Moving out for the first time, into your first apartment ever? First of all, congrats! Second of all, get ready to consume so much takeaway that you almost start to get sick of greasy food – key word, almost – because you’re about to embark on the treacherous road of living on your own, and you’re not going to have any time to cook a real meal. Do yourself a favour, save a little on takeaway and avoid sleeping on the floor on your first night in the new place. Get prepared ahead of time with our first apartment checklist.
Kitchen Stuff
Picture it: you’re waking up in your new place the morning after moving, you wander into the kitchen to get yourself some well-earned breakfast… and you’ve forgotten to buy a toaster. You remembered the teabags, but you forgot to get yourself a kettle. Drinking water straight from the tap and eating plain white bread it is, then.
…unless you follow the kitchen section of our first apartment checklist, and make sure you get all this essential stuff:
- Toaster (substitute: very unsatisfying plain bread that flops when you pick it up)
- Kettle (unless like your tea brewed lukewarm from the tap… no thanks)
- Pots and pans (a small pot, a large pot, and a decent quality, decent sized frypan)
- Knives (a serrated knife and a chef’s knife to start off with)
- Stuff to eat off (plates, small bowls, big bowls)
- Baking stuff (a baking tray and measuring spoons and measuring cups – anything else you might need depends on how often you bake)
- Cutlery (four place settings worth)
- Mugs and cups (four of each, or try drinking straight from the hose)
- Kitchen bin, bin bags
- Cooking utensils (spatula, a wooden spoon, and some tongs to start off with)
- Dish soap, sponges, and a dish drying rack
Honourable mention: a microwave for heating up all the leftovers you’re about to accumulate. Thank us later.
Bathroom Stuff
Don’t leave yourself high and dry straight out of your first shower in your new place, make sure you have something to dry yourself off with. Please.
For your own sake, make sure you have all of these handy:
- Towels (at least two)
- Bath mat (substitute: a very slippery, wet floor)
- Soap
- A shower caddy/soap dish (so your soap isn’t living on the bathroom floor)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
- Toilet brush
- Toilet bin (yes, boys, some people need access to a bin in the bathroom)
- Plunger (for emergencies, let’s not get into it)
- Cleaning sprays, bleach, sponges you exclusively use for bathroom cleaning
Honourable mention: air freshener, for obvious reasons. Especially if you’re moving into an apartment with a partner.
Bedroom Stuff
It’s universally agreed on that you’re allowed to sleep on a mattress on the floor, the first night you move into your new place. After that first night, you should have a bed frame built. Whether that’s a racecar bedframe is up to you (…we’re not not telling you to get a racecar bed…)
Get a good night’s sleep by staying on top of your first apartment checklist, with all these bedroom essentials:
- Mattress (or arrange some cushions in the shape of a human)
- A bed frame (for minimalists: the floor)
- Sheets (2x fitted sheets, pillow cases, ditch the flat sheet, nobody needs them)
- Pillows (or enjoy the neck pain the next day)
- A duvet/blanket
- Laundry basket (a “laundry chair” will only do you for so long)
- Dresser/drawers
Honourable mention: Hot Wheels sheets to go with your racecar bed.
Try sleeping on Butcher’s paper until your sheets arrive…?
Living Room Stuff
Nothing’s worse than bringing the last box into your new place, popping it down on the floor, taking a look around at your hard work… and realising you don’t have anywhere to sit.
You deserve to kick your feet up at the end of a long moving day. Make sure you can with all these first apartment essentials:
- Something to sit on (couch, arm chair, beanbag, chaise lounge)
- TV (substitute: any other streaming device)
- Something to put your TV on (for your neck’s sake)
- Lamps
- Bookshelves
- Coffee table
- Internet (it’s not tangible, but you should make sure you have it set up ahead of time)
Honourable mention: something to kick your feet up on, if you’re a no-feet-on-the-coffee-table kind of person.
Cushion the ground with bubble-wrap until you buy some proper seating. It’ll be comfy enough.
All the Other Must-Have Stuff
Aside from the room-by-room stuff, there’s a few other things you’ll need to finish off your first apartment checklist. Spoiler: it’s all cleaning related (hot tip, it might be worth cleaning your place before you move in, save yourself from doing it once everything you own is in the way… or keep everything out of the way, in a TAXIBOX, until the cleaning is done).
- Vaccuum
- Dust pan and broom
- Actual broom (soft bristles for inside, hard bristles for outside)
- Pack of batteries
- Pack of candles
- Mop and mop’s best friend, bucket
- Squeegee and a glass-cleaning/window-cleaning spray to go with your squeegee
Honourable mention: a six-pack of beer to crack open once you’re all moved in (job done, you deserve it)!
Whether you’re moving out of home for the first time or you’re going out on your own after living in a sharehouse for what feels like forever, TAXIBOX can help you take the load off. Whack all your worldly possessions into a TAXIBOX and call it a day. No need to worry about moving, storing, or renovating when you’ve got us to lend a hand – we’re seasoned veterans! You’ve got bigger fish to fry, like living on your own for the first time. Good luck!
