Blog Posts

Best Dog Breeds for Your Apartment

Thinking about adopting a dog? If you didn't already know, we are a pet friendly community; in fact, we LOVE our furry residents. We have a few restricted breeds, however, so be sure to check with us before bringing home Fido. While almost any dog can potentially make a great apartment dog, we've narrowed down the breeds that, based on generalized demeanor, will be the best fit for your apartment. Dachshunds These adorable little "hot dogs" are expert snugglers who love burrowing beneath blankets and cuddling up to their loved ones. The smallest of the hound breeds, they do enjoy a good run - but the bonus here is that with legs just a few inches long, you can give them all the toy-fetching exercise they need right in the house! Bichon Frise Fluffy, French and altogether fashionable in appearance, Bichons shed very little, though they will need regular grooming to stay kempt. Energetic, loving and bright, the Bichon makes a wonderful companion. While they do enjoy a walk, they're happy to be little movie-watching couch potatoes, as well. Chinese Crested These interesting-looking little love dogs come in a powderpuff and hairless variety. The hairless are very easy to maintain, as you might imagine - though they can get cold and should own a few sweaters! Weighing up to 12 pounds, they of course need regular walks but don't require a large amount of exercise and do very well in apartments. Miniature Pinscher These dogs are like giant Dobermans that have been hit with a shrink ray! Miniature Pinschers (or Min-Pins, as they are often called) have a similar appearance to the Doberman, but are actually a distinct and older breed. Standing roughly 10"-12" tall at the shoulder, these tiny titans average out to about 11 pounds, and make wonderful watchdogs, as they're alert and suspicious. Also adorable. Shiba Inu Are you an experienced dog owner who loves taking your dog out for exercise? If so, the foxy-looking Shiba, which hails from Japan, often makes one of the best apartment dogs! Shibas have lots of energy, so if running - either in tandem or turning your pup loose at the dog park - on a daily basis sounds like you, this is definitely a breed to consider. Greyhound We know. You're probably thinking, "How can these dogs - with their racing backgrounds - be one of the best dog breeds for apartments?!" But they are! Long, lanky and content to be lazy, the only thing greyhounds may demand of you is more couch space. They actually need very little exercise or grooming, and they're wonderfully easygoing and quickly trained. What's more, greyhounds are plentiful in rescues nationwide, and thus affordable to obatin. Bulldog Want a true couch potato? These wrinkly little lovers may not look like lap dogs, but as far as they're concerned, they definitely are. Quiet, friendly and loving, bulldogs enjoy a good romp, but they're fairly low-energy and very content loafing about with their loved ones . . . and a cozy apartment would suit just fine. Union Flats

Best Apps for Roommates

[caption id="attachment_27" align="alignnone" width="300"] Living with a roommate can be a great experience, but sometimes troubles arise when it's time to pay the bills. Luckily, there are apps that help make your living situation a little easier. Check out the following apps that will help you and your roommate stay on track for groceries, rent, debt owed, and more: Splitwise Splitwise helps to ensure everyone gets paid back and is completely free to use on your computer, iPhone, or Android. It tallies up all your IOUs so you can reimburse in one big payment. This is great when you're having to pay for rent that isn't all inclusive. You can also set up reminders to help you keep up with payments by uploading expenses and sharing with your roomies. Venmo Venmo is probably the most popular among the money-sending app variety. You can easily add a bank account or debit card and transfer money between roommates at no extra charge. You can also keep money in your Venmo account to use towards your bills. Venmo is totally free and easy as long as both parties involved have the app. It's also a great way to send birthday money or split dinner! IOU IOU is your personal debt manager! You can upload expenses, share them among your housemates and even send each other email reminders about payments. You can add recurring IOUs for monthly bills and create payment plans for bigger purchases. It's really easy to keep track of everything with a record of your debt history. Avoid confusion and fights about who paid who back, when you can refer back to the app. Splitrr Splitrr is extremely easy and convenient to use because there is no login required, it works completely offline and supports all currencies. It will help tell you who is next to pay and who owes whom money. You can generate a PDF to email to your roomies to keep up to date. This app also works wonders for planning weekend trips and vacations! OurGroceries So what if you and your roomies share groceries? There's an app for that! With OurGroceries you can easily make and change grocery lists, crossing off items as you purchase them. That way you don't end up with double duty on shareable items like eggs, milk, and (of course) wine. Union Flats

