10 Gifts for Someone Living in Their First Apartment

By Madison White on November 30, 2016

Moving into an apartment for the first time is always exciting. Buying all the essentials you didn’t know you needed? Not so much.

If you know someone moving into their first place, get a head start on the gift giving with some thoughtful gifts for their new apartment. Some of them aren’t the most flashy gifts, but will make an impact that will last through the years. Here are 10 gifts for someone in their first apartment.

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1. A vacuum (and other cleaning supplies)

Perhaps something you’d otherwise like to forget, a new apartment dweller is going to need a whole host of cleaning supplies. From a vacuum to windex, if they want to keep their new place looking as nice as it does now, they’ll need a whole slew of products. Of course, this isn’t the most glamorous of gifts, but perhaps the most necessary.

2. Cooking sets and cutlery

Another thing they’re going to need is a proper set of cooking essentials and cutlery. Most first-timers aren’t going to have much to help them cook. Anything from pots and pans to tupperware would be a huge help. If you’re feeling really up for it, buy them a whole set of nice cutlery. They’ll thank you later.

3. Paper products

Many new movers also tend to forget how many paper products that are totally essential to everyday life. From things like toilet paper to paper towels and napkins, paper products are used on the daily. They’re also things that are often forgotten about until they become absolutely necessary. This can be a disaster! So if you get these to them before they move in, they’re going to end up very appreciative.

4. Themed decor

If this is their first time really decorating from scratch, they also might suffer from a severe lack of matching decorations. A movie poster here, a decorative mug there, how can they make that work? If you know them well and know their style, try and get them some matching decor like print sets that go together or even blankets and pillows that follow a color pattern. These basics will make it easy for them to get started decorating.

5. Houseplants

New apartments are usually as plain, dull, and lifeless as they come. No matter the amount of decorating they try and do, sometimes an apartment can still feel rather boring. To liven things up, get them a small houseplant to bring some life into the space. Plenty of plants like cacti and bamboo look great and are easy to care for.

6. Extension cords

Some apartments also have a significant lack of power outlets. Because of this, having some extension cords and extended plugs will come in real handy when they need their laptop, phone, and lamp all working at the same time.

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7. Towels

Bathroom essentials are also usually easily forgotten. And if they do have some of their own, it’s possible that they’re extremely worn out and drab. If you are feeling it, buy them a really nice matching set of towels to last them through the years of their new apartment living. To add a personal touch, you can also usually get initials monogrammed onto them fairly easily. A lovely set of towels is a great gift that never goes out of style.

8. Food essentials

Moving into a new apartment also means moving into a place with an empty fridge. As anyone who moves knows, and knows well, everyone dreads the first trip to the grocery store which always ends up as a huge budget blowout. If you’d like to lessen this pain, go ahead and buy some food essentials that everyone needs: ketchup, salt and pepper, sugar, etc. Try and get some things that are universally used and used often so it doesn’t end up sitting in the back of their cabinet, unused forever.

9. Basic tool kit

Another thing they probably don’t already have are the tools to really set up their new place. A basic tool kit can really come in handy for basic apartment maintenance as well. Some things to include might be a hammer, nails, screwdriver, and tape measure.

10. Lighting

Something that shocked me when I first moved into my first real apartment was the distinct lack of real overhead lighting. It was there in important places like the kitchen and bathroom, but nowhere to be found in the bedrooms and living room. This won’t be the case for all apartments, but if it is, it would be really handy to buy some large floor lamps as well as some desk lamps, maybe even some string lights for their new place.

Any of these gifts will make the transition smoother for everyone involved. A keen eye and a creative mind can really help someone out during their first apartment living experience.

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