Things I’ll need after I move
Posted by Skrud at Monday, April 21st 2008 at 10:50am
As the big move looms closer, I’m slowly beginning to realize how different things are going to be and how many changes need to be made. Today, a representative from the moving company came by to look at the stuff I have so that they’ll know what’s needed come packing/moving day. The entire assessment took less than a minute, since I don’t have a lot of stuff.
These are things that I’ll probably pick up during a few IKEA runs once I’m in my new city:
- A bed (right now I’ve just got a futon mattress on the floor)
- A sofa for people to sit/sleep on when they come over (and for video-gaming)
- A TV Stand
- A dining/eating table plus chairs
And in the slightly longer term, things to invest in:
- A really awesome mattress
- A new TV (I’ve still got my old CRT that I bought when I was 15)
- A stereo/sound system … though I supposed I can use my desktop PC in the meantime
- Beer making kit, since I’ve decided to start making my own.
What kinds of things were you missing the first time you moved out on your own?
EVERYTHING!
Seriously. I’m taking my MacBook, clothes and some books to Edmonton. Sayonara.
a girlfriend.
Kitchen stuff: Pots, pans, plates, cutlery, glasses, etc
A good bed is definitely worth investing in since you spend like 1/3 of your day in it.
Personally I’d also buy a toaster oven. If it’s for only 1 person you can make french fries + food in the toaster oven instead of the huge regular oven. I basically never use my big oven.
You might want to get a slow cooker too. It’s fairly easy to put some meat & potatoes in the slow cooker before work then come home 9-10 hours later and just throw it on a plate and eat.
Depending on your neighbourhood (whether or not you have easy access to a laundromat) you’re going to want a washer/dryer too. And towels.
When I moved out to Ottawa, I thankfully invested in a cart to lug home groceries and any other heavy purchases I made. I opted for a more modern looking black material cart rather than the granny looking metal wire cart. This of course was only until I got a car.
Aside from what’s already mentioned I also needed bathroom accessories (shower curtain, garbage pail, toothbrush holder, soap dispenser), curtains for the windows to afford myself some privacy, and a microwave. A cookbook or two might also help ;)
Regular ovens suck. Gas stoves are awesome, though.
Appliances: Microwave, rice cooker, portable dishwasher (dishwasher on wheels / doubles as counterspace and dirty dish storage)
Furniture: Bedstand, coffee table, table with inserts (small till you need it big) and extra, preferably stackable, chairs.
Misc: Buy a good knife set if you do any cooking. $20 around xmas time gets you something that’s not huge (no cleaver), but dandy.
… All I can think of. I know the portable dishwasher sounds extravagant, but it’s the second best purchase I’ve made, the first being a BBQ (but since I cut out most meat, maybe the dishwasher is first).
ditto on the bed thing. A good bed is really important, and just keeps getting moreso as you get older. Bad bed == bad back == misery
Invest in quality. There are many types of pots and pans but paying a little extra now will pay off over the long haul and in general make your cooking easier. A good knife set can last for a long time with a minimal amount of maintenance, unlike the shitty set I have that already has small rust spots forming. And don’t buy anything with a non-stick coating, do you really want to be eating Teflon™?
Aside from that, if your new place gets some good sunlight then buy plants, or even better herbs. Growing your own fresh herbs is always handy and having plants around is a good way to get fresh oxygen into the room. It also makes your place look like something other than computers live there.
i chime in on the knives and the good bed – but also point out that nothing says “i’m a child” ; like a futon mattress on the floor – this is an essential purchase from a woman’s point of view.
slow cookers rock!
i don’t think a dishwasher is important, but i like washing dishes so i guess i am just weird.
you want a plant. something masculine – a cactus? a chinese fern? i’m sure someone will donate something, but it makes an apartment look like a home pretty instantly in my opinion.
and TUPPERWARE! Tupperware is one of the most useful things ever. Other than for storing food, it also stores random equipment and tools lying around the place.
For me, it was mainly kitchen stuff, but then I really enjoy cooking and baking. I know that you don’t like cooking, so I’m assuming that for the most part you’ll be eating out. Still no house is complete without SOME kitchen utensils. So I would say invest in a really good knife (yes they can be expensive but you will save in the long run), a heavy bottomed pot (for heating up soups, making spaghetti, etc. If you don’t have a thick bottom on pots and pans it’ll burn whatever you’re cooking easily and burnt stuff are hard to clean!), Teflon frying pan, baking sheets and a wok or saute. This will cover pretty much the basics of all your cooking needs.
