One of the great things about living in Dallas is all of the room you have to move around. Although the Dallas metro area does seem to go on forever, the city planners were smart enough to incorporate miles of walking and biking paths around the city and they are often in full use year round. The problem many Dallas area apartment renters have is where to store their bike when they aren’t using it. Here are a few common sense options you can look into.

Many major apartment buildings have a separate, locked utility room that is made especially for bike storage. The problem here is that most of the good spaces for locking up your bike may already be gone. Hopefully, your building manager will ask that all bikes be cleared out once a year so any old or leftover bikes can be tossed away and room can be made. Ask your building manager what options you have.

More and more people are simply keeping their bikes in their units, but having a bike parked in your living room can be unsightly. Many people are choosing to mount their bike on their walls, or even storing it under the bed. Bike wheels come off in a heart beat and once you get used to removing and attaching it, you won’t have any trouble doing it on a regular basis. This not only keeps your bike safe and sound in your unit but it also keeps it out of anyone’s sight.

Some apartment buildings have outdoor storage for bikes, although it is seldom guarded or even properly lit up at night. Be careful using any kind of outdoor lock up after sundown, especially if the lighting is poor. You will also likely need two locks, one on the body of your bike and another on your wheel, if you plan on locking your bike up outside.

It is a nightmare experienced by more and more apartment renters who find themselves having to settle for smaller and smaller spaces: not having enough room for your stuff. George Carlin routines aside, running out of room for your personal possessions isn’t funny, but it presents a whole new problem concerning what to do with your things. Every large city, Dallas included, has several public storage facilities that charge competitive rates to keep your things safe and secure, but before you shove yourself into a cubicle, there are certain things you need to look for first.

When shopping around for the perfect self storage facility, you need to look for one that is air conditioned or one that keeps all of its storage units at room temperature. The ravages of nature can still warp and fade wood furniture and precious keepsakes even if they receive no direct contact with the elements. Often times, public storage facilities that offer shed-like storage units are significantly cheaper, but they provide no real protection for your things.

A common fear at many public storage facilities is that of theft, so make sure that the one you choose offers 24 hour, around the clock security. As more and more public storage companies fight against this perception, it may actually be difficult to find one that doesn’t have their own security, but make sure you ask specifically, never assume.

Public storage can be an economical way to keep your belongings close by, but not all facilities are created equal.

One of the biggest drawbacks to living in a big city like Dallas is finding parking when you need it. If you have your eye on a sweet downtown apartment building, parking can become a daily frustration that has the potential to send you to the suburbs with clumps of your own hair in your hands. Every city has its own parking quirks and rituals, so the sooner you can have someone show you the ropes, the better. Here are a few easy tips you can follow.

In any downtown core, parking rates at various garages can vary drastically. This problem has gotten so out of hand in some metro areas that the city government has gone ahead and bought up all garages so prices can be uniform. Assuming this hasn’t happened by the time you read this in Dallas, it is a good idea to learn where the best parking values are in your city, and remember, even the shadiest garage is safer than parking on the street.

Sometimes, public parking spaces are hidden in the oddest places. Alley ways, businesses and even private residents can have public spots mixed in with their own with the only clue being a faded and bent sign. These spaces are worth their weight in gold so keep an eye out for the ones closest to you.

Finally, different parts of downtown often require different permits or stickers for unlimited, meter-free usage. These boundaries are often signified by a change in signage but sometimes, you’re simply supposed to “know.” Make sure you do since paying to have your car towed is never cheap.

Of all of the maladies that we face on a weekly basis, the specter of an overflowing toilet may not be the most serious, but it is frequently one of the most dreaded. Even if we find out later it was a kink in our building’s plumbing and not a lack of fiber in our diet, the feeling of panic and even some shame is all the same. Here is a handy mental checklist you can file away for the next time you see the water level in your john rising to critical levels.

First and foremost, don’t panic. In the six to eight seconds it takes the water to go from normal to overflow, we manage to think of every possession that this disaster might ruin and it tends to block our ability to react. There isn’t a scenario that is helped by panicking so try to keep your head on straight.

Second, almost all toilets, even ones in apartments, have a silver or gold knob located behind the bowl or on the back of the tank that turns the water off in case of an emergency. Since this more than qualifies, simply locate the valve turn off and quickly turn the knob clockwise (Loosy-Lefty, Righty-Tighty). Within seconds, you should notice that the water has stopped filling the bowl, and you are left with a significantly less critical situation.

From there, you can either use a plunger that you have beside your bowl or even some Liquid Plumber if you were able to catch it before it spilled its banks. If you can’t clear the clog, call your landlord or your apartment manager.

It seems that everyone wants to be a rock star these days, but if you live in an apartment, simply practicing alone can cause complaints to rain down on you like confetti. If you are an aspiring musician and you are looking for a practice space in the big, beautiful city of Dallas, there are a few places that will allow you to practice for a fairly low price.

Assuming it isn’t located in a residential neighborhood, one popular practice facility is in a self-storage space. Since there isn’t going to be anyone around expect a security guard or two or maybe one or two people getting stuff from their storage locker, you have all the peace and quiet you need to jam out at top volume. Best of all, most storage places only charge $30-$50 a month, and you can keep your equipment there when you aren’t jamming.

If you can schedule your practices in the morning or early afternoon, some bars and clubs will let you use their space before they open to the public. This can be a little expensive since you are using a professional space, but for many bands who have no other alternative, it can be a convenient located spot everyone can meet at on a Saturday morning.

If you are a garage band, maybe you can jam out in someone’s garage! Assuming not all of you live in apartments, one member of the band may likely have a local garage or rehearsal space that the band could use two or three times a month without any problem. If that option isn’t available, check the local weekly music newspapers and see what rehearsal spaces are listed. There are usually want ads in the back that list spaces, sizes and prices for bands looking for a place to jam.

