- Can opener: When I went to Walmart with my mom shortly before moving into my apartment, she asked me if I had a can opener. I did not and would not have thought to pick one up had she not mentioned it. You’re going to need a can opener eventually, no matter how little you cook, so make sure you have one in one of your kitchen drawers for when you inevitably get a cold or stomach bug and need to open a can of soup.
- Drain snake and drain cleaner: Having a clogged sink or bathtub with no way to fix the problem is a frustrating experience. While most apartment complexes have a maintenance request portal, maintenance workers often take several days to complete the request. You don’t want to have to shower in a tub filled with scummy water or brush your teeth in a sink that won’t drain.
- One pot, one pan, one bowl: I do almost all of my cooking with one pot, one pan and one bowl. These three items are the bare essentials for a kitchen that many people likely did not buy when living in campus dorms. Whether you have a campus meal plan or not, make no mistake, you will eventually want to use the kitchen in your new apartment.
- Swiffer Wetjet or similar product: Unless you want to constantly be walking around on all the dirt you track onto your floor from Oxford, you’ll need some sort of mop.
- Electric kettle or microwave safe kettle: Do you drink tea? Instant coffee? Live off of instant noodles like many college students? Then you’ll need to be able to boil water. Boiling water on a stovetop doesn’t take long, but having an electric kettle or one that you can heat up in the microwave further speeds up the process. I use my microwave kettle daily for tea and on nights that I don’t have the energy to make anything other than a cup of Maruchan instant ramen.
