The Essentials You Must Have When Moving Into Your First Home
Moving into your first home can be both an exciting and very stressful time for everyone involved. You can’t wait to move into your new property, but there is a lot to remember.
If you’ve lived at home or rented previously, you might have forgotten about the smaller things that help the house run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. It’s easy enough to remember to pack your clothes and ornaments, but have you got a set of plates to eat off?
To help make your moving process a little bit easier, we’ve decided to put together a list of the essentials that you will need when you move into your first home.
Living Room
When buying property, your new home will often come unfurnished so we are going to treat this article as if you are starting from scratch. Your living room is usually the first room you enter in a house, so we’ll start there.
Whilst not necessarily an “essential”, no home would be complete without a TV (and a stand for it to sit on). How would you watch Netflix otherwise?
Crashing down after a long day in work is the best feeling, but what are you going to crash onto? Investing in a comfy sofa is recommended, so choose wisely. You’re going to sit on it everyday, so you might as well enjoy it.
To make your space into a “living” room, you should add in the likes of bookshelves, coffee tables and lamps, as well as putting up a nice set of curtains and blinds to keep the light out. Putting up ornaments or paintings can make the room feel more homely, but are not the first things you need to worry about when you arrive.
Kitchen
Moving on the kitchen, it’s time to take a look at what you are going to need to keep yourself fed.
Your basic kitchen is going to need an oven, fridge, freezer, microwave, toaster and probably a kettle (if you are partial to a cup of tea). Some properties come with white goods (i,e. oven, fridge, etc.), but we wouldn’t bank on it.
These appliances should be able to get you through most meals, but what are you going to eat it with? When moving into your first property, one of your priorities should be to grab a good set of cutlery and plates to eat from. This includes knives, forks, tablespoons, teaspoons and a mix of plates and bowls in different sizes. You’d be surprised how many people forget cutlery when making their moving home checklist.
Cooking wise, you should invest in a good pair of oven gloves to avoid burning your hand each time you want to check on the chips. Other useful items include can openers, tea towels, baking trays, potato peelers, bottle openers and salt and peppershakers. All miniscule stuff, but important nonetheless.
You’ve sat down to enjoy your first meal in your new property, but where’s your drink? You’ll need some glasses and mugs to hold your liquid in, so don’t forget that when house shopping.
In order to keep the kitchen clean, you’re going to need a good amount of sponges and some powerful washing up liquid. Wiping cloths, scrubbers and cleaning sprays will also prove to be useful. It’s handy to have a brush and mop on hand as well, in case of any spillages.
Bedroom
One of the most essential items you will need in your first property is a bed for you to sleep on at the end of each day.
This may be obvious, but it’s still important to remember. Like the sofa, you will be spending a lot of time on this piece of furniture so get yourself something comfy.
What are less obvious however, are the other items that make up the bedroom. These include pillows/pillow cases, duvet/duvet cover, wardrobes to keep your clothes in, hangers, bedside tables and chest of drawers. Keeping your clothes in a pile on the floor is not an option, so you’re going to need somewhere to put them.
You should probably put up a mirror as well, just to make sure your outfit actually matches before you leave the house.
Bathroom
Luckily for you, the majority of properties will come with a toilet, sink and a shower. However, you will need to purchase everything else yourself.
You may already have a shower, but you’ll need a shower curtain to prevent drenching the bathroom. This means you’ll also need a good set of towels, as well as a bathroom mat and a flannel. It would help to invest in some body wash, shampoo and face scrub to actually wash yourself with.
Oh, and don’t forget to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste to go with it.
Now on the less pleasant bits, the cleaning supplies. Bathrooms have a tendency to get dirty quick, so you’re going to need adequate cleaning products. Toilet brush and toilet bowl cleaner, a decent sized bin and a strong pair of rubber gloves are essential. Don’t forget to add in some hand wash and a good air freshener.
Miscellaneous
Now that we’ve covered the basics of each room, let’s look at the general things that you will need all around the house.
A very important appliance to any household is the washing machine. You need to wash your clothes all the time, so a washing machine is pretty much essential to any home. Along with this, you’re going to need the likes of detergent and fabric softener to keep your clothes smelling extra fresh.
Keeping with the theme of washing, a tumble dryer is probably going to be next on your list of things to get. Living in Britain, we know we can’t trust the weather to stay nice enough for us to hang our washing out to dry, so it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to need a tumble dryer.
It’s important to make sure your home has smoke alarms installed and you have appropriate fire procedures in place, i.e. fire extinguisher and fire blanket. You can never be too safe when it comes to fire.
Moving on, you should keep a first-aid kit lying just in case. The contents should include plasters and bandages, antibiotic ointment, thermometer, small scissors and possibly some painkillers. It’s always best to be prepared.
One last item that will prove to be a constant in your life is a vacuum cleaner. Your home can easily get dusty, and the amount of dirt and stones you bring in from the outside will quickly build up, so having a vacuum cleaner handy will deal with this mess quicker than a brush would.
Summary
If you’ve followed through our checklist of essential items, then you should be ready to settle into your new home.
This may sound like a lot of stuff, but you don’t have to break the bank in order to achieve it. Taking advantage of second hand shops, auctions and sales can help you secure some fantastic furniture for cheap, so keep your eyes peeled for any bargains.
Want to know how to make your new house feel more like a home? That’s another article for another day we’re afraid. Stay tuned for more.