So, we're in the midst of apartment hunting.* As we begin (yet another) apartment hunt, I've found it useful to sit down with Bret (and to some extent, Lou) to hammer out our true priorities. This is necessary because anytime I see exposed brick I'm ready to sign for a place, even if it meets exactly zero of our other, actual, needs. It's also a good idea to clearly lay out where each person's head is, because this can be a time that's fraught with stress, insecurity over credit scores and income, and wrestling with just how bougie you really are or are becoming. Making sure your spouse or roommates are on the same page before you begin your search can save lots of time in unnecessary apartment visits.

To that end, I dove into making a couple of apartment checklists, hoping to make the process easier for us, and easier for you. First up: A worksheet designed to suss out what it is you really want/need from your place.

You can click on this to download and print it out (but you have download to print). Then, use with your own spouse/roommate/bossy cat and figure out what it is you need. I'd love feedback on this, by the way -- every apartment hunt depends heavily on the city and circumstances of those undertaking it, but if I missed something big and obvious, please, holla.

So, we narrowed down our preferences, and now we're in a real exploratory phase. I want to know what's out there, and the only way to do it is to go see. Pictures just won't do the trick in most cases. And though there's some awkwardness, if you've got the time, I'd say the educational romp is almost always worth it. To keep it all straight, I'm working on a little take-along guide, which you can use to record the stuff you saw and how much it cost. Should be up tomorrow! Thanks as always for stopping by.

*Posts may be a bit late - more like 11 am or 12 pm - in the next several weeks - as we juggle the apartment hunt, preschool drop-offs and a hectic work schedule. Sorry for the inconvenience! I hope to return to your regularly scheduled programming as soon as possible.