Apartment Essentials Checklist for Your First Apartment

Moving into your first apartment is thrilling; you’ve already got plans for throw pillows and a plush rug. However, signing a lease and mailing in your first rent check isn’t enough to make a first apartment feel like home. There are a lot of things you need for your first apartment that may not be the first on your mind when planning your dream home. That’s why we’ve put together the ultimate first apartment checklist so you can focus on designing your new digs. You’ll be sure to have all of the apartment essentials you need with this detailed list. 

Apartment Essentials Checklist

As promised, here is your apartment checklist of “must-haves” to get you started:

Kitchen

While it may be convenient, it’s time to get out of the mindset of eating directly out of the pot. Before you run to the store and stock up on paper plates, you can save yourself, and the planet, a lot of hassle by adding a couple of these kitchen essentials to your apartment move-in checklist. 

• Flatware

Flatware is one of the first things you need for an apartment kitchen, required for virtually every meal, and can be reused for many years. This stainless steel set serves four people with 20 pieces of flatware, including everything you’ll need for hosting a small dinner party or simply eating mac and cheese on the couch. Just remember: you’ll always use more spoons than any other utensil. 

• Dishes 

For your first apartment, you’ll need to purchase dishes. If you don’t want to worry about things breaking, we recommend durable dishes among your first apartment essentials. For instance, the 16-piece Gibson Soho Lounge Square Reactive Glaze Dinnerware Set is stylish while also microwave and dishwasher safe. Keep in mind that you might want to get a couple more bowls because you’ll be eating and heating more stuff in them than you might think.

•  Coffee maker 

If you have a coffee hankering, you won’t have to go to the coffee shop, saving you time and money. The BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Mill and Brew Coffeemaker prepares fresh coffee quickly in an all-in-one design that makes grinding whole beans simple, ensuring that you get the full flavor and fragrance of your favorite beans every time. Also, don’t forget to pick up some charming mugs to go with it.

• Pots and pans

Pots and pans are apartment necessities for meal preparation now that you won’t be eating in the dining hall or from your parents’ refrigerator. After all, without pots and pans, how are you going to cook spaghetti or whip up some pancakes in the morning? We recommend the Calphalon Classic Oil-Infused Ceramic Cookware. This PTFE- and PFOA-free healthy cookware with olive oil-infused ceramic coating allows you to cook without adding oil or butter to the pan, which is a fantastic way to cook and eat healthily.

• Small Appliances

While not technically an apartment essential, having a toaster oven will make your life a lot easier. It’s a lot faster than an oven (if your apartment even has an oven!) and can help you create more diverse meals because toaster ovens can do so much more than bread. Blenders are also fantastic, particularly if you enjoy preparing smoothies or whipping up pasta sauce at home. Lastly, in order to make a cup of tea, you’ll need a kettle to heat the water.

• Cleaning supplies

You should always have cleaning materials on hand! Cleaning tools in the kitchen, especially if you live with others, are quite useful for ensuring that everyone cleans up after themselves. Go eco-friendly and stock up on reusable paper towels, biodegradable garbage bags, a broom, all-purpose cleaners, sponges, and dish soap are all new apartment essentials you should have on hand.

Bathroom 

You don’t want to get too caught up in picking out bathroom candles and forget to get a shower curtain. Make sure you go over this apartment essentials list to ensure you have everything you’ll need for a functioning first bathroom. It’s important to have some privacy in your bathroom, just as it is in your bedroom. If there is a window, you should probably cover it. To keep water off your flooring, a bathmat and/or bathroom rug are also useful. Match your window treatments and bathmats to the shower curtain and towels you’ve previously chosen.

• Shower curtain

Shower curtains should be purchased for your bathroom. This is one of the most often overlooked apartment essentials people neglect to get before moving in. Consider the mDesign fabric shower curtain. This curtain keeps from billowing thanks to its heavy-weight woven fabric structure.

• Bathroom wastebasket

It is imperative that you have a small trash can in your bathroom. This H+LUX round trash can is perfect for bathrooms, with a removable inner wastebasket for easy cleaning. After all, you don’t want tissues piling up on your sink!

• Towels 

For your bathroom, you’ll need a towel set. It’s convenient to have multiple bath towels and hand towels so you can switch them out without having to do laundry. This plush set of 4 extra large towels is a great place to start.

• Laundry basket

It’s convenient to have space in the bathroom for a wash bag or hamper. You’ll have to find a space in your bedroom if you don’t. To ensure you don’t resort to the back of your chair, consider the Mind Reader Basket Laundry Hamper. This laundry basket allows you to pile on as many clothes as you need with handles for easy carrying. 

• Supplies

You should also keep a toilet bowl cleaner, a toilet brush, and a plunger on hand in case something goes wrong. A first aid kit containing disinfectant, bandages, and other basic first aid items is also a good idea to keep in your medicine cabinet.

