11 Must-Have Items for Your First Apartment

By Chelsea Jackson on March 19, 2017

Upgrading from your university’s dormitory to your first apartment is a monumental milestone on the path to adulthood. Although actually searching for your perfect first-time apartment might seem like the most strenuous challenge, preparing for your first apartment is even more ambitious.

Besides packing your belongings from your current abode and setting up your utilities at your new residence, creating the ultimate move-in shopping list is essential to a stress-free move.

Bedroom

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1. Mattress

You may already have a mattress from back home or even from your dorm, or maybe you had one supplied by the university. However, it is vital that you search for a mattress that fits your needs and comforts. Whether you’re comfortable sleeping on a cot or a water bed, you do spend an average of 56 hours asleep every week. Because you will spend a lot of time in your bed, you will also like to find a box spring, headboard, pillow(s), bed sheets, blankets, and possibly a mattress topper to accompany your mattress.

2. Night Stand

A night stand, or any kind of flat surface near your bed, is a great place to keep a desk lamp in case you need to get up in the middle of the evening. Plus, it’s also a convenient place to keep a glass of water as well as your phone. However, make sure both are kept far apart so you don’t need to search for a replacement phone.

3. Storage

Whether you have a closet in your bedroom or not, it’s a good decision to have a dresser or some shelves in your bedroom. The extra storage will be a superlative place to store any of your reading material, your clothing, and any additional personal items you might have.

Depending on your apartment, you may also want to invest in a floor fan and possibly a space heater. Even if your apartment has air-conditioning or a ceiling fan, or both, these electronics will help you conserve energy and save some money on utilities.

Kitchen

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4. Cookware

Even if you vow to exclusively eat ramen noodles from the microwave to save money, you will likely want to cook from time to time. After all, consuming ramen every day isn’t the healthiest dietary option. If you want to stray away from the microwaveable Easy Mac and other almost instant food choices, you will likely need to invest in some durable cookware for both the stove and the oven.

Two or three sauce pans, which range in size, are necessary to a first-time apartment’s kitchen. While you might just be cooking one meal at a time, you could decide to craft a large portion of soup to eat for an entire week. Or your hangry-blind eyes could tempt you to cook a larger dinner portion than usual. However, who doesn’t love leftovers?

In addition to sauce pans, you will also want to purchase a frying pan or two. Like the sauce pans, these should vary in size. Whether you use these pans solely to fry up some grilled cheese sandwiches is entirely up to your discretion.

Likewise, colanders and cooking utensils, such as spatulas and ladles, will compliment your cookware perfectly.

5. Bakeware

Admittedly, you might not be training for The Great British Bake Off; nevertheless, it’s always smart to have some bakeware essentials in your apartment. Bakeware can range from cookie sheets, muffin/cupcake tins, bread tins, cake pans, lasagna pans, and everything in between. If you prefer to cook your meals in the oven as opposed to stove-top, you could also purchase pots and pans that are oven safe.

Additionally, whisks and/or hand mixers, measuring cups, measuring bowls, and mixing bowls are excellent companions for your bakeware. Also, parchment paper will help make your baking adventures struggle free.

6. Table and chairs

While you might prefer to eat on your couch while watching television, a sturdy table and at least two chairs will make it more pleasant when you decide to entertain guests. If nothing else, you can always use your kitchen table as additional counter space. If your kitchen is limited on space, you can purchase a collapsible kitchen table instead, so it takes up less room.

7. Dishes and glasses

Eating off of paper or plastic plates and bowls might not be the best idea. While it might seem like a convenient and inexpensive alternative at first, the cost will add up very quickly. Plus, non-reusable dishware only contributes to the national waste and is very environmentally unfriendly.

You can survive drinking out of stadium cups you got from on-campus events and eating off of Frisbees, like Andy and April from Parks and Recreation. However, long-lasting plastic, glass or ceramic drinkware, plates, and bowls will likely outlive your Frisbees and stadium cups. Likewise, they will be dishwasher safe.

8. Knife set

Though you could endure using only one knife for some time, there are several benefits to investing in a reliable knife set. If you have company over for dinner, which you probably will at some point, then you will need to have multiple steak knives for everyone to use. After all, nothing is more awkward than waiting for your turn with the apartment’s only cutting utensil. Also, a variety of knives will help you channel your inner iron chef on those days that you binge watch cooking shows. However, you can’t have a knife set without a cutting board. Well, you could, but you might have a lot of wear and tear on your counter tops (there goes your deposit).

Other than the kitchen items listed above, there are several other kitchen gadgets that are essential to your first-time apartment. Pyrex bowl sets, can opener, bottle opener, vegetable peeler, microwave, blender, toaster, water pitcher, dish rack, dish towels, Tupperware, dish soap, sponges, utensil tray, utensils, and a coffee maker are all exceptional accessories for your kitchen. Granted, if you aren’t much of a coffee drinker, don’t have a need for a blender, or prefer to eat with your hands, you can always opt out of purchasing any items that you don’t use and therefore don’t need.

Bathroom

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You likely already have your preferred toiletries ready for your first apartment. However, it’s also important to keep a wastebasket, shower and hand towels, shower curtain, toilet brush, and plunger in your bathroom.

Living Area

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The way you fill your living room is your decision. If you prefer bean bag chairs to a futon, then, by all means, fill the space with bean bag chairs. However, it is also important that you accompany your desired seating with a few side tables, so you and your guests have a convenient place to put your drinks.

While you likely already have a television to complete your living area, you should also invest in some floor lambs and/or table lamps. When you toured the apartment before you signed the lease, the lighting in the rooms may have seemed excellent. However, you likely never toured your apartment after dark. What could be great lighting in the daytime could be quite dim during the night.

Other

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9. Office desk and chair

Even if you’re no longer enrolled in classes, a functional desk and matching chair will come in handy. If you don’t work from home, you will still have many uses for an office setup. Whether it’s in your bedroom, living room, or your kitchen, your work will likely follow you home (hopefully as infrequently as possible). It’s always best to have a comfortable and practical office setup so that you can focus on any tasks at hand, or focus on playing some games on your computer. An internet router and some surge protected extension cords will also be useful for your office area, and elsewhere in your apartment.

It is also important to decorate your office space with a desk lamp, bulletin board and/or dry erase board, calendar, sticky notes, and anything else that you might use in your work environment. Even if you don’t use your office for office work, you can fill your bulletin board with reminders on when trash day is or when your next doctor’s appointment is.

10. Cleaning Supplies

Nobody enjoys cleaning, but we all have to do it every so often. The cleaning supplies you purchase are up to you, as you could have preferences or necessities depending on your sensitivity to chemicals. As a rule of thumb, you should purchase or make cleaners targeted for floors (if you have tile), windows, counter tops, and your bathroom. In additional to chemical or homemade cleaning supplies, you should invest in a vacuum cleaner, broom, and a mop.

Like cleaning is essential to your health, being prepared for emergencies is vital to your well-being for obvious reasons. Keeping flashlights, with functional batteries already in them, in each room of your apartment will keep you prepared if the power goes out. Likewise, a first aid kit packed with antiseptic, gauze, necessary medication, and bandages will be useful if you ever injure yourself.

11. Decorations

While decor may not strike you as a must-have, decorating your apartment is vital to making it feel like a home. After all, the more comfortable you are the more likely you are to be happy in your first apartment. Your decorations can range from posters, to picture frames, candles, area rugs, vases, and much more.

Regardless if you build, buy, or dumpster dive for your furniture and decorations, filling your first apartment with these must-haves will help make your transition to apartment life more enjoyable.

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