Everything You Need for Your First Apartment
Contributed by Nichole Watters — Speak Up for Kids Student Intern, a Palm Beach State College graduate with a certificate in Youth Development, passionate about child welfare, writing, music, and art, with experience working with children in foster care settings.
Overview
Moving into your first apartment is a significant milestone in the lives of any young adult. The most essential items for comfortable living are the necessities: You should have a bed, table, chairs, and basic kitchen items like bowls, spoons, pots, and pans. A few bathroom pieces, such as towels, a shower curtain, paper towels, and toilet paper, are also mandatory from day one. These objects help create an amazing, yet functional living space immediately, and help make the transition into independence much easier. When decorating your apartment, ensure everything fits your taste, sense of style, and personality.
Organizational and Cleaning Items:
Beyond the basics for an apartment, organizing and cleaning equipment are key to maintaining a clean and orderly apartment:
These cleaning supplies include a vacuum, broom, trash bags, laundry detergent, and surface cleaners. All of these will keep your space tidy. Items such as storage bins, drawer organizers, and colorful hangers help manage small spaces and keep belongings accessible.
Also, a small toolkit with a hammer, screw driver, and sturdy nails come in handy for when things break, or need fixing. Do not forget about light bulbs, batteries, and extension cords, which are usually dismissed until urgently required. Keeping your new home organized and clean creates a peaceful and well-established environment.
Utilities and Professional Services:
Another mandatory area of focus is managing utilities and professional services that come with leasing an apartment:
This involves setting up electricity. Water, plumbing, internet, wi-fi, and gas, mainly based on your location. Learning to read bills, make important payments on time, and budget monthly expenses are all part of adulting.
Another wise investment is renters' insurance. This helps prevent damage and theft. Most importantly, ensure you properly understand how to file maintenance requests and read over your lease agreement. Being educated and informed on these matters helps prevent mistakes and provides a stable living.
Personalization:
Finally, add personal touches to make your apartment feel personalized: Attractive decor like curtains, rugs, photos, and pictures can make the most humble space feel inviting. Scented candles and air fresheners can also enhance comfort and peace. Incorporating non-essentials like a Television set, bookshelf, ice cream maker, or coffee maker adds a touch of convenience to your daily life.
Creating a space for wind-down time and hobbies to promote great mental health and well-being is also an excellent idea. Hosting birthdays and holidays with friends and family can make the space feel your own. Even though renting can be hard at first, careful planning and organizing make it worth it.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget about the Essentials when moving into a new apartment. Items such as tables and chairs, kitchen items like cutlery and pots and pans, and bathroom items like towels and toilet paper, all serve to make your living space a more functional place.
When it comes to Utilities, don’t forget to set up things like electricity, water, and wi-fi and make sure you make their associated payments on-time.
Finally, in terms of Personalization, create an environment that you want to be in and that resonates with you aesthetically. Curtains, rugs, and pictures are a great way to make your living space feel like your own, and appliances like a television or a coffee maker are great for adding some additional enjoyment and convenience to your everyday life. You got this!
