New Neighbor Friends and Rent on the Cheap? Yes, Please!

So making ends meet at this pre-graduation stage is tough, but I'm figuring it only gets harder after you've spent up all the money Grandma sent in your happy graduation card, and your parents have decided they don't think it's cute that you spent your grocery money on a 30-pack of blue Moon, a limo ride to Pasadena, and a new freak'em dress.

Enter Money Saving Tip #1: If you're like us Ramen Diary gals, and you have any kind of skill in planning events/parties/social gatherings, my good friend SP has found a scheme to get you discounted rent. That's right, discounted rent. (I literally just saw everyone reading this lean a little closer to the monitor.)

So this is how it works: You and a friend are going around looking for apartments. If you're looking in a middle to upper range apartment complex, ask to speak to the complex manager/director, what have you.

Tell them that you LOVE, love, this or that apartment, and you think it would be perfect. Then add in that you have an idea that would make their already fabulous apartment complex even more fantastic and enticing for potential tenants. Then tell them if they knock off a little of your rent you will throw weekly or bi-weekly, themed mixers for all of the residents. Granted, it's going to cost you maybe a $200 bucks a month to get supplies for said mixer, but if they're only taking off $200 a month from your rent, they're only out $400, and they've got a totally viable draw for new tenants (especially lonely new college graduates like yourself).

It helps if you can do this in a team of 2 or 3 people because then the apartment complex gets a team of event planners for the price of one. On top of that the kind of events that this would require practically run themselves....wine and cheese parties, luaus, backyard bbq, bingo, (skip the beer pong tourney. You don't want the complex next door to call the cops on all 50 of your neighbors. sorry KN.) You'll have to do a little leg work at the beginning, but after you build up some street cred with your fellow tenants, you're golden.

And on top of getting to meet all of your (hopefully) cool neighbors, you're getting a little leeway on the rent on the DL.

-JR