i'm moving into an apartment so i'll just list what i've done so far, again it's an apartment so modifications have to be minimal to "landlord too dumb to notice" changes.
first thing i did was feel for drafts, holy crap is this place drafty, my radiator (gas/steam old school) was going off like crazy to hit 70
first thing i did was get a digital temp and humidity gauge
Amazon.com - AcuRite 00325 Home Comfort Monitor, Black
while the dial on the thermostat was new, it was a dial and i like a digital readout, also i need to check the humidity, my wife has dustmite allergies, and we want to keep humidty below 50% (dust mites live and grow past 60%) current humidity is 35%, gonna get a humidifier that turns on/off with desired humidity, still looking for a good one, thinking of the vornado evap3
so time to seal up drafts, i didn't get this particular kit, it wasn't available at walmart/sears/lowes so i just got the separate pieces
Duck 1162920 Complete Home Insulation Kit - Amazon.com
the weatherstriping is needed for all 3 doors, i have a front/back and basement door, this worked for the top and the sides, for the bottoms i bought a slip on draft guard (the rubber kind not the foam kind that's more for inhouse), kinda expensive at 10bucks a guard but they work better imo than the ones you just drill into on one side.
i was sceptical on the plastic over the windows at first, and thought my apartment would look like bubble boy's room, but holy hell do they work. you basicall line your windows, cut the plastic to size and then blow dry. one they blow dry and and shrunk it's freaking clear. i didn't use a blow dryer tho, i couldn't find my wifes blow dryer, but i did have a heat shrink gun, which is like 10x more powerful than a blow dryer, so it might take longer with a blow dryer. (it was nearly instant with the heat shrink gun on low)
then when i took the face off the electrical outlets, wow, it was so damn drafty, i put those little foam suckers in there, no more draft, the light switches didn't seem to do much but i put them in anyway.
so what did this do? my radiator barely kicks on now and the place is a constant 70, i knew it was working when i met my 2nd fl neighbor and said hi (he wanted to see the place since it was updated with new cabinetry), first thing he noticed was, "where's the radiator sound"? cuz his is on all day, i showed him what i did, and he was just wide eyed, i said we can compare bills when i get my first one, and he just asked me for a list of stuff to buy instead. (i would have went with him but i was standing in there with 40boxes to unload)
next thing i upgraded was the locks. while i can't put in new locks cuz of lease terms, i can put in new screws. this place is super safe from crime, like this neighborhood doesn't get robbed (and i made sure that it was in a super white neighborhood), but the screws that screw in the door jamb were pathetic. Basically you can kick in a door even with a deadbolt, because the deadbolt connects to the door jamb usually has 1in screws, this means that the doorjamb which is really cheap plywood is the only thing protecting the door, you need 3in screws to go past the plywood, into the read wood stud frame.
a construction guy could probably (and most certainly can) explain it better, i just went to sears found 3in screws, they were labeled as 8x3, i'm guessing the 8 is the diameter.
i removed all the screws on the door jamb from the deadbolts (x2) and the doornob (whatever that is called) (x2), they varied in length from 1in to 2in, of course nothing reached the door stud. the basement door is only held shut by a simple latch, i at least replaced the 1/2in screws with 3in screws, also the doornob lock on it was one of those vintage locksets with a skeleton key! i have this on order from amazon
Amazon.com: Cardinal Gates Door Guardian, White: Baby
it seemed the best way to keep it locked, it secured from the door jamb, i'll probably have to chisel a bit, but i can probably make it not as noticable. i was checking out the door club and brass floor club
Amazon.com: The Club Model 20: The Door Club: MP3 Players Accessories
Nightlock Security Lock Door Barricade Dark Bronze Finish - Amazon.com
while i'm positive nothing is going to happen since these door jambs have never been kicked in, in forever, feels safer this way at least.
i'd probably just get into lease trouble drilling into the damn floor (since it's also tiled)
the door guardian seems to be a good alternative and good for kid proofing as well (for later in a house)