One of the most popular incentives that many apartments use to lure new tenants is the use of an apartment gym. Some of these gyms are pretty basic and only feature some free weights and a tired, old looking weight machine, but some apartment complexes in Dallas have really gone all out and have what resembles a tiny Gold’s Gym available to residents only. While using this private gym is fun and convenient, there are some general rules of etiquette you should follow to stay safe and sound.

First off, before you sit down at a weight machine, make sure you wipe it off. Generally, this is the job of the person who used the machine before you, and who sweated all over it, but just to be on the safe side, wipe it down again. If you get into contact with another person’s sweat, it can cause an itchy rash that is no fun at all.

Don’t be afraid to ask someone else in the gym to be your spotter if you are going to be lifting. Of course, you don’t want to dominate a complete stranger’s time, but it is a good idea to ask for help instead of possibly hurting yourself while working out.

Some people really don’t like talking or chit chatting while they work out. These folks are often wearing headphones and listening to music or they are intently watching the television screens in the gym. If they don’t talk to you, it generally means that they don’t want to talk at all, so do your best to honor their wishes.

Finally, most apartment gyms are secure and you need a special key given to you by the management company to get in or out of it. Don’t hold the door for strangers and don’t keep the door open while you are working out by putting something in front of it so it can’t close. The workout room is supposed to be secure, so do your best to keep it that way.

Sometimes in the cold of winter, or in the rainy season depending on where you live, the idea of going out to get exercise is miserable. Even if you have an apartment complex that has a workout room, you might not want to brave the inferior equipment and the crowded conditions to go and use it, but working out in your apartment is almost impossible since you hardly have any room to begin with. There are solutions, however, so let’s look at how you can stay in shape even though you have a crowded apartment.

While it may seem SO 1980’s, workout tapes are still extremely popular among people who don’t live in cities and can’t just go to the gym anytime they feel like it. These tapes have evolved far beyond Jane Fonda’s workouts and now feature such popular routines as Pilates and Tae Bo. To use one of these tapes, or more likely, DVDs, simply try to scoot as much of your furniture out of the way as possible, even if you have to move everything up against the walls and block some of your walk ways. If you have a room mate, make sure you tell them what’s going on so they don’t trip and fall. You can perform your exercises in the small space you’ve made and still get the workout you need.

The Internet is an excellent resource for those looking to get in shape in a crowded apartment, too. Simply Google “exercise routine at home” and feel free to try out any of the suggested routines it comes up with.

The world of apartment hunting sure has changed a lot in the last 20 years. It wasn’t that long ago that you had a copy of the local newspaper, and maybe a copy of a local apartment guide, and that was it. You hopped in your car and drove around for hours trying to find the right space. Today, apartment hunting websites take much of the guesswork out of finding the right place to live, but are they always 100 percent reliable? Here are a few tips.

If you know exactly where you want to live, meaning that you know the neighborhood because it’s close to work or other amenities you want, the online apartment hunting websites may end up being a bit useless. You can likely get more done on foot or in your car cruising the local neighborhood instead.

On the other hand, if you’re just moving to Dallas, and you have no idea where you want to live, online apartment hunting websites can be a lifesaver. Not only can you search by the amount of rent you want to pay, but you can also search by the number of rooms you want, by area or by dozens of other criteria. They can also help to introduce you to different sections of the city so you can learn about where you might want to live and where you might want to avoid.

One tip: other than the biggest sites, many of these apartment hunting sites aren’t updated very often, so call before you go.

One of the most difficult parts of moving into a new Dallas apartment is delegating space properly so that you have room for all of your things and room for all of the things you want to do. If you’ve moved into a two bedroom or a one bedroom with a den, you have all the space in the world to set up your first home office. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for when you try to set up the perfect home office.

Before you decide where to set up your desk, keep these two things in mind: outlets and window glare. If you are going to have a home office complete with computer, monitor, speakers, television, fax machine, scanner and everything else, you are going to be sucking down the power. Being close to outlets keeps the cords from running wild all over your new apartment floor. However, you also need to position your computer and television so that window glare doesn’t make using it difficult. Finding the perfect balance between these two can be almost impossible.

Invest in some twist ties to keep all of your cords together and out of the way as possible. There is no real way to completely hide ugly computer cords, but keeping them tied up is the least unsightly remedy.

Finally, if the doorways don’t have doors on them, think about installing a few. Peace and quiet are absolutely essential when you’re trying to work, and if someone else is home making noise, it will only cause distractions.

If you’ve been recently invited to an apartment housewarming party, you will probably be expected to bring a gift, or at least something to eat, as part of the festivities. Picking out the right gift can be tough, especially if you don’t know the person that well and you don’t know what he or she needs. Here are a few tips you can follow to ensure that your gift isn’t a dud.

While it may seem a bit thoughtless, you can’t go wrong with a simple gift card to a furniture store or a store that sells knicknacks, like Pier 1 Imports, or a similar store. Yes, gift cards do sometimes come across as being a gift you don’t put any thought into, but in reality, this allows the person to get whatever they want, or more importantly, whatever they need, which will be appreciated. It isn’t like you got your mom or girlfriend (boyfriend?) a gift card for their birthday.

If you do have your mind set on a particular gift, like a toaster or a similar gift, make sure you save the receipt and then ask the person if they needed the gift you gave them. If not, slip them the receipt and let them take it back. There is no use in sticking someone with three toasters when they don’t even eat toast.

Finally, be practical. If they just moved into a 600sq feet apartment, they probably don’t need a 12-speaker surround sound system. This is one occasion when practical gift giving is the right thing to do.