Depending on how magical your dorm situation was, apartment life may seem like a dream. Not only do you no longer try to mask your urge to use the bathroom or pass some gas, but you are free to cook what you want, do what you want and walk around as naked as you want as often as you want. But now that we’re officially rolling into summer and you’re finally feeling like your new place is home, maybe you’re starting to see that there was definitely more than what met the eye during apartment-hunting season. At the Daily Clog, we feel your apartment-related pain. Here are a few things that you might not have considered before signing your lease:

1. This room is … smaller. Not exactly the way you remembered it, huh? Often times, the excitement of finally getting to rent an apartment can mess with our vision. Things usually look bigger and more wonderful at the peak of the apartment hunt, but as you start to settle in, empty rooms could reveal surprising room proportions. If your room is smaller, that leaves you in the awkward position of deciding whether you should initiate a conversation about rent prices or just settle for a smaller Ikea desk.

2. Where’d it go?! Insects. That’s right. You might actually have an insect problem. Maybe your worst nightmare was confirmed as you woke up one morning and saw a black, eight-legged creature randomly hanging around your bathroom door. Hopefully it wasn’t as petrifying as that, but it could definitely happen. Best advice? Buy Raid — and lots of it.

However, if your bug problem is just cray — or if you have an intense phobia — try communication! It can work. Talk to your landlord about whether it’s possible to do some sort of extermination that won’t bite into your wallet. Like, really. Chances are, one of the last questions you would ask with a huge grin on your face before signing your lease is, “Do you have an insect problem?”

3. Why can’t I plug this in? Yes, people! Your outlets may not even permit three prongs for you to charge this laptop so you could finish reading those Clog articles you bookmarked! What does this mean? Adapters. Again, this leaves you in the awkward position of deciding whether to initiate another conversation — maybe with your landlord this time — or dragging your roommate(s) to Walgreens to invest in a few adapters for all the outlets.

4. Think like a criminal. If you try thinking like a criminal that’s dying to take that flat-screen TV sitting in the middle of the living room, you may be surprised at how many ways an intruder can come into your apartment. Whether it’s through a bathroom window or pushing against a door with a certain amount of force, your apartment could be pretty easy to break into. Although no one’s blaming you for not checking whether your windows are strong enough to keep a burglar out, assess how safe your apartment is. Talk with your roommate to figure out ways to protect yourself from evil people. And don’t forget to check for that fire alarm. Fire and carbon monoxide are dangerous, too.

5. Why am I not saving money? Okay, so we saw splitting costs on a coffee table, sofa and dining chairs coming, but what about all other items to attend to our necessary humanly needs? Toilet paper, place mats, bathroom rugs, cooking pots, trash bags and the very trash can itself may be items you discover you need only when you finally need them. Moving into an apartment and getting settled into it can be pretty costly.  But note that this is only a beginning and that you are merely making investments by buying things that will be worth your while. It’s up to the duration of your stay, and your happiness at the end of the day that can really make your apartment worthwhile.

Maybe your place isn’t perfect, but at least some of the surprising discoveries about your new place gives you a moral to your story. Sometimes you can never be really prepared for what you run into in life — but you can have some Raid on hand ahead of time.

Were there any unexpected things you had to cope with in your new apartment? Please share in the comments!

Image source: eastlaketimes under Creative Commons