Move-In Day: What You Will Need for Your Apartment

By Tyler Nicol on August 27, 2018

As summer is coming to an end, students have to deal with the stress of move-in day. Some schools have already started up classes, but there are quite a few campuses that move in this week. If you are going to be living off-campus this year in an apartment or townhouse, there are a lot more things you are going to need than you did freshman year.

Instead of just having to worry about a shared bedroom space, you now have a kitchen, living room, and bathroom to take care of. While getting everything you need ready for move-in day, you also have to worry about getting your books and school supplies somewhere along the way. Here are some helpful tips for moving into your new place, and some things to get to make your living experience even better:

photo via unsplash

Bedroom

It shouldn’t be too difficult to decide what you need for your bedroom. Besides, it is your room so you can really choose to set it up however you want. You probably still have a majority of the items that you used in your dorm freshman year that you can reuse this year. Things like lamps, curtains, and storage containers come in handy. Other than items like those and your clothes and electronics, you’ll get things that you need here and there after you are all moved in.

Another thing you may have to worry about is furniture. Many student housing options off-campus will give you the option to pay a little extra for a furnished unit when you sign a lease. This is probably the best option because you won’t have to worry about moving heavy dressers, bed frames, and desks into your new place. On top of that, you will have living room furniture too.

Once you’ve got the things for your room with higher priority, you may be thinking about what kind of decorations you could get. You could order posters and wall décor ahead of time or wait until you move in and see how the decorations would fit your setup first. There are sites such as Amazon, as well as others, that have a big selection of bedroom decorations.

photo via unsplash

Living Room

Your living room should be fairly easy to set up also, especially if it is furnished by the rental company. You mainly just need to plan with your roommates about what TV you are going to use and what other electronics you could bring. It also helps to decorate your living room so it feels more like home.

The way you decorate your house actually has an effect on your mood and mentality. Psychology Tomorrow Magazine reports that recent neurological research has “shown the ability of interior design elements to evoke positive or negative emotional response in people.” When deciding what you want to include in your living area, think about how you feel when you walk into a well-decorated room compared to a plain one.

photo via unsplash

Kitchen

The kitchen is the area of the apartment that you will have to prepare for most. Even if you have a meal plan and do not plan to cook much, it is important to have the essentials. Talk with your roommates about buying everything when you move in or if you will each bring a few items from home.

You will need a dining set, including plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. You can usually get them all together. Pots and pans are necessary for every kitchen, and there are usually sets that you can get as well. Some other big items include a coffee pot, toaster, and microwave (if your place doesn’t come with one).

You will also need some miscellaneous items and cooking utensils. It is a good idea to look around your kitchen at home and make note of what smaller items you will need so you can get them later. Planning ahead will help minimize the stress for you and your roommates when you move in.

Bathroom

Like the kitchen, it might take some coordination with your roommates for the bathroom items. Some apartments have bathrooms in each bedroom, so you may only have to worry about your own. You’ll need a shower curtain, bath mats, cleaning supplies, and all your toiletries.

You could try to save car space and get most of the bathroom items you need when you get back to school. Some people even prefer to decorate their bathrooms too.

Whether you are moving into your first off-campus place or a new apartment, it can be stressful worrying about what to bring. The bedroom items and decorations that you get depend on your preferences. If your apartment already has furniture it, you should have less to worry about. Kitchen and bathroom items take a bit of planning and they have more items to remember than the other areas of your house. If you take care of all your essentials first, you and your roommates can easily pick up smaller items that you realize you need during the semester.

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