Bedroom

Because sleep is so essential, you may want to invest a little more money on a mattress for your apartment that you know will be perfect for you. If you can’t afford a good mattress right now, a futon or air mattress might suffice, but it should be the first thing you replace with a quality mattress. 

• Mattress and bed frame

A bed frame and mattress are a must-have for any apartment! Gone are the days when you could get away with having the mattress rest directly on the ground. Moving into a new apartment means understanding that a proper mattress is one of the best investments that you’ll ever make, and you don’t want to risk ‘growing’ something on it by not providing ventilation with a bed frame. Your bed frame doesn’t have to be ostentatious, and less is more, especially when it comes to the contemporary and structurally solid ZINUS Joseph Metal Platforma bed frame that gives your bedroom both strength and subtle refinement. You’ll want to throw a Linenspa 8 Inch Memory Foam on top of it to ensure you wake refreshed in the morning.

• Bedding and Linens

Bedding is a fantastic way to spruce up your space! You can add accent cushions in your own colors or a cool design, or you can go for the classic monochrome theme. If your apartment has enough capacity for a queen-size bed, the linens you choose for your new home will last you for many years. Keep in mind that you may require an additional blanket for your bed, depending on where you live.

• Pillows

As anyone who’s struggled to find the ‘cool’ side of a pillow knows, quality matters regarding where you rest your head at night. So, don’t just use any ordinary pillow to help you fall asleep. We adore the Snuggle-Pedic Memory Foam Pillow, which has shredded memory foam queen bamboo pillows that stay firm and warm all night.

• Desk

You’ll need a desk in your bedroom if you want to study or work on that big project. If you don’t feel like eating in the kitchen, you can always eat your meals at your desk. However, if you want to get some serious work done, we recommend picking up the JOISCOPE home office computer desk. It’s durable, easy to assemble, and won’t break the bank.

• Desk lamp

Additional illumination is typically required in apartment bedrooms, and a desk lamp is useful for reading or studying at your desk. During late-night sessions, a desk light will keep you focused on the page. Don’t forget to bring along additional light bulbs. The LED desk lamp has USB charging ports built-in while providing light that is soft and adjustable.  This lamp offers low, medium, and high flicker-free light for reading, working or studying.

• Desk chair

It is critical to have a comfortable desk chair. You should feel comfortable, especially if you expect to conduct most of your work or studying at a desk. This Hbada desk chair is adjustable, with a comfortable mesh back curved for lumbar support. 

Living Room

Your apartment living room is where you’ll most likely spend the majority of your time, so you’re going to want to deck it out. Besides, you don’t want to invite your friends over for a housewarming party and have them sit on the floor and use your carpet as coasters. Here are some items to add to your new apartment checklist, so you’re living room is complete: 

• Couch 

You don’t need a pricey sofa for your apartment; just something comfy that seats your friends. For a touch of elegance, we recommend the HONBAY Convertible Sectional Sofa Couch. Designed to offer superior support while providing the most relaxing rest you’ve ever experienced, and unsurprisingly, the more you sit in it, the better. 

• Coffee table

A coffee table is a must-have on any apartment essentials list. The right coffee table pulls the living area together by providing a place to lay refreshments while watching TV.

• Rug

Area rugs are a convenient way to easily add comfort to a living space while also brightening it up with color. Finding a rug in colors you like is important because most apartments are painted in muted tones.

• Vacuum

A vacuum cleaner will help you clean up debris, food crumbs, and dust in your home. You don’t want to have to negotiate rent with any unwanted guest (of the pest variety), which is why having a vacuum cleaner on your apartment essentials list is so vital.

Additional Apartment Essentials

It will be easier to relocate to your new apartment if you have a basic toolbox on hand. Furthermore, not everything necessitates a maintenance request from your landlord, so you never know when you’ll need tools. When building your own tool kit, ensure you have at least a:

• Set of screwdrivers 
• Hammer
• Set of Allen wrenches
• Screws and nails
• Batteries
• Duct tape
• WD-40

Make Your Apartment Feel Like Home

Moving into your first apartment is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun! While hunting down apartment essentials may not be fun, just remember that you get to decorate it all on your own. Before making major purchases, make sure you have a budget in place and check prices at Price.com. With our price comparisons, you can find all the apartment essentials (and non-essentials) you need for the best price out there!

About Price.com

Price.com, the all-in-one money savings platform, provides a free cross-platform experience for consumers that combines advanced comparison shopping, cashback, coupons, price history and price drop alerts. The Company’s patented, AI-powered matching algorithm enables real-time discovery of new, white label, used, local, refurbished, and rental products – taking comparison shopping to new heights. Price.com is available as a desktop and mobile website, browser extension, native app and chatbot.

The Company’s core team consists of industry-leading data scientists and data engineers. Price.com founder RJ Jain sold his previous company to Google where today it powers Google Test Labs. Previously, he held senior engineering roles at Sidecar (acquired by GM) and Zynga, and served as an in-house Entrepreneur in Residence at Foundation Capital.