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1. A single-serve Keurig mini to brew a cup of coffee that's perfect for just one! No need to brew (and waste) an entire pot.
2. And, a set of coffee mug organizers if you love your huge collection of cozy mugs but are having a hard time storing them all. This adjustable stacking device will make it easy for you to save space and fit all your mugs neatly in the cabinet (so yes, you can totally justify keeping them all even though it's just you using them).
3. A Birdie personal safety alarm because investing in one of these is pretty much a no-brainer. As soon as I heard about them, I immediately bought one, and I'm so glad I did. Brings me such peace of mind, especially living alone in a city, to know that all I have to do is pull apart this keychain-like alarm to activate a very LOUD 130-decibel siren and flashing strobe light.
4. A pack of large Command hooks that come in handy for all sorts of random things in your first apartment. I've used them as a makeshift key rack, to hang kitchen mitts and measuring spoons, to string decorative lights — literally so many uses, and they're often a significantly cheaper alternative to putting holes in the wall.
5. A Blue Apron meal kit if you want a super easy and economical way to enjoy restaurant-quality meals at home. After you choose and customize your meals for the week, they'll deliver all the fresh ingredients and simple step-by-step directions — aka everything you need to ~chef it up~— so you can focus on decorating your new space instead of spending all your free time shopping and cooking.
6. A toilet plunger and bowl brush, because the last thing you want is to find yourself in a situation where you need a plunger but don't have one 😅. And of course, you'll want to use the brush fairly regularly to keep your porcelain throne clean and sparkly.
7. A reusable shopping bag that very conveniently folds up into a little zippered pouch, making it suuuuper ideal for storage. I keep these types of bags in my car and often times one in my backpack, and boy do they come in clutch on those unexpected errands.
8. An Instant Pot so you can still come home to a fresh and hot dinner after work even though there's nobody to cook for you anymore. It's soooo easy to use and a major time-saver.
9. Or, an Our Place "Always Pan" if you don't want to limit your cooking possibilities, but also don't really have space for a bunch of pots and pans. This multi-functional beauty does the job of eight types of cookware: fry pan, sauce pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, nonstick pan, spatula, and spoon rest.
10. A Craftsman level if crooked pictures and decorations drive you bonkers. Use this level while you hang things on your walls to make sure everything is perfectly straight and not tilted.
11. A household tool set because absolutely everyone should have a basic tool kit. I'm convinced it's the most useful thing I own — it's been so handy living on my own.
12. A window insulation shrink-adhesive kit if you want to keep the AC from escaping during summer and eliminate the cold draft seeping in during winter. I invested in this myself, so I can confirm that it is relatively straightforward to apply all by yourself and makes a noticeable difference.
13. An angled broom and dustpan for an inexpensive, yet highly effective tool to keep your floors clean. Sometimes I actually find that my broom does a better job than my vacuum.
14. A Brita water pitcher to transform your icky tap water into clean and fresh-tasting, purified H2O, which will hopefully motivate you to stay hydrated.
15. A 30-piece stainless steel flatware set so you don't have to continually wash the same utensils each and every time you're hungry. Plus, this is also enough silverware to host a dinner party with four of your friends!
16. A roll of non-adhesive shelf liner for an excellent way to protect your drawers and cabinet shelves and keep everything from chaotically shifting around.
17. A Tile bluetooth tracker so you can keep track of your keys, wallet, and phone at all times, which is even more important when you don't have roommates to lend you their keys or call your phone when it's misplaced. The tracking on this handy gadget works both ways — you can make the Tile ring from your phone, but you can also press the button on the Tile to make your phone ring!
18. A good quality cotton hand towel for drying your hands after doing the dishes...or for actually drying the dishes and cleaning up messes. After all, it's totally up to you.
19. A lemon verbena scented all-purpose cleaner that can be used on all sorts of different surfaces — including hardwood, tile, countertop, and walls — because you're quickly gonna realize that things get dirty fast when you live on your own.
20. A first aid kit with 57 essential supplies because it's always a good idea to be prepared for emergencies or small boo-boos. Especially when you won't be able to rely on mom to locate the bandages and fix you up anymore.
21. A six-outlet power strip because outlets never seem to be located in convenient spots, and you have a lot of things to plug in. With this, you can safely (aka there's surge protection) set up all your electronics, lighting, and appliances wherever you need!
22. A portable booster pack that can safely jump your car's dead battery up to 20 times (!!!) on a single charge, all by itself. Definitely worth it if you just moved somewhere new and would like to avoid having to awkwardly ask a neighbor or passerby to jump your engine. 😬
23. A folding step stool that'll come in handy whenever you need an extra boost, especially if you plan to decorate your walls or do any sort of DIY home improvement. Definitely an essential investment for those of us who aren't tall, or just have super high cabinets in their apartment, like me.
24. A pack of wool dryer balls, since they're not only reusable and more eco-friendly, but also eliminate the need to constantly buy dryer sheets — they can even help dry your clothes faster (thus saving you money either on utilities or at the laundromat).
25. A fireproof filing lockbox to organize all your important documents (passport, birth certificate, bank info, lease, etc.) and make sure they stay safe and undamaged.
26. A fire extinguisher with a hanging bracket because most apartments and houses don't actually come equipped with this super important fire-safety essential. This was very surprising to me when I moved into my own place.
27. And, a carbon monoxide detector because CO is the silent killer! This deadly gas has no odor or color, so the only way to alert yourself before it's too late is to have this alarm go off. (Again, one of those safety things that really just ought to come with every apartment or house but often doesn't.)
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.