Home Life
Meal and Cooking Advice for Busy Parents! Plus, Advice On "Do You Eat Dinner as a Family? And How Do You Do It?"
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- Parent Category: Parenting Advice
- Category: Eating, Work/Life Balance Tips, Back To Work, Working Parents, Recipes and Food Ideas
Includes meal planning tips, recipe ideas, and also suggestions for lunch and breakfast too!
Noise & Kids - Apartment Living
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- Parent Category: Parenting Advice
- Category: General Parenting Advice, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
Question :
Well, we got our first kid-noise complaint today. My downstairs neighbor wrote: I can hear your son running back and forth, back and forth. I can pretty much hear everything down here. Its a bit much, especially at 7:30 AM. "
Raising Bilingual Kids
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- Parent Category: Parenting Advice
- Category: General Parenting Advice, Languages & Culture
Parents talk about raisining bilingual kids.
Sleeping Babies & Dear Doggies
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- Parent Category: Parenting Advice
- Category: Sleeping, Sleeping Advice for Babies, Animal Advice
One parent raised the following dilemma: “how do parents meet competing needs of all beloved household creatures when they don't fall together, time-wise?’
Partner Parenting
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- Parent Category: Parenting Advice
- Category: Sleeping, General Parenting Advice, Home Management Advice, Family Time Management
Studies show that women still do more household chores than their partner, including childcare and maintenance. Some call it the invisible workload; others refer to it as the household gender gap or the second shift. Interesting data can be found elsewhere (like this 2016 Huffington Post article) and PSP members have plenty of anecdotal evidence. PSP members also have useful tips and advice about how they distributed childcare tasks. This article divulges their most intimate words of wisdom about sharing the workload with your parent - with a focus on feeding, sleeping, and taking care of the little one in the middle of the night.
Lost or Found a Pet?
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- Category: The Hood, Important Neighborhood Stuff, Animal Advice
Have you found or lost a cat or dog in the neighborhood? Here's what to do...
Become a Foster Home for a Dog or Kitty
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Volunteer Opportunities - Local Organizations, Animal Advice
Interested in Fostering a kitty or dog?
Tips for Subletting and Home Exchanges
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Hood Pages, Home Management Advice
With a few simple steps, rules and preparation, home exchanges and subletting can be a really positive experience. As a renter, housing exchanges can offer you the comforts of being in a home and provide your family with plenty of space and amenities. And as a host, you can even make some money from renting out your home to visitors.
Double Parking Do & Don'ts
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Managing Urban Life, New York Life
The Do's & Don'ts of double parking in New York City...
More Bed Bug Woes
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Managing Urban Life, Home Management Advice
More bed bugs questions answered...
(bed bugs have six legs and are very flat - almost paper thin that helps make them expert hiders)
Please Take Care Of Your Autumn Leaves!
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Managing Urban Life, New York Life
With fall comes spectucular autumn folliage. Nothing beats the sound of leaves crunching under our feet. Sadly, New York City streets just can't handle all of it. The leaves, as lovely as they are, clog gutters & drains (especially if you sweep leaves down 'em). And what happens then? Flooding in your apartment. Plus, when leaves pile up it is impossible for street cleaners to do their job. And what happens then? We are left with dirty streets.
Here are some tips of what to do (but be sure to take a fun fall photo or two before you clean it all up!)
So you have Bed Bugs
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Managing Urban Life, New York Life, Home Management Advice
From a PSP-er who has been there, done that and had to throw away the T shirt (or at least tumble dried it for 30+ minutes)
Pain in the butt! How to deal with a neighbor who smokes
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- Parent Category: The Hood
- Category: Managing Urban Life, Home Management Advice
Over the years, PSP members have asked the group about smelling cigarette and cigar smoke from their neighbors.
IPhone Apps for kids
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- Parent Category: Advice - Activities
- Category: Activities Advice Articles, Technology & Kids
Recommendations from the PSP community on iPhone apps their kids love.
Taking Fall Photos of your Kids
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- Parent Category: Activities Advice Articles
- Category: Fall Fun, Home Life
It's FALL and the leaves are beautiful right now. Take some time to use the backdrop of the fall to get some great photos of your family.
