I, a worker, have started my new life like this.
I graduated and prepared for work... I left the big group of school, said goodbye to the familiar faces in my class, bid farewell to the noisy figures in the dormitory, and began my "celebration" of being "alone"!
Wait, actually there are some things to prepare for the new life～ The primary tasks are 1) renting a house🏠, then 2) decorating💼 the room after settling in, and finally considering the daily 3) meals🥣.
In the past half month, I have made ample preparations for my new life. Now I write this article as a record of the beginning of my new life and as a reference for friends in similar situations.
「Keywords」
Factors to consider when renting, rental platforms, essential items for housing, improving cooking skills, casual eating
I. Renting#
I once saw a report on renting published on Xianyu🐟—“Rental Happiness Report”, which showed that the factors enhancing happiness in renting include: rent accounting for 20% of income; living in a moderately prosperous area; having a private bathroom; moving less than once a year. This is the result of big data, and I think it makes sense, but the specific factors for housing🏠 vary from person to person.
Considerations#
There are many factors to consider. When I was renting, I prioritized them for reference:
- Commute time: within half an hour.
- Rent: about 20% of income.
- Utilities: Some apartments or urban villages have very high utility costs, classified as commercial water and electricity, so when considering rent, you can include the high utility costs in your assessment. Pay attention to the power consumption of major appliances when viewing the house, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters, induction cookers, etc.
- Layout: It's best to have a separate space for the kitchen. If it's in the bedroom, friends who like to cook may need to pay attention to the smoke; if the bedroom is close to the outside corridor, sound insulation should be considered.
- Area: Depends on personal preference and budget.
- Lighting: A higher floor generally has better lighting and views; for orientation, south-facing is more suitable, but in hot cities, east-facing may be more comfortable to avoid west-facing sunlight🌞.
- Sound insulation: Pay attention to the thickness of the walls and whether there are any strange noises from the pipes.
- Surrounding environment: Is the transportation convenient? Is it easy to buy meat, vegetables, and go to the supermarket?
- Other costs: Property management fees, internet fees, etc.
- Other factors: If the house is newer, there may be fewer small animals🤔; whether the landlord or agent feels trustworthy; if it's a shared rental, you may also need to consider factors like roommates.
General Process#
Overall, my renting process consists of three steps: online screening 👉 on-site inspection 👉 signing the contract.
The entire process revolves around the above considerations.
① During online screening, keep the following in mind:
- Houses in photos or VR are often exaggerated, as the photographer usually uses a wide-angle lens📷;
- Listings that look particularly good online are generally used to attract traffic, so you need to contact the person in charge for detailed discussions;
- In Shenzhen, during graduation season, listings update quickly, and good listings are usually snatched up within a week or two, so it's best to screen online a week in advance and then contact the person in charge, or even earlier to add a few agents to help keep an eye out.
I mainly looked at two platforms: Beike🐚 and Ziroom:
- Beike generally has agents who will recommend listings in real-time based on your workplace, budget, and other needs, requiring a half-month rent as a commission; the decoration and configuration of the house mainly depend on the landlord, and the rent can generally be negotiated.
- On Ziroom, the corresponding person in charge is called a housekeeper, with no agency fee, but there is a certain percentage of service fee each month, which includes property management fees, internet fees, cleaning fees, and maintenance fees; the decoration and configuration of the house are maintained by Ziroom, and the rent is managed by the platform, with no negotiation; for fresh graduates, Ziroom offers no deposit but requires quarterly payments; if your company has a partnership with Ziroom, you can usually get a discount on service fees and have the opportunity to change houses for free within three months.
② During the on-site inspection, the main goal is to verify your expectations and assess factors that cannot be experienced online. Generally speaking, the rented house will not be perfect, as the budget is a constraint, so choosing the best option is the best choice.
