Convenience is the key to many things in life, and renting is no exception. You want to find an apartment that?s convenient to the most important things in your life: work, your friends, the local watering hole where you meet your friends up every Wednesday night, the gym, the park, shops, the local watering hole where you meet your friends every Friday night. Oh, and Saturday night too.

The most important things to consider are 1) what you can afford and 2) where you want to live. With luck, you?ll find an affordable apartment in the section of town where you want it to be. If not, think about what?s important to you in an apartment and make a list of those characteristics. Note: Lots of hotties is probably not a realistic priority. But being close to the laundry is. So is having a security alarm. And an on-site property manager. Cross reference your wish list with local apartment listings to find the ones that appeal to you.

Take your list with you when you visit apartments to see how they match up. If you don?t see everything you hoped for, try negotiating with the landlord or apartment company. Make sure you?re financially ready to sign a lease when you go. You need enough money to put down a deposit. And buy a congratulatory beverage or meal for yourself.

Try to keep your rent to below one-third of your monthly income (sorry to tell you, but it?s time for a budget. You?ll have to stop rock, scissor, papering to see who picks up the bar tab). If you budget for another third of your salary to cover monthly entertainment, bills and groceries, then tuck the last third of your salary into a savings account. Don?t give it the old college try; give it the ?I?m-out-of-college-and-financially-responsible? try. Over time, this will add up to a nice chunk of change.

For example, if you make $30,000 a year, don?t lease an apartment with rent over $800 (might be time to get hunker down and get a roommate or two). Try to put around $800 a month in a savings account (preferably yours). By the end of the year, you?ll have $9,600 saved. In two years you?ll have close to $20,000! That?s a lot of money that can be invested in a fancy car, traveling around the world, or whatever it is that you would like to do.