Make Your Rental Your Own!

I’ll be the first to admit that I rent a place, and for the moment I love it! There will be a day down the road where I do purchase a condominium or townhouse all of my own, but for today renting suits me fine. It suits my lifestyle great and lets me save money for the big day when I have a place all of my own.

What is hard about renting is making the place really feel like your own. I know I have rented places where I would put my head on the pillow at night and really feel as if I was a stranger in my own room. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and literally my eyes would dart around the room trying to comprehend where I was. It was a discomforting and weird feeling and many people who rent sometimes feel similarly. Also my kitchen did not feel useable or that it was mine and I ate most of my meals out. This time around though I have worked hard to make my rental my home—and it has worked well.

So I figure rather than keeping a well guarded secret I will share with you my tips on how to make a rental your own little piece of paradise.

First rule is Unpack: In the past I said to myself “How Long Will I Really Be Here?” and this line really persuaded me to never fully unpack and try to assimilate the feeling of being at home. This time around I unpacked EVERYTHING and gave every item a spot all to its own. This really lets me see everything I have and makes me feel a bit of comfort.

Second Rule is Keep It Clean: Weekly cleaning should be done. To avoid heaps of laundry do loads twice weekly. Vaccuming as well as dusting and mopping should be a regular happening. This consistency will make you feel that this is indeed your place and that you need to keep it in tip top shape

Third Rule is Cook up a Storm: Nothing says this is my place better than having tons of pots and pans, and cuttlery handy and cooking everything and anything. Live your life, entertain and really enjoy it.

Fourth Rule is Invite and Entertain: This is your place, so invite people over and be social. You want to make sure that you are having people over and treating your place like the fun gathering place it should be.

There are lots of things you can do to make your place feel like yours and these are just a few. So the moral is do not be a stranger in your own place, make it yours!