There seems to be two different kinds of people in the world – those that seem to have perfect luck almost all of the time and those that seem snake bit by bad luck day after day. It always seems to be the folks in the latter category that have their car smashed or dented by a mysterious foe who seemed to seek them out over all others. If you have discovered your car damaged or even wrecked, here are a few things you can do to minimize this disaster.

First, if you live in a gated community or if your apartment building has a private lot, make sure you notify those in charge. It is their responsibility to provide a protected environment for their residents to park in, and they may have security cameras that caught the offender in the act.

Second, if you feel that there has been significant damage to your car, call the police and let them know your personal property was damaged. You can file a police report and forensic experts can analyze the scratches or damage to get an idea of the paint color of the car that hit you.

Next, call your insurance company and tell them what happened. You will likely have to fill out a claim, but once you are allowed to get it fixed, you may not have to pay for any of the repair work.

Finally, you might want to mention what happened to your neighbors since it is possible that they might have seen something that looked somewhat suspicious. Maybe they remember a car that was a certain color driving around the parking lot that was full of dents and they remember the driver enough to give you a description.

One of the most exciting things about moving into a new apartment is the idea of changing around your room layouts for fresh new perspectives. However, one unintended consequence of this is the fact that you will likely have new and unexpected tripping hazards getting in the way until you learn how traffic flows at your new digs. Here are a few commons sense safety tips you can follow at your new place.

If you have recently moved your computer, stereo, surround sound system and television to new locations, you are likely going to have a hornet’s nest of wires and cables all over your new apartment. Invest in some cable ties to keep cords out of the way so you don’t trip on them. You can also buy longer cords so you can run wires against the walls instead of across open spaces where people walk.

If you have pets, you likely own a slew of pet toys. Make sure you set up shop for your cats in a corner or someplace out of the way. You can’t control them picking up toys and dropping them in the middle of a busy walkway, but you can set them up far away from any place where they will do damage.

Finally, children’s toys are usually the biggest tripping hazard of them all. It is a good idea to confine play time to one room as you unpack and get use to your new place. It is also very important to keep the bedroom-to-bathroom pathway clear until you can find your way around your apartment in the dark.

Identity theft is a subject that we are all thinking about these days. It seems like you can’t open the newspaper or check out a news program without hearing about another poor sap who has to spend thousands of dollars trying to prove his identity and rebuild his credit. If you are living with a complete stranger, especially a stranger who doesn’t seem to respect your privacy, you might need to take some extra steps to protect yourself in the apartment. Here are a few tips.

Most major bills these days, including utilities and credit cards and even your bank statement can now be sent electronically to your email instead of having paper copies sent to you home. By signing up for this service, you are leaving far less of a paper trail around your home that you can be traced by. If you want, you can still print out paper copies of these statements so you have a complete file, but you don’t have to worry about mail lying around the home unopened as a possible temptation to your roommate or your roommate’s friends.

Try to avoid using a computer that is out in the open to do anything secure on. If you want to keep your email passwords safe and your bookmarks private, purchase your own computer and move it into your bedroom or private space and make sure you have access to Windows or to your MAC operating system locked down with a password. Some computers still have locking mechanisms that you can use to completely secure your machine. If your computer doesn’t have one of these locks, they can be bought and installed at most computer stores.

You can also help to keep your identity safe by using a shredder or some other kind of device to destroy documents before you throw them away. You should also make sure that you use a locked dumpster to keep out any noisy neighbors or con men who might be digging for personal information.