In terms of electrical stuff, toaster oven and a rice cooker. If you like, when I get back to MTL I can teach you some cooking survival basics (simple 3 -5 step meals that are done in 30 min or less).
Other than that, I think the things other people listed are pretty good and solid. I would also suggest a bookshelf if you have a lot of books. And the best piece of advice I can give you in terms of furniture, is don’t be so quick to go out to IKEA and buy furniture. First check craiglist and freecycle to see if other people are giving away the furniture you want for free. I know right around the summer time, when a lot of students are graduating/leaving town, there’s a lot of really good quality furniture up for grabs(I think 60% of the furniture in my old place I got for free). Doing so saved me A LOT of money.
Cleaning products! Before you throw all of your wonderful new stuff into your apartment, you’ll probably want to clean it.
I would suggest some environmentally friendly alternatives. Lots of companies make them, but here are some examples of what you need: - At least 3 antibacterial microfiber cleaning cloths (kitchen, bathroom, dusting): http://www.norwex.ca/norwex/controller?action=catalog&prod=241&cat=0&subcat=0 You don’t need soap and its totally disinfecting - Microfiber mop – its like a swiffer but you wash the thing on the bottom instead of wasting those expensive disposable sheets
Plus, don’t forget a toilet brush and a plunger!
Meh, I pretty much picked everything up in one costly ikea run :)
It isn’t much, really, you’ll need bedding & towels, and something to shove your laundry
For the kitchen, ikea sells startboxes, the cooking one and the dishes, which are really complete. Throw in a couple of dish washing towels and brushes and you’ll be all set.
The rest you can take your time to decide ;)
Oh, and as far as matresses go, a ~$300 ikea matress will do it.
Anything else is just wasting money.
i think everyone pretty much hit it on the head….kitchen stuff. good knives are like good programming tools, they make all the difference. i really like zwilling henckels (not the cheap j.a henckels) but i only have 1 since they are like $150 a knife. this thing commands respect, it would take off my fingers(my only source of income) in a second and i wouldn’t even know it, it is that sharp and it is heavy enough that without constant attention an accident will happen. that being said cooking with them is an absolute joy.
before you head off to ikea check out craigslist for the couch since they are usually cheap and abundant. (just keep an eye out for bed bugs, those buggers are a nightmare)
as to the beer making, i think that it is a good idea. i am not a beer drinker, sad i know, but arianne’s cousin did it and managed to save a good amount of money. i think his ratio was something like 60 bottles for $25
one thing i would add to your list next to your new tv is probably an apple tv.
Everyone pretty much listed everything so not much to add on my end but I’d recommend checking out Winners for bedding and bathroom stuff.
Everyone else is right, good tools in the kitchen (pots, pans, knives) are VERY important and the little extra spent now will save you replacing everything after a year. Teflon (non-stick) pans are awesome and if taken care of last a really long time (we’ve had ours for close to 10 years).
Ikea is good for cutlery and dishware so I’d check that out.
Craigslist is awesome for furniture. Check out the stuff posted regularly and I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for in no time at all. (I’ve been searching for a new desk, found it at Bureau en Gros for 160$, and last night messaged someone who was selling theirs for 50$)
Plants are nice, but if you don’t have a green thumb keep that in mind when you’re choosing your plant, you don’t want it dying after a week. There are tons of nice plants to choose from that if not watered for a few days can still be revived.
I think that’s about it…
Good luck!
One last thing. A good mattress is KEY. Go to Sears/dormez-vous/sleep country/etc., lay down on some and see what works for you and try to find a warehouse that sells them cheaper once you’ve found hte one you like. My mattress cost 400$ but when I went to Sears it was listed somewhere around 1200-1500$ for a double. Your back will thank you a thousand times over if you sleep on a good mattress.
Beer making – there are a number of places to get beer making supplies near you – Muska’s Wine Supplies just west of Preston on Somerset or DeFalcos just west of Preston on Gladstone.
While you’re in the area drop into Luciano Fine Foods (3 doors north of Preston & Somerset) for the best Italian sausages anyware – I’m really fond of the Fennel ones. Next door their son has opened a fresh pasta place which makes great Fuccatia to go with the sausages.
If you do make beer – but don’t want the dregs that form as a result of the in bottle carbonization – you can inject CO2 in the beer just before bottling. All you need is a CO2 source (I used a CO2 fire extinguisher with a pressure regulator), a contanier that will hold a couple of pounds of pressure and very cold beer. At less than 5 psi the CO2 will be absorbed by the beer when it is agitated.
Once you’re at the desired level – bottle – the results are just like comercial beer – because that’s how they do it.