Tips:
- Take photos of leaf fights and kids throwing leaves up in the air.
- Look for contrasting colors (bright yellow leaves against a dark colored rock).
- Have the kids lay down in the leaves or buried in the leaves. (For older subjects take photos from head to toe to avoid double chins!)
- Kids don't have to be in fall colors-- other colors such as blue and green "pop."
- Photograph during sunrise or sunset for the best light and color.
- Photograph outdoors when your shadow is longer than you are, usually in the afternoon (Today near the 9th Street Playground the sun was going behind the buildings around 4:00)
- Take photos with the sun coming through the leaves but use a tree trunk or something else so so there's no direct light going into your lens.
- If you are taking portraits, consider turning on your flash to get both the leaf color AND your kids faces. Okay, it's a bit 80s, but use the sun to backlight your hair from behind (using a flash to light up your face-- but stand back so the flash isn't too stark. Lay on the ground with your subject above you so you get the leaves and tree limbs as part of the background. (Double check that there's not a big limb as a horn).
Okay-- more techy stuff:
- Use a Polarizing lens if you've got one.
- Underexpose your shots slightly
- Use portrait mode to blur the background.
- Use your macro setting to shoot close shots of light shining through the leaf with the veins showing through.
- Use a short depth of field in order to blur the leaves and JUST get the color while keeping the person in focus.
FINALLY-- Go with another family and swap taking a family portrait-- it's good to have the WHOLE bunch of you. And Moms-- make sure to get photos of yourself!
ENJOY THE FALL!
- Susan Fox
Parking while on vacation
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- Parent Category: Travel Advice
- Category: Before You Travel, Travel Advice, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
While owning a car in New York City has many advantages, one of its disadvantage is parking - and dealing with alternative street parking, especially when you gone for a long period of time and won't be around to move it. What do you do? Here are PSP member tips for parking while on vacation. 
Shoe Advice For Pregnant Moms
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- Category: Pregnancy and Childbirth, Shopping and more, Nesting and Preparation
Tips and recommendations from PSP members for what to wear when your feet swell during pregancy.
How to Stay Organized and Get Focused
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- Category: Working Parents, Working Mother Topics, Home Management Advice
Parents share how they get organized at work (and also at home) and talk tips, strategies and more about how to stay focused on the job.
How do we teach kids about Money?
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- Parent Category: Parents of Tweens
- Category: Raising Tweens Tips, Home Management Advice, Tween Advice from Parents, Financial Advice
"Show me the money!"
Errr - does that sound more like your Tweenager than Tom Cruise in the movie Jerry Maguire? For us moms and dads, sometimes we want it to be more like show me the value and appreciation of money.
Coping with screen time and anger issues
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- Parent Category: Parents of Tweens
- Category: Raising Tweens Tips, Tween Advice from Parents, Technology & Kids
Does your Tween have problems putting down a video game? One parent asks the PSP advice list about dealing with screen time and anger management issues with their Tween.
Setting Cell Phone Guidelines
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- Parent Category: Parents of Tweens
- Category: Tween Advice from Parents, Technology & Kids
What guidelines and boundaries do you set with your cell phone? Here, PSP members discuss, deliberate and debate boundaries and use of mobile phones and technology.
Park Slope's Second Hand and Consignment Stores
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more
A rundown of the second-hand, vintage and consignment stores in Park Slope.
PSP Top 20 Stoop Sale-ing Tips
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more, Home Life
You’ve seen our tips for holding a stoop sale. Here are the top PSP tips for shopping at one…
The PSP Guide to Successful Stoop Sales
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more
Follow these guidelines from our experienced Stoop Salers.
Stroller Repair Tips
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more
Wondering what to do if your stroller breaks? PSP members share what they did to get their stroller fixed.
Slow Fashion Resources
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more
A decade ago, stores like H&M, Forever21, and Zara seemed like a wonderland: cheap, easy, and constantly rotating stock to match the latest style. But today, with Forever21 officially bankrupt and the climate crisis dominating public discourse, the detrimental effects of “fast fashion” at all levels of the supply chain are increasingly coming to light. Fortunately, it’s easy to take steps toward being a more responsible consumer—and doing so need not mean compromising your fashion sense.
