Renting your first apartment is a major step in achieving independence. But furnishing your new home might be more difficult than you originally anticipated. If you’ve visited every local furniture and retail store location only to discover you’re unable to afford the items you’re interested in — it’s entirely reasonable to feel defeated.

Since the mudroom is the first point of entry, it can quickly turn into a chaotic mess of shoes, bags, and dirt. To keep this area of the home clean, you will need to use a little organization. This is no easy feat since there is so much foot traffic. Also, the habit of walking…