Protect Your Apartment s Wifi

With identity thieving at an all-time high, securing your personal information is more important than ever before, and it can start with something as simple as ensuring that your apartment's wifi password security, as well as your other passwords, are strong enough. But how do you create a secure password? The Three Essential Rules to Creating a Secure Password Though passwords may seem like a hassle to remember, they're a hugely necessary inconvenience. According to cybersecurity company IdentityHawk.com, they're essential in the fight against someone stealing your data or even your identity. In order to ensure your password security, start by keeping these three rules in mind: 1.Passwords should be complex and long While this may make your password more difficult to remember, it also makes it more difficult for a hacker to guess. Aim for a password that's at least 8 characters long, includes both upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters such as %, # or &. Passwords should not be easy to guess 2.It's always tempting to use something simple like "password1" or even "123456," but that's one of the worst things you can do. Sequential numbers are actually the worst for hacks, according to SplashData, who collect information on data breaches. In fact, in 2015, "123456" was the most commonly used password found in hacks for the 5th year running. 3.Use a different password for every account Using the same password for all of your accounts is just asking for trouble. Oftentimes during major data breaches, hackers will try using acquired passwords on other accounts just to see if they'll work, meaning they could possibly gain access to your important financial information. If your memory just isn't built for that kind of thing, try using one of the "top password managers" to ensure your password security. How Do I Know If I Have a Bad Password? Here is SplashData's top 25 list of most commonly used--bad--passwords. If you are using any of these, change it. Now. 123456 password 12345 12345678 football qwerty 1234567890 1234567 princess 1234 login welcome solo abc123 admin 121212 flower password dragon sunshine master hottie loveme zaq1zaq1 password 1 Instead, use these 3 simple tips for a better password: Use passwords or passphrases of twelve characters or more with mixed types of characters Avoid using the same password over and over again on different websites Use a password manager such as TeamsID to oranize and protect passwords, generate random ones, and automatically log into websites So what's the best way to choose a secure password? Choose a phrase with at least 8 words: This is my favorite sandwich in the world Take the first letter of each word: timfsitw Switch one (or two) to an uppercase: TimFsitw Switch one to a number: T1mFsitw Switch one to a special character: T1mF$itw Add something unique from each site (i.e. add a "b" for banking, and "f" for Facebook, etc.) Union Flats

