Move in is the next few weeks. I’ve lived on my “own” (roommate I never interacted with) for a couple months my last semester of college, but that was a temporary setup whereas I’m hopefully moving out for good this time.
Bear in mind that the place has window/wall A/C and electric heating.
Things I’m already considering:
- Drain guard
- Bidet
- Cold brew coffee maker
- Rice cooker
- Space heater? I’d like to keep the temp largely down during the winter to save money while warming up the part of the place I’m in
- Key for washer/dryer
Things I already have:
- Most furniture
- Air fryer
- Seltzer water thingy
- Meal prep containers
General advice is also welcome!
Rice cooker, for sure.
Get good sheets.
It’s been mentioned already, but good knives for the kitchen.
This may depend on personal preference and your shoe/carpet policy, but if you like sitting on the floor/sitting at a low coffee table you can get floor cushions. I got four or so from Daiso (called zabuton) in alternating colours. They add colour to a space that’s often unoccupied and make the floor a bit more cosy
consider a rug
Seconding the electric tea kettle, basic toolkit, and vacuum. Also you’ll want a good mop, the tornado ones are really efficient. Sweep first, then mop. If you keep shoes on a shoe rack then you won’t have to worry about cleaning as much/often
If you don’t live in an arid or semi-arid climate, a dehumidifier is a must; 60% humidity and above will mold things faster in your kitchen, promote mildew, and just feel hotter in general.
Having plenty of chairs and table space is important. 5-gallon buckets are cheap storage and double-purpose as bottom-tier stools, but stackable chairs are better, and can be condensed to the space of just 1 or 2 chairs. If you find yourself keeping everything on the table, you probably need shelves. (In a pinch, you can use cinder blocks and 1x6 dimensional lumber for shelving, and still pull off a DIY aesthetic.)
Make sure your bed rises far enough off the ground that you can put storage totes or shoeboxes underneath it. Bed risers can help with this but a higher frame is best.
A space heater is a good idea to “heat people, not rooms”. For yourself and for guests during the winter, put extra blankets on a couch and chairs.
I’ve already got the bed frame but it’s pretty low to the ground. Might have to spring for some of them risers
Space Heater
Try a heated blanket. You can warm yourself directly, without having to heat the whole room.
Idk why I didn’t think of this
Also anyone read that YA sci-fi book where the guy turns invisible because of a heated blanket
For coffee you might look at an Aeropress, if you’re only making one cup at a time. Cheap, reasonably durable, and make some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.
House plants, rugs, lamps and wall art go a long way towards making stuff look more adult-like and “complete”.
As far as amenities go, a space heater is pretty meh and they cause a fair amount of house fires. Don’t recommend it. Someone said heating blanket which I will second if you’re trying to save cash.
Rice cookers are great, but honestly rice isn’t that hard in a pot so I would prioritize other stuff first.
Bidets are life changing, and they help save on toilet paper which is nice.
The French press is a really cheap purchase for making coffee and quite versatile.
The French press is a really cheap purchase for making coffee and quite versatile.
Yes, I picked up a 1L and a 1.5L French press at an op shop, and use them for cold brew tea and coffee in summer. Just leave it in the fridge and yim yum
sex swing
Hello Volcel Police? I would like to narc on someone. I have never snitched before, is there paperwork or a fax number? Yes I’ll hold.
The VOLCEL POLICE are on the scene! PLEASE KEEP YOUR VITAL ESSENCES TO YOURSELVES AT ALL TIMES.
نحن شرطة VolCel.بناءا على تعليمات الهيئة لترويج لألعاب الفيديو و النهي عن الجنس نرجوا الإبتعاد عن أي أفكار جنسية و الحفاظ على حيواناتكم المنويَّة حتى يوم الحساب. اتقوا الله، إنك لا تراه لكنه يراك.
As the french say: non
counterpoint:
When I was a kid I had a couple of Liberator “couches”. They were the best.
Go to a second hand store or a yard sale or the like. Pick of some cheap pieces of art that look nice to you. Don’t worry about tacky or classy, just whatever you vibe with. My wall is filled with an eclectic assortment of random pieces and if it’s all random, it goes well together.
Also an electric kettle is really useful, but if you’re fresh from college you might already have one.
second the art stuff. I used to decorate my room with art and fine china that I found in a charity shop after work. Some of my favourite pieces ever were found in a bin with a bunch of other crap!
Electric kettles are great. I use mine for pour over coffee (hot and iced), and even random shit where I need really hot water and don’t want to wait for it.
So strange to hear that an electric kettle is not a standard item…
In the UK you’ll find them in every household because tea. Back when TV was the main entertainment source, some of the power grids biggest spikes were in BBC TV advert breaks, when everyone would go flick the electric kettle on to make a tea for the next part of the show.
We don’t drink tea as often as you all do, and I think a lot of us who do use the microwave to heat their water lmao.
I only got one since I got into Japanese-style pour over coffee, but they’re definitely great.
It’s for more than just tea/coffee, like you can boil your water in the kettle before adding it to a pot if you need it. Saves you 1) from having to bring water to the boil on the stove 2) doesn’t bring the water temp down (much) if you already have the pot at a boil
It’s a real jolt. I felt so god damn British in that moment. I get that y’all don’t bother with English Breakfast tea - it’s a somewhat acquired taste I suppose - I mean there’s a reason not everyone does it. But herbal teas? Do y’all not drink mint tea or any of that stuff either? Gotta be one of the very few places in the world to not drink herbal teas.
