Barnes and Noble stores sell grow books, and you can pay cash. I got the Jorge Cervantes indoor book there and combined with reading old posts here and the FAQs you get a good sense of what you need to grow.
Apartment shopping... Yikes. The most important part of growing in your apartment is your landlord. They should be busy, absentee, and not use a property manager who likes to come snooping around. Don't rent in a building that has a super with too much time on his hands. Seriously I would never grow in rented space. Save your pennies and buy a place as soon as you can.