Moving Out on Your Own.
It’s happened, you finally have a place of your own, your own apartment, your own house, no roommates, no more living in your parents, you have arrived and now are officially an adult.
Congratulations!!
I mean it, it’s a big step and every parent is extremely proud when their kids enter the next stage of life as responsible adults. It’s an exciting event and I should know.
I recently had the honor of helping my oldest son move into his first apartment in Chicago. It wasn’t like I hadn’t said goodbye before. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t lived on his own either. After high school, he had gone to college for a couple of years and spent the past three years in the Marine Corps. He was more than ready to have his own place that he didn’t have to share with a roommate and was bigger than his cracker box sized room in the barracks.
Although my son kept his demeanor of a Marine I could tell he was just a little more than excited to move into a new and I didn’t expect to help as this was his journey. I think it started off as needing a ride and a way to haul his stuff to Chicago. He learned keeping a car in Chicago would be expensive and counter productive. so he decided his main method of communication was going to be the metro transit system. A Mother-Son trip was then made to the Windy City.
Finally Getting His Own Apartment
Starting a New Life
There are a lot of things to know about living on your own, how to set up your bills, a new local bank, renters insurance and little things such as simple plumbing repairs and household maintenance.
If you live in a big city how do you keep yourself safe and how do you grocery shop when you don’t have a car? Those are all questions you will need to figure out on your own now, you don’t have your Mom or Dad to figure them out for you.
Where Do I Start?
Empty cupboards and empty refrigerator
Off to the grocery store and target we went. Two shopping carts later, and I won’t say how much money, we barely stocked the cupboards and refrigerator, but it’s enough for a few weeks when eating bachelor style.
First time we are doing all of this without help of any professionals. I can still remember our first move when we were in Australia. We hired a Furniture Removalists Melbourne company and they did their job quite comfortably. It seemed too straight but now we realize the truth.
Start with Kitchen Supplies
You Need to Eat
No more raiding your Mom’s refrigerator, no more snagging cookies, or a can of pop, food doesn’t magically appear anymore. It’s a brand new world and your brand new kitchen. Where to start, what do you need?
This all depends on your cooking prowess, taste, and culinary expertise. If you are a run and go type person and convenience foods are your norm then you will need just the basics. If you eat out quite a bit your kitchen might be bare, but so will your wallet.
A compromise between truly home cooked meals and some simple cooking tools makes all the difference in your daily meal preparations and nutritional status as a single professional living in the city.
Don’t Forget: dish washing soap, dish towels, paper towels, kitchen sponge, pots, pans, cookie sheet or baking dishes, trash can, trash bags (we forgot those), broom and dust pan, and a frying pan with lid.
Did I Say Toasters Are Great For Single Life?
If I didn’t I am now
Then Set Up Your Living Room
You Don’t Have to Share the Entertainment Center Anymore
No longer do you need to share the television with your family, watch what your brother wants to watch or censor your TV viewing because your parents may not approve. The entertainment system is now yours and yours alone. How wonderful!
Wait, you don’t have a TV, you don’t have a television, and you don’t even have a blue-ray player. Darn, now what? To many young adults just furnishing their living room the television and blue-ray player will come before furniture. My son will sit on the floor or a folding chair as long as he has his television and movies.
Other items you might want:lamps, couch, lazy boy chair, computer desk, coffee table, and art for the walls, but that can come later
My son loves toast and toast is quite the magically food. It takes plain ordinary bread, warms it and turns it into a totally different food. Toast for breakfast, toast for egg sandwiches, or toast for BBQ pulled pork for supper. The magic of toast.
A toaster may be the most important cooking item in your kitchen. Toasters are handy for bagels and English Muffins, toasters make cooking fast, easy, and convenient to take something on-the-go.
Take a look at all the toasters you can buy on eBay. Vintage toasters, bagel toasters, 4 slices, 2 slices, just a plethora of toasters. Really, if you have limited cooking skills a toaster can be your best friend. Just ask my son.
Don’t Forget Your Bathroom
It’s the Little Things You’ll Forget
It’s the little things, the small comforts you forget when you move into your first apartment. Like the shower curtain, wow, how many times have you thought about the shower curtain, that is until you stand in the bathroom aisle at Target thinking, now what do I need?
Don’t forget these items: Toilet brush, toilet plunger (don’t want to be stuck in an emergency), toilet bowl cleaner, toilet paper, air freshener (if you’re a guy, an essential), hand soap, toothbrush holder, and your basic shampoo, conditioner and bath gel. Those are just the personal items.
Setting Up Your Bedroom
You spend 6-8 hours sleeping, do it with style and comfort
We didn’t take a bed with us when we drove to Chicago, in fact moving was just a small trailer with boxes. Being a Marine who can sleep anywhere a bed wasn’t the highest priority, but it should be and a good bed at that, you’re going to be spending 6-8 hours a night sleeping.
However, I will assume most people have a bed to start off with, it’s the other items in the bedroom that you might not think of right away.
Don’t Forget:sheets, pillow, comforter, mattress pad (or cover), alarm clock, dresser, mirror, and curtain if your window doesn’t have blinds.
What Else Do You Need for a New Apartment?
What have I forgotten?
If you have a moving tip or another supply idea for someone moving into their first apartment be a gem and let us know below. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would appreciate your advice.