1. Have a roommate

Most apartments offer shared room and/or shared apartment plans. This can cut down the cost of your rent tremendously.Furthermore, if you want to save money but are struggling to find a roommate, many apartments actually have opportunities and events for future residents to mingle and meet roommates.

2. Utilize the amenities

Most apartments come with tons of great amenities: shuttles to campus, gyms, hot tubs. Whether you realize it or not, you are probably paying a portion of your rent to upkeep these great amenities. This outlines the importance of actually utilizing these things. For example, even if you have a car, taking advantage of the complimentary shuttles can save you gas and parking money. You can cut the cost of a gym membership and gas money to get to the gym by utilizing your apartments work out facilities, and so much more. Check you what amenities your apartment offers and how you can use it to your advantage!

3. Make your own food

For many first-time apartment owners, cooking may seem like a new, foreign endeavor. It’s so easy to stop by the drive through or grab food at a restaurant, but cooking in your apartment is one of the best ways to save yourself some cash. In the article “Cooking at Home VS. Eating Out”, the average price when eating out is $13 per meal, while the average price for eating at home is $4 per meal. That also does not include cost of gas to get to the restaurant. Given the assumption you go out oit eat four times a week, switching two of those meals to home cooked meals could save you almost $75 per month!

After a few months, that can really add up. As challenging as it may be, taking advantage of the fridge, stove, and oven in your apartment can be rewarding - and not only because you developed a new life skill. If you’re a little apprehensive to take on the challenge, there are tons of easy, cheap recipes all over the internet to get you started. (Hello Pinterest!) Finally, many apartments offer a grill that you can use. On a night where you want to go out to eat with friends, invite them over for a grill out instead. It will be cheaper, more personable, and they’ll all be impressed with your skills. This is another way to take advantage of your apartment's amenities without getting trapped in monotonous meals in your apartment.

4. Turn off the lights/ water

This one is very important if your lights, electricity or water are not included in your monthly rent. Although they may seem tiny, the amount of money and power you can save yourself by just changing a few habits is incredible. As a new renter, you may not be used to seeing a correlation in the amount of water you use or the temperature of your air to the money in your pocket. That’s not a lesson you want to learn the hard way.

Here are so many easy steps you can take to cut down on your water and electricity with barely any effort. Some steps to save water include minimizing your laundry loads, turning off the water while you brush your teeth or shave, and loading up your dishwasher. For electricity, it’s important to turn off unnecessary lights, TVs and other devices, and wearing the right clothes so that you can save a little bit on your heat/air conditioning bill. Not only are these things beneficial to the person paying for them, but they’re helping out our environment too.

5. Make Your Own Decor

Last but far from the least, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars thrifting and making your own furniture and decor. As tempting as it is to spend money on the overly-priced decorations at Urban Outfitters or Pier 1, I promise you, you can DIY for a fraction of the cost without sacrificing any quality.

The possibilities are endless, but here are some ideas: Transform thrift store furniture with some new material and a staple gun. DIY (Again, Pinterest has so many). Make your own curtains with material. Find sticks, spray paint them, and put them in a vase for a cool center piece or jewelry holder. You can buy picture frames at thrift stores for a couple of dollars, a few coats of spray paint and you have new wall art (but make sure it’s okay to put nails in your walls). Again, all these ideas cost merely a couple of dollars and a little elbow grease. I think it’s a huge misconception that you have to spend tons of money to have cute interior decor, thus why this is a HUGE way to save yourself in an apartment. Here are some more brilliant ideas to spark your inspiration.

Gateway at Tempe Apartments are an easy walk to Arizona State University. Offering students high-end features and newly renovated a-List amenities at a great price. Apartments feature furniture packages, washers and dryers and more! Entertain your friends in the social backdrop of our resort-style pool and grilling areas. Check out Gateway at Tempe Apartments today!