③ When signing the contract, if it's on a platform like Ziroom, you can sign the electronic contract on the app, check the details of the costs, special situation handling, and other details, and there usually won't be any issues; if signing through an agent, pay attention to some details. There are many reference articles online, such as: Essential Tips for First-Time Renters: Nine Key Points to Note in Rental Contracts——Zhihu, mainly focusing on cost details, payment methods, housing ownership, housing usage conditions, subletting and lease termination handling, etc.
❗️I almost forgot one point: ask colleagues in the company where they usually live, as there are generally high-cost-performance options there😄.
II. Decorating#
Regarding renting, I spent a lot of time screening online and only took one day for the on-site inspection, signing the contract that night.
With a place to call home, congratulations to myself for starting to decorate🏠. Below is a checklist based on kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and bathroom, including essential items and some interesting products, most of which are to make full use of space, for reference.
🤭 On the first day of moving in, you only need to buy bedding and toiletries.
Kitchen#
- Rice, oil, scallions, ginger, garlic, seasonings, paired with a rice container and seasoning jars
- Rice cooker or electric pressure cooker
- Pan, spatula
- Knives, cutting board: recommended to pair with a wall-mounted knife rack and cutting board rack to save space
- Tableware: bowls, chopsticks, spoons🥢
- Dishcloths, table wipes, pot scrubbers, paired with hooks🪝
- Apron
- Plastic wrap, freezer bags
- Broom, mop
- Hanging trash can: hanging to save space
- Shelving: utilize vertical space
- Folding draining rack: foldable to save space
- Double-layer draining basket: for washing vegetables and fruits
- Air fryer: can be used as an oven; lowers the threshold for cooking
- Kitchen curtain: if there is no door
- Other utensils: grater, sealing clips, Bull🐂 power strips, kitchen paper, heat-resistant gloves, garlic chopper, slotted spoon
Dining Room#
- Simple folding dining table: if there isn't one
- Tablecloth, placemats, serving dishes: to prevent dirt, insulate, and enhance the sense of ceremony
- Kettle for boiling water, cold water pitcher: one for boiling, one for storing
- Magnetic fridge stickers: can list some meal plans and reminders⏰
- Fridge hanging rack: for storing freezer bags, kitchen paper, etc., to fully utilize the wall space of the fridge
Bedroom#
- Bedding: essential for moving in
- Electric fan: recommended tower fan, doesn't take up space
- Garment steamer: enhances the appearance of clothing
- Clothes rack
- Quilt clips
- Scale: reflects living conditions
Bathroom#
- Toiletries: essential for moving in; paired with a magnetic mouthwash cup to save space
- Hairdryer, hairdryer rack: saves space
- Hair care products
- Fragrance
This basically meets the needs for daily living, don't forget to buy groceries🚶.
👆 Fridge hanging rack, magnetic fridge stickers, "no door" curtain
👆 Space-expanding shelving, plump air fryer, fragrant rice from a high-pressure cooker, convenient Bull power strips
👆 Magnetic mouthwash cup, hairdryer rack, hair care products
👆 My desk (possibly iQIYI, not productivity)
III. Meals#
I recommend using「Xiachufang」(mini program/App/web) to learn cooking processes, paying attention to fresh ingredients, and learning knife skills, so you basically won't starve yourself. If you want to use the air fryer, just add "air fryer" when searching.
Slowly, you can have your own recipe book. I recommend using「Cooking Notes」(App) to record, and you can check the recipe whenever you want to eat something.
Next, feel free to eat casually in the article, and if you have the chance, come try it out and experiment🧪:
😋.
Conclusion#
I arrived in Shenzhen half a month early, partly to adapt to the new life in advance, and partly to not miss the talent introduction subsidy. Shenzhen's policies change quickly, and in a few years, the saying "once you come, you're a Shenzhen person" may no longer apply. To keep up with Shenzhen's dynamics, you can follow Shenzhen News (mini program/public account/web).
Finally, I start work tomorrow, a little bit looking forward to it⛽️.