Renting your first apartment is an exciting new thing. However, there are a lot of situations and responsibilities that come with it that you may not have expected. Spend some time planning what's important to you concerning your apartment. Here is a list to help you make some of those decisions.

1. Balance that budget

After calculating your rent, take into consideration how much you are willing to spend on furniture and utilities. It may come as a surprise how expensive a couch and even a TV stand is.

2. Cable vs. Netflix

Can you live without live television? If so, a Netflix or Hulu subscription might work for you. If your show is not on one of these subscription services, visit your local cable provider and check for any deals.

3. Roomies

Roommates can decrease the cost of rent, bills, and sometimes furniture. However, make sure you discuss everything including money and any rules up front. Otherwise, that can lead to awkward conversations in the future.

4. Guests

If you're the kind of person who loves having friends over, make sure it's OK with your roommates first. Your friends will probably want to be at your new place all the time, but sometimes you want time to yourself.

5. Will you feel safe?

Considering the neighborhood you will be living in is very important. You want to feel comfortable and safe in your home. Sometimes you end up in an area because it is close to school or work, and it’s not the safest. Things to look out for are gates in front and in the back of the apartment and figure out if the gate requires a code to enter.

6. How far are you willing to travel?

Distance can make or break a living experience. Think about if you want something in walking distance to school or work. If it isn’t how long will the commute be? Can you deal with sitting in traffic for over an hour?

7. Parking

If you are looking in suburban areas, parking should not be a problem. Downtown or other busy areas are a different story. Check to see if your complex will provide parking or maybe a parking pass to park on the street.

8. Upstairs/downstairs

When visiting available spaces, do you care if it’s upstairs or downstairs? Some people do not like living underneath people because of noise. However, living upstairs means it will be harder moving furniture and luggage up and down flights of stairs.

9. Cooking lessons

Since this is your first apartment, there will most likely be no more home-cooked meals from Mom and Pop. You will have to plan your meals for grocery shopping, otherwise you will find yourself living at In-N-Out. As yummy as that sounds, your heart will probably appreciate meals cooked at home.

10. Are pets allowed?

If you already have an animal, that will limit availability of places to rent. A lot of apartment managers do not allow pets, and if they do, your deposit is usually much higher.