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One of the aspects of being a stay at home parent is that money is often tight. People often wonder how you get by on a single income - and so do you. Housing is probably your greatest monthly expense, and if you rent, it is important to get the best apartment you can for your money. Even if you work at home, you may not have the money to get the apartment you'd like to have, despite the extra income. Then again, many work at home parents do very well financially.
The easy way to find apartments these days is to search online. You can check sites such as Realtor.com (yes, they show rentals) or type "your city name apartments" into Google and find quite a few apartment available for rent.
Those are excellent places to start, but do not finish there. The places that advertise the most have to make up their costs somewhere and that somewhere is your rent.
Still, these ads can get you moving in the right direction. Sure, the advertised complex costs a bit too much, but sometimes the one right next door doesn't advertise very much - and costs less per month. So print out that list of addresses and take a look around the area for more apartment complexes.
Location is always important. It doesn't matter that you aren't buying the place, you don't want your spouse to have an excessive drive to work, especially at today's high gas prices. Try to balance the cost of the apartment with the cost of driving places.
Think about which amenities you must have, and what you could live without. A swimming pool in the complex is nice in the summer, but its upkeep is a part of your rent. Laundry rooms on site, on the other hand, mean you don't have to drive to get the laundry done.
Finally, be prepared to look at quite a few complexes before making a decision. New complexes look beautiful, but they can be expensive. On the other hand, older ones may have just been remodeled inside. So long as the maintenance is kept up, old or new complexes can each be quite comfortable.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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