Space heater? I’d like to keep the temp largely down during the winter to save money while warming up the part of the place I’m in
I fell for this meme but it neglects to account for the fact that furniture & flooring has thermal mass and gets cold as shit when it isn’t being heated. It also takes a very very long time to heat up (again because of the thermal mass). Just turning on the heater so the apartment & all its furniture was always a comfortable temp without me wearing a toque & fingerless gloves & slippers & always being covered in blankets & drinking hot water was probably the greatest possible improvement to my happiness & comfort for the money spent.
Rice cooker
Hell yeah, get a nice one like a Zojirushi if possible
Cold brew coffee maker
Loose-leaf tea equipment is very cheap if you’re into that and are looking for a more moderate caffeine hit
seltzer water thingy
Airstream is an israeli company btw
Sodastream is the Israeli company, Airstream is… I think a type of vehicle?
Hmm that’s a good note on the space heater.
The coffee maker I’m looking at is only like $30 and I’ll make that back in the money I save not buying premade concentrate pretty quick
I actually have a Drinkmate which isn’t connected to Israel afaik! I think the canisters are still Sodastream but I’m working on finding a local homebrew shop that will refill them for cheap compared to swapping them out at target or something
Grab a 5lb CO2 tank from the home brew shop, and a little adapter for sodastream canisters. Easy to fill up at home and you only need to refill the big tank every 5 or 6 refills of the small one. Super cheap as well (and te money goes to your hbs).
Drinkmate is not israeli.
And you can get their canisters (you can even trade Sodasteam canisters for their ones).
I love my drinkmate, seltzer good.
Bidet is god-tier. Get one – even a cheapo cold only one is good, but if you have a few hundred saved, Costco often has sales on a pretty solid Toto model that’s pretty no-fuss. I had a Tushy once, and getting the hot water from the bathroom sink was a pain.
Also, learn how to use drywall anchors for hanging shelves and shit – you can buy a 4 dollar tube of spackle when you move out and patch any holes yourself.
Sorry you lost your tushy.
Cold brew coffee maker
get yourself a french press, it can do hot and cold!
More and more people are saying this
Non meme answer, as a line cook:
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Get a good kitchen knife. If a YouTuber has sponsored it, it’s probably overpriced (and honestly, quality varies from bad to just above average). A Chinese caidao/vegetable cleaver is versatile and durable, although possibly a bit intimidating because it’s larger than Japanese/French knives. A Shi Ba Zi Zuo will be fine for domestic use for years, very affordable, holds its edge quite well, kind of heavy but unlikely to be strenuous unless you’re dicing vegetables for hours on end, and even so weight helps with cutting. Holding it is slightly different to a western pinch grip but should be easy to adjust, huge blade surface area allows for it to rest on your knuckles if you wish usage shown here. You can use it as a bench scraper as well. Get a paring knife for things that require a bit more dexterity and you’re set.
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Get a biiiig chopping board. Just as large as you can reasonably clean in your sink.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
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Instant pot > rice cooker. It cooks rice and does a ton of other things, totally worth splashing a little extra cash for.
Houseplants are great, pothos are easy care and can be hung in wall mounted pots. Also consider a window bird feeder if that’s an option where you live so you can see the wildlife.
Baskets for fruit and fridge trays for veggies can help keep things organized and help you remember stuff before it goes bad.
Coasters are always nice.
On the maintenance front, try to have stuff that you can use to avoid a maintenance call, snakes for drains, a channel lock for loose plumbing fittings, sink and toilet plungers if not already present are inexpensive options. Check your heaters and window seals for dust and mold respectively when you move in because they’re commonly missed cleaning steps (also under the fridge and stove, ew).
Edit: sneaking in a couple more things - glass pint jars are great for food storage and as water glasses and for small-batch pickled veggies if that’s your thing. I like throwing in some chopped bok choy and cherry peppers to top stir fries and salads.
Shelf liners are great and can make cleaning up when moving out easier.
Full disclosure we have an instant pot but I’ve had horrible experiences cooking rice with it. A big benefit of the rice cooker is that it’s very hard to fuck up when using it, especially the nicer ones with the sensors. Plus the instant pot might stay with my mom anyway
That’s odd, for short grain rice I can just throw in two cups of rice and two cups of water, do 4 minutes high pressure and 10 minutes pressure release and be good to go.
Sweet rice is a little bit more of a pain in the butt and if you do it regularly a rice cooker might work better, but I’ve been successful pre-soaking and then steaming using the trivet.
The thing I like about my instant pot is that I can do just about anything - soups, beans, yogurt, sous vide, overnight oats. It’s pretty versatile.
I have an instant pot and a little cheapy old rice cooker. it rocks, because you can use the instant pot to focus on your main attraction, but have your rice and maybe some dumplings or broccoli on the steam tray of your rice cooker. I am not a kitchen gadget guy, but those two are the heroes of so many dishes.
The biggest problem with the instant pot is that it does so much, you might need two for when the first is occupied.
Good thing they’re readily available at thrift shops for like $10
One of the main steps from “livable” to “cute” is rugs and throw blankets for your furniture. They’re good for decoration, but they also keep you warm. You can thrift them.
