What are the best cheap noise fixes for renters before spending money on soundproofing?
I rent an apartment with thin walls, creaky floors, and neighbors who seem to forget other people exist after 10 PM. Soundproofing would be great but drilling, permanent panels, or anything that costs real money is basically off the table when you're renting.
I've seen the usual suggestions: rugs, weatherstripping, heavy curtains, bookshelves against shared walls, acoustic foam. Open to trying some of that, but genuinely curious what actually moves the needle versus what just feels productive.
Part of me thinks the smarter starting point is just a decent pair of noise isolating sleep earbuds or budget noise canceling ones for work and winding down, rather than trying to acoustically treat a place I don't own. But I also don't want to drop money on earbuds if the real problem is impact noise or vibration coming through the ceiling, because no earbud really fixes that.
For renters who've actually dealt with this: what would you try first? Cheap DIY fixes, earbuds, white noise, rearranging furniture, or just some combination of all of it until something works?