How to Make a Rental Feel Like Home

By the time Derek and I move into our new home that we're building, we will have moved nine times in eight years. Out of the nine places we'll have lived, seven of them will have been rental homes. I moved a lot growing up, so moving from place to place and settling from place to place is just something that I'm used to. I've never felt like I've had a particularly hard time moving and getting adjusted, and I think it's mostly due to these four things I do each time we find ourselves in a new place. 

Unpack right away:  I can't stand having things in boxes and digging through them all the time to find things. Each time we move, I make a goal to get everything unpacked within the first two days that we're there. That way everyone starts to learn where everything is right from the get go, and you can feel like you're actually living your life. 

Hang pictures on the wall: Nothing says dull, boring, and rental property like the fear of never putting a hole in a wall. Derek and I have always been very eager to get our pictures hung on the walls, and we've never once had to pay a fee for nail holes when we've moved out. Some we've filled on our own, some we left and didn't bother with, but we've never gotten in trouble for it either way. Having your own pictures on the wall is a sure way to make the space feel like your own.

Get furniture that fits the space: When we moved from Georgia to the home we're renting in Utah, we sold of all of our furniture. Since we knew what the rental looked like before getting there, I mentally planned all the furniture that we would buy, and what it would look like in each room. You don't have to break the bank doing this either, with the furniture we sold in Georgia, we used that money to buy our new furniture here, and I think we wound up investing only about $500 more when all was said and done. Having furniture that fits your space though makes such a huge difference. Our couches in Georgia would have been much too large for both of our living rooms here, and replacing them with smaller, inexpensive couches from Walmart makes the spaces look so much more intentional. Buying inexpensive furniture online has come a long way in the last few years. Everything in this house is currently from Target, Amazon, Walmart, or Overstock, and so far everything has held up, and nothing has broken.

Get to know your neighbors: I know a lot of people don't like to invest in relationships when they know their housing situations aren't permanent, but we've tried to make it a point to always know who our neighbors are wherever we've lived. On our street I know I could call my neighbor next door, or across the street at a moments notice and either one of them would help with anything we need. Jay has also loved being able to go outside after school knowing that he can usually find a friend to play with. 

Is there something that you do whenever you move into a new place? I'd love to hear any ideas you have in the comments below!