You re Doing Thanksgiving Wrong

If there's one meal at which family drama is on full display, it's Thanksgiving. Expectations and emotions run high, and there are a lot of moving parts to cause friction. Even Anthony Bourdain, who is seemingly immune to the criticism of others, feels the pressure to pull off the most anticipated meal of the year. If you're hosting (and taking seriously) The Big Meal this year, you'll need to read this before tackling anything related to it. There's a lot you're just plain doing wrong. Below, a list of exactly what you're doing wrong, according to Anthony Bourdain: 1. You start cooking on Thanksgiving Day. Preparing your whole meal in one day - even two - is a recipe for system failure. Order your fancy farmer-raised turkey now. Or, if you are going to buy a more plebeian bird from a regular market, get your hands on it no later than the Monday before Thanksgiving. 2. You're not planning well enough. Plan for three days - that's right, three days - of full-on Thanksgiving prep. Make a list of everything that needs to get done and follow it. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, you should be organizing your supplies and tools, making sure you have enough roasting pans, mixing bowls, and storage containers ,and banging out advance vegetable prep. 3. You're not giving yourself enough time to thaw everything out. Do not wait until Thanksgiving to lay out your non-perishables and frozen items. The vast majority of holiday turkeys are sold frozen, and it takes about six hours per pound to defrost in the refrigerator. No amount of prayer, salting, or hastily applied hairdryers can speed up this process if you've waited until Wednesday to thaw a 12-pound bird. Your microwave isn't big enough. You can jolly it along a bit with a cold water bath, which thaws the meat at approximately 30 minutes per pound, but do not float your turkey in your bathtub. 4. You're not saving the stock when it's all over. It's liquid gold for cold weather. Stock is the underrated superhero of the Thanksgiving meal, the product that comes out of nowhere to save almost everything except your pie. You should make stock out of your Thanksgiving turkey carcass, but the use of a good, dark, gelatinous-when-refrigerated stock that you have on hand before the meal is what's going to upgrade your stuffing and gravy. Buy about five to seven pounds of turkey wings and necks as the base for a deeply-roasted stock, or invest in a couple of quarts of the best-quality turkey stock you can find a few days (or weeks) before the holidays. Use the stock made from your Thanksgiving birds for winter soups and stews. 5. You only make one turkey? That's cute. Prepare a stunt turkey and a business turkey. To impress guests, roast and artfully arrange a small turkey, using any and all manner of garnishes and props, including (but not limited to): chop frills, rainbow pinwheels of skewered citrus fruit slices, maraschino cherries, curly kale, lit sparklers, and crisp, new $100 bills and/or gold leaf. While guests admire your artistry (and drink your Burgundy), carve the larger, roasted business turkey in the kitchen. The stunt turkey should be edible, of course. Use it to supplement the meal as needed, or lean on it entirely for care packages and day-after leftovers. 6. You're throwing away the fat. Do not discard the copious amounts of grease your bird has generously provided you with; use it to boost flavor. Butter is good, but turkey fat is better for delivering quintessential flavor. Save the grease that runs off the roasted birds and use it for the gravy and as a moistening agent for your stuffing. 7. Don't try anything crazy. This is not the time for wild experimentation. Stick with tradition on Thanksgiving. You have 364 days of the year to experiment with the cuisines of the world, your dehydrator, and your sous vide machine. Give the people what they want on Thanksgiving: the likes of buttery mashed potatoes, savory stuffing with mushrooms or chestnuts or oysters, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, cranberry relish, bacon-enhanced Brussels sprouts, creamed onions, pumpkin or apple pie with real whipped cream, and above all, a straight-ahead bronzed turkey, roasted in the oven. 8. You're giving it all away at the end of the meal. A good turkey sandwich, enhanced with a layer of stuffing and gravy, eaten in peace after your guests have gone, is the whole point of hosting Thanksgiving in the first place. By all means, send your friends and family home with care packages, but first, make sure you've tucked away enough additional stuff for yourself. Union Flats

Halloween Treat Alternatives

Traditional Halloween treats include all oour obvious favorites: Snickers, Reese's, Twix, Skittles, and the (yummy) list goes on and on. But this year you should stray from tradition and pick up some not-so-typical treats for the youngsters in your building. Trust us, they'll get plenty of the tooth-rotting goodness, but they'll welcome the alternative Halloween treats we gathered here. Many of these items can be purchased in bulk for an affordable price at your local dollar store: Bubbles Play Doh Bouncing balls Glow sticks Cookie cutters Keychains Slap bracelets Temporary tattoos Notepads Crayons Stencils Stickers Slinky's Halloween rings Book marks Ink stamps Union Flats

Add Color to Your Space with the Commitment of Paint

Living in an apartment can mean limited decor options. Painting your walls in your favorite shade of green or blue may not always be ideal. In fact, it may go against your lease. And even if you did have the option of painting your walls, losing your deposit is something you would risk. So, how do you add color to your space without going against your lease agreement? With a quick visit to your local crafts store and a little DIY, you can add color and personality to your apartment in no time with very little impact on your walls - and your wallet. If you're not sure what color is best suited for your space, check out these tips on using the color wheel for inspiration. Large Painting If you have a large empty wall in your living room, consider creating your own piece of art. Have fun and mix and match the colors to go with your space. Next, measure the width of your wall to determine how big your piece of art should be. Then, head out to your local art store and purchase a canvas that will best fit the space, painters tape (you can determine how wide the lines should be), acrylic paint and a foam brush. Create a geometric design on the canvas using the painters tape. This is where you can have fun - it doesn't have to be perfect. Next, cover it with the paint. You can use different colors. Let it dry. Once the paint is dry, carefully remove the tape, and voila - your very own art piece. Fabric Wrapped Canvas Similar to the large painting, you can easily use an artist's canvas to add color to your wall. Head out to your local crafts store and purchase a yard of a fabric that you love. Consider using a fabric that will add that pop of color, as well as one that will add texture to your space, like a textured silk. Wrap the fabric around the canvas - like a present - and use a staple gun to secure the fabric in place. This is great because all you need is one hole, which betters your chance of getting your deposit back in the end. Union Flats