, and…
Evanston or Skokie? Three apartments, three rents
A Skokie one-bedroom, a garden studio and a top-floor studio near the Purple Line. What each one cost per mont…
I got a 7% raise. Here's where every new dollar goes
My salary went from $46,500 to $49,800. What that meant per paycheck after taxes, and the split I made before …
My Sunday reset routine that costs nothing
Laundry, packed lunches, a long walk to the lake and a phone that goes in a drawer at 9. One year into this bl…
A pothole, a bent rim and a $230 February
One deep pothole on Sheridan Road and a flat tire in the cold. How I paid for it and why I now keep a small ca…