Below, find an array of resources, both virtual and here in Brownstone Brooklyn, to help you learn about the environmental and human impacts of fast fashion and to clothe yourself and your kids more sustainably.
How to Remember Your Reusable Bags
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Shopping and more
Come March 1, 2020, New Yorkers will be required to BYOB—bring your own bag, that is. In a state where over 23 billion plastic bags are used every year, the bag waste reduction law—which bans all plastic carryout bags from distribution by anyone who collects New York State sales tax—aims to mitigate harm on our communities and the environment. (NOTE: this law doesn't apply to restaurants.) There's just one problem: How in the world are we going to remember our reusable bags when we go to the store? Below, PSP members offer helpful hints.
Moth Problem
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice
"A few months ago we bought some rice in bulk and ended up with moths too. Even after throwing out the bag, and combing through the rest of our food to make sure there weren't any more infestations, we still have moths flying around our kitchen. Does anyone have ideas for a surefire (and not too toxic) way to get rid of them?"
So You Want to Recycle?
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice
Where you can recycle batteries, electronics, plastics, running shoes, cell phones, ink cartridges and more in Park Slope.
Tips to Avoid Bed Bugs
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Managing Urban Life
Bed bugs have infested hotels, movie theaters, public transportation, schools, dorms, etc., etc. They also are showing up in the apparel in retail stores, likely brought in from overseas in the original shipment. The bugs are hitchhikers and frequently lay eggs on, or find their way into, clothing, luggage and furniture. Note: to protect yourself entirely from bed bug exposure is practically impossible, but there are many efforts that can significantly reduce your chances of bringing them into your home.
Taking Care of Your Tree Pits
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Managing Urban Life
Tips for taking care of your tree pits.
Being the Noisy Neighbor
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
So your neighbors said you are too loud. What should you do when you’re the one making the noise?
Balancing Babies and Budgets
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Financial Advice
It’s time to face the financial facts. Stop avoiding and start planning. PSP moms and dads share the realities of figuring out finances.
How to be a GREAT neighbor when Sleep Training
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Managing Urban Life
Sleep training your child can be an anxious experience in itself. This anxiety is emphasized in New York, where many parents get nervous about upsetting their neighbors with their crying baby in the early hours of the morning. What can you do to keep the peace with your neighbors?
Bills, bills, bills: Alternatives to Cable (or at least lowering cable bills)
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Financial Advice
When Benjamin Franklin said nothing is certain but death and taxes - he had no idea about the problems and headaches of cable and internet bills. This article is a summary of PSP member deliberation and discussion about Time Warner Cable (TWC), Leaf, Netflix, Apple TV, FiOS, and more…
Bills, bills, bills: Members understand ConEd and Electrical Bills
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Financial Advice
This article is a summary of PSP member deliberation and discussion about ConEd, raises alternatives like Green Mountain and the 2014 increase in electrical costs.
Splitting the Chores
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Working Parents
"Does anyone have a tip on how to divvy up household chores and duties?" was a simple question that resulted in a truely PSP-style way: a lively and engaging discussion about egalitarian households, gender dynamics, work/life balance, and more.
What You Need to Know About Hiring, Paying, and Working with House Cleaners
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice
Thinking of hiring someone to keep your apartment neat and tidy? Browse through PSP members’ first-hand experiences to get a better feel for the logistics and special considerations involved.
When your utility company ghosts you
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice
Do you have no power - literally and figuratively? PSP members talk about the power struggle when your utlities company won't follow up with your requests.
Hiring a photographer? Read these important safety and contract tips
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Home Management Advice, Financial Advice
Know what you're getting when you hire a photographer. Some photographers don't include the price of your digital image in their session rate, some people will give you all the digital negatives, and others only a few. Here are some things to think about as you hire a photographer.
"You always cook what you want to eat..."
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
A note from the former PSP food writer...
Beyond the Kids' Menu
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Kid friendly risotto recipe...
What To Do With All Those CSA Vegetables
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Suggestions for what to make with veggies from the CSA box.
