First Apartment Essentials

There's nothing cozier than sitting in your own kitchen sipping a cup of tea, reading the newspaper with the delicious scent of cinnamon buns baking in the oven wafting through the air.

Your kitchen will be the most used or at least visited room in your new home..
Whether you are planning on cooking a lot or not it's best to set your kitchen up for convenience and efficiency.

Store glasses, cleaners, sponges, near the sink, the coffeemaker as close to the sink as possible, coffee filters near the coffeemaker.

Store flatware, dishes, placemats nearest to the table; pot holders, cooking utensils, spices, pots and pans near the stove.

Knives should be placed near the cutting board near or on the prep area. Items used often should be stored within easy reach. Lesser used items should be stored up high or in the deepest part of your cabinets.

If possible set your garbage can up as close to the sink or your prep area as possible. This will save you a lot of steps when preparing meals. If your kitchen is small with little storage and counterspace then choose the things you buy for the kitchen wisely.

Buy items that will do double duty. Casserole dishes can be used to bake and serve food as well. Cover a cookie sheet with a pretty napkin, scrapbook paper, or tea towel and you have an instant tray to carry items or to serve food on.
Buy bowls to use for both cereal and soup, and mugs instead of cups and saucers.

A junk drawer is a must! I have a few myself. Store things like matches, rubber bands (great for securing an open bag of frozen veggies), scissors, tape, flashlight, batteries, etc.

Your kitchen will be an inviting, efficient and pleasurable space to work and relax in when your items are located conveniently.

There's nothing worse than needing to sew a button on at the last minute and you don't have a needle and thread. Or the electric goes out and you don't have a flashlight.

I saved this checklist of miscellaneous items for last so that you will take special note of them. These are things that you are most likely going to need sooner or later but may not think about during all the hub-bub of moving.

* Scissors, stapler, paper, pens, personal phone book, phone book, phone, envelopes, stamps, calculator, calender, tape, glue, rubber bands, household log
* Fire-proof box, extension cords, lightbulbs, batteries, ice cube trays, cork board,
* Tool kit, nails, picture hanging kit, measuring tape, matches,
* Candles, flashlights, clothes hangers, lamps, sewing kit, a file cabinet, dust pan, broom, sweeper

I was inspired to write this Lens while talking to my Niece Erica who is moving into her first apartment soon. It made me think back to the time when I moved out of the house and set up my own first apartment. I don't remember thinking about the necessities, the toaster, the dish rack, the simple everyday things that were supplied at my parents home by, of course, my parents.

I noticed she wasn't thinking of those things either.

Truly, I had no idea what I "really" needed. My thoughts were more on the lines of freedom, decorating, having friends over and finally being all grown up and on my own. The excitement of moving out overshadowed all practical thinking.
I was 20 and ready to start my life. Who thinks about plastic wrap at 20?

My niece's excitement over her first place is contagious! I've been scouring through my house making up boxes of various items that I had put away and will most likely never use again. She will be glad to have these items and I will be glad to get rid of them. Win-win situation.

Check with family and friends for small appliances and houshold items like; sweepers, microwaves, blenders, coffeemakes, dishes etc,.
I personally have more sweepers than any "normal" human being should have, not to mention pretty much two of everything else, and I know I'm not the only one, so speak up! Put the word out, you never know what little treasures you'll be given.

I'm actually having fun going through my items and seeing what my niece could use. Chances are your family and friends will feel the same way.

This is an exciting and fun time for you. Enjoy the process. You'll make mistakes here and there when setting up your place, but these are always fixable. And you will still probably forget to buy something you need. Don't stress about it, you can always get it later.

Really, there is only one thing you absolutely, positively have to rememeber to buy above all others on the checklist. Yes, you guessed it. Toilet tissue. Crucial.

Never leave home without it. '-)