This site may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no cost to you. All opinions shared here are my own, and I only recommend products and services that I truly love.
First off, congratulations! Moving into your first apartment is an exciting milestone. However, navigating through first apartment essentials checklist before the big move can be overwhelming.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably searched countless websites, YouTube videos, and more to find a budget-friendly first apartment essentials checklist. I was truly obsessed with finding the perfect checklist and researched everything I needed to know before moving into my first apartment.
I get it, you’re experiencing a mix of overwhelmed and bittersweet feelings. To lighten your load, I’ve created the ultimate first apartment essentials checklists to keep you within budget while only purchasing necessities! Also, it is important to learn from some of my mistakes, which I have listed quite a few, lol.
When I first moved into my apartment, I created a YouTube video that currently has nearly 30,000 views, showing everything I purchased for my first apartment. Now that I’ve lived in my apartment for almost four years, I can confidently say that this checklist covers all the essential items for each room, ensuring you won’t overspend or buy unnecessary items.
This video has a ton of positive feedback & the comments suggest it is binge-watch-worthy!
In my video above, I emphasized, and I can’t stress this enough, that the best budget-friendly tip is to buy your first apartment essentials during Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day. Most of the items I got were purchased during these times of the year. I highly suggest waiting for those deals!
This post is all about the ultimate first apartment essentials checklist.
The Ultimate First Apartment Essentials Checklist
1. Kitchen Essentials
(Budget-Friendly Tip: Stick to the basics and buy in sets, it will save you some money!)
Before making purchases, I want to remind you to be kind to yourself and your budget. These items add up very quickly. Create a list of the items that matter most to you, and try not to get caught up in brand names. The kitchen items I’ve bought, such as plates and bowls, have lasted me over three years, and none are designer brands. What truly mattered to me was quality when choosing my kitchen essentials.
Kitchen Essentials I Recommend & Love
Kitchen Essentials I Cannot Live Without!
2. First Apartment Living Room Essentials
(Budget-friendly tip: Don’t be afraid to start with secondhand or multi-purpose furniture)
I have to admit, my main goal was to be a baller on a budget and create a comfy and homey atmosphere for my living room area. I needed to find inexpensive options that still offered great quality.
Since the couch is often the main seating area for guests, try not to cut yourself too short and avoid constantly replacing it by purchasing low-quality. If a family member has a couch, they are willing to give you, start there first. Most importantly be sure to find a couch that’s affordable and durable. Ashley Furniture, Wayfair, and Amazon have excellent options for living room seating, coffee tables, and TV stands. I purchased my coffee table and TV stand from Amazon, and I am absolutely in love with them! (I’ve had them since moving into my apartment)
Living Room Essentials I Cannot Live Without!
3. Bedroom Must-Haves
(Budget-Friendly Tip: Invest in great quality bedding to enhance comfort and not worry too much about decor at the moment)
The comfort of your bedroom significantly impacts how you feel when you wake up. My bedroom is my sanctuary and hands down my favorite area in my home. I’ve designed it to help me unwind, reduce stress, and promote restful sleep.
My main goal was to create a hotel-like bed. I searched high and low and found the best luxury, yet, affordable bedding on Amazon. I used the same mattress and bedframe from my parents’ house and enhanced my bedding experience with fresh comfy sheets, pillows, and a duvet.
Don’t be scared to take furniture from your parent’s house. I hauled my mattress, bedframe, dresser, and nightstand from my parent’s house, making my new bedroom super affordable. 🙂 If you are no longer into your furniture condition or design, try DIY projects to restore your old furniture!
Bonus Tip: Be sure to look around and compare pricing! I was pretty bummed out when I found the exact same bed frame, I purchased from Ashley Furtunite on Amazon for less! So please, learn from my mistake! LOL! Unfortunately, they do not sell it anymore, but my bedroom is farmhouse themed, and here is a bed frame verrrry similar!
Bedroom Must-Haves I Cannot Live Without!
4. Bathroom Necessities
(Budget-Friendly Tip: Don’t forget about the Dollar Tree!)
Try focusing on the essentials and save the decor for later. I realized that the areas I was eager to decorate, ended with me not caring for them down the line, especially my bathroom, if I am being honest, lol. A bathroom decor item I don’t regret is my soap dispenser set; it truly transformed my bathroom into a luxurious space on a budget!
Get settled in, get cozy, and find your style. You have plenty of time to decorate and live in your space. In my opinion, the decor isn’t a necessity and more of a want. So avoid those items right away, I can bet you, your style will change when you move in. However, here are some items you CANNOT FORGOT:
Bathroom Necessities I Cannot Live Without!
5. Cleaning & Laundry Supplies
(Budget-Friendly Tip: Generic Brands will be your best friend, I mean, no one will see them anyway!)
You would be surprised, a lot of these name brands have the same ingredients as generic brands. The majority of all your cleaning and laundry supplies will be stored away, so why are you purchasing “brand names”!? I will say that my laundry supplies are more costly and you should invest in those too. I brought the majority of all my cleaning supplies in bulk and went almost six months to a year before having to purchase them again. If you can afford it, buy in bulk, and you’ll save in the long run. For cleaning & laundry supplies, here is the first apartment essentials checklist, I would recommend:
Cleaning & Laundry Supplies I Cannot Live Without!
6. Nice-to-Haves & Misc.
(Budget-Freindly Tip: Proitize essentials and add extras over time.)
For your first apartment checklist, don’t forget to include some basic tools, storage bins, and a few decorative pieces. As I mentioned above, decoration can come over time, however, it doesn’t hurt to have a few pieces to get you started.
Items I Cannot Live Without!
It’s important to give yourself grace when moving into your first apartment. The amount of information can be overwhelming at times. Trust me, I’ve had my moments where I felt like I needed to have everything right away. Don’t make that same mistake; you can build up your necessities over time.
Some of these items may not be essential to you, and that’s perfectly fine. Do what is best for YOU and within your budget. Again, congratulations! You can do this!
This post was all about the ultimate first apartment essentials checklist.
Leave a Reply