Liberate Yourself from Takeout with Purple Kale Kitchenworks
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Meet Ronna from Purple Kale workshops...
Slouching Toward Domestic Deity
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
How to can fruit and pickle veggies.
Spontaneous Confections
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Gingersnaps in a snap and other quick baking ideas
What's for Lunch? We Can Make it Better!
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
How to get your kids to well at Brooklyn schools.
Today's Pearl of Collective Wisdom – Peeling Eggs
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
How to peel eggs...
It’s Good to Like Kale
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Some delicious ideas and tips for preparing kale...
The Popsicle Pantry (cocktails, too!)
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
How to make simple syrup for cold and hot beverages... a watermelon Popsicle recipe thrown in there too!
Parents Need to Eat Too
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
easy - and yummy - recipe suggestions for busy moms and dads.
Turning Trash into a Treat
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
delicious recipes you can make with food you would normally toss.
Braising Root Vegetables
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
How to braise delicious roast vegetables.
The Story of Toast Crusts
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
A recipe with toast crusts
Non Sugary Foods Ideas for Breakfast
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas, Eating
Looking for alternative ideas to sugary cereals and sweets to feed you and the kiddos for breakfast? Here, parents list their favorite morning meals that are easy to prepare. Mix your morning up...
Plant-Based Resources
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Recipes and Food Ideas
Below are some helpful resources for parents at all stages of the vegan/vegetarian/plant-based journey. For more, Park Slope Parents has a Vegetarian/Vegan group. Join here if you are a Brooklyn parent and want to gain access to other families who are raising their children on a plant-based diet!
Tips for Getting to School on Time
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Family Time Management
Tips for getting to school on time and suggestions of what your "routine" should look like.
Time Saving Tips To Get Out Of The House On Time
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Family Time Management
Parents share their tips for getting out of the house on time as easily, quickly, calmly, and pain-free as possible.
How to Get Kids Out of Bed in the Morning
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Family Time Management, Raising Tweens Tips, Tween Advice from Parents, Sleeping, Sleeping Advice for Toddlers and Kids
Wondering how to get your kid out of bed in the morning? You are not alone with this problem! Here, PSP parents share how they successfully get their teen/tween out of bed in the morning.
Sharing A Room
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Organizing your Space.Kids
Advice on sharing a room.
Better Than Sliced Bread (For Parking Scooters)
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Organizing your Space.Kids
One parent's love tor finding a tool for organizing "scooter clutter"
Allowance: Show ‘em the Money
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Chores, Financial Advice
PSP members share their two cents on what you need to know about allowance
Moving with Children
Bad Landlords and Bed Bug Disclosure
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Moving, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
A guide to helping you find bad landlords and bed bug history in the house hunt!
Security Deposit Tips
One PSP member and licensed Real Estate Broker shares all you need to know for avoiding a security deposit "situation"
Moving beyond Park Slope
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Moving, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
Are you currently agonizing over moving out of the ‘hood and exploring what options there are beyond Park Slope?
TOP 12 Things to Think About When Moving (including what to tip movers!)
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Moving, Gifts and Tipping
Moving can be a stressful time. But if you take steps to familiarize yourself with the way it is regulated and what rights and responsibilities you have, you'll likely have a much smoother move. Here are some things to think about as you prepare for your move.
Need some tips for making the transition with kids run more smoothly? Check out our Moving with Kids article.
Image by Nicolas Huk
Moving Resources from Park Slope Parents
Moving?
Here are useful links to bookmark and have handy as you prepare your move. We've got advice about the logistics of moving with small kids, what to tip movers, the differences of small vs. large moves, how to get your security deposit back, bed bugs (ugh), and more!
Want PSP member advice?
Things to Think About When Moving (including what to tip movers!)
Bad Landlords and Bed Bug Disclosure
Apartment Listing Websites recommended by Park Slope Parents members:
AddressReport: ranks landlords/neighborhood/local amenities.
Streeteasy.com -- advanced search tools including searching by commute time.
UrbanEdgeNY.com -- no fee apartment listings directly from landlords.
InsideDigs -- connects you to the current apartment occupants of units up for rent.
NYBits.com -- aggregates units for rent from other sites.
NakedApartments.com -- landlords/brokers pay monthly fee, but renters do not pay to search. Allows for reviews of brokers.
Craigslist.com -- elder of the bunch, narrow search by borough.
Trulia -- Trulia is an all-in-one real estate site that gives you the local scoop about homes for sale, apartments for rent, neighborhood insights, and real estate markets.
Padmapper -- plots listings, depends on current data; gives you a sense of cost variations
RentQuo.comRentQuo.com -- personal concierges find your perfect apartment based on your lifestyle, friends, and hobbies.
getoliver.comgetoliver.com -- app for apartment hunting
padspin.com -- I also found out about another one, but very few listings in PS :
Looking for member recommended movers?
Get recommendations from PSP members about movers HERE
Looking for member recommended real estate brokers and agents?
Get recommendations from PSP members about real estate brokers and agents HERE
Other resources:
Curbed.com -- good for real estate gossip
New York State Department of Transportation’s Dos and Don’ts
US Department of Transportation’s Protect Your Move website
Read more moving advice from PSP HERE
Advice on Limiting Screen Time
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Technology & Kids
A parent asks: "I'm looking for successful strategies for limiting device time. How do you set clear, enforceable limits without too much resistance, arguing or stress? I have a 10 year old who is predictably addicted to her new iphone. I'd be grateful for any advice."
Technology Advice and Safety Tips for Kids and Teens
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Technology & Kids
Did your child get a new laptop, smartphone, or other electronic device? This is a good time to educate your child about safety surrounding their device - both online and in the real world. This is also a good opportunity to consider a technology agreement (PSP provides you with one!). This is also a good time to think about your family's policy surrounding social media.
New York City Voting Information
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: New York Life
Click here for details on where to vote in your neighborhood
Tips for Noisy Neighbor
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: New York Life, Managing Urban Life
How to Have a Newborn with No Car
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: New York Life
Advice for public transit–loving parents on getting baby home from the hospital and handling doctor's appointments in the early days.
Multilingual and Bilingual Resources
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Languages & Culture
From books to bookstores, blogs and more here are some resources and ideas for raising a family with multiple languages....
Understanding Race in Today's Times
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Languages & Culture , Book & Movie Lists For Kids, Tweens and Teens, General Parenting Advice
Over the past few months, PSP members have brought up race, racism, inequality, and white privilege and its complexities in everyday life.
I found a baby bird! What do I do?
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Animal Advice
So you found a baby bird fallen out of it's nest. Here are some following resources to help your winged friend!
What to do about Raccoons
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Animal Advice
Yes, there are Raccoons in Brooklyn! However cute they may be, they can be a nuisance when they forage in your trash, nest in your roof, or sneak into your kitchen. Here are tips from your PSP neighbors!
What birds am I hearing in the AM?
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- Parent Category: Home Life
- Category: Animal Advice
Do you wake up to the sound of the morning chorus in Park Slope and Brooklyn?
Photo: an American Kestrel in Prospect Heights (image via here, thanks to a Creative Commons license)
Relationship between Pets and Baby
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- Category: New Parent Big Stuff, Animal Advice
Advice on introducing your dogs or cats to your baby.
Steam Pipe Radiator Covers and Keeping Kids Safe from Radiators
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- Category: Safety, Home Management Advice
Radiator covers are your responsibility as a parent (not the landlord's). How do you make sure kids don't touch the radiators or pipes? You can either purchase covers (price ranges from $150 - $500) or fabric pads (e.g., Rad Pads, $50-$100), have covers especially made (see PSP recommendations of people who can make them for you), or some of the less costly alternatives given by PSP members::
Home Safety with Home Help
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- Parent Category: Safety
- Category: Safety in the Home, Home Management Advice
Information about safegaurding your house when hiring housekeepers/nannies/caregivers and other hired help around the home.
How to Handle a Mold Problem
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- Parent Category: Safety
- Category: Safety in the Home, Safety, Home Life
PSP Members share advice about handling mold.
To Own or Not To Own A Car in New York
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- Category: Classic PSP Discussions, New York Life, Managing Urban Life
To own a car, or to not own a car in Brooklyn - that is the question...
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