College apartments provide you with another level of freedom once moving out of college dorms. Creating the perfect home with every necessity you'll need throughout the year can be a challenge. Knowing every item you'll need ahead of time, you can move your focus from purchasing for your home towards enjoying your home.
Large Fan
Most college apartments or houses won't have air conditioning set up for you. If you happen to get A.C. then you're one of the lucky ones. On those unbearably hot days at the beginning or end of the year, a large, reliable fan will come in handy to keep you cool.
Hanging Lights
Whether you prefer warm, twinkly lights or colorful strobe lights, it can make or break a hangout space. Lights hung on the walls can set the tone of a room and when you contribute them to your apartment or house, it can create a welcoming environment with just a few batteries and a press of a button.
Hanging Shoe Organizer
Closet spaces tend to be small and bringing multiple seasons worth of clothes and shoes can be tricky to hang up nice and neatly. Hanging shoe organizers allow you to minimize shoe space while easily seeing what shoe options you have for your next outfit.
Drawer Liners
Drawer space, similar to closet space, can be on the smaller side in college homes. Utilizing drawer liners allows you to optimize your clothes based on the season without leading to you digging through drawers just to find that favorite fall sweater of yours hidden at the very bottom.
Brita
During the first two weeks in college last fall, the water source in my college town had E. Coli in the water. Boiling water was the only way to rid of the bacteria, but using the Brita afterward ensured we had rid of everything in the water while keeping it clean and cold in the fridge. A Brita filter can keep your water clean by ridding of potentially hazardous bacteria in your water.
Drying Rack
Drying your plates and utensils in the sink can become an overcrowded mess. Using a drying rack that's placed over the sink can ease the mess while drying your items quickly. An added bonus is you'll save money on your electricity bill by drying your plates with a dry rack instead of putting them through the dishwasher every time.
Toaster Oven
Warming up your food or cooking individual portions can be made easy with a toaster oven. Toasting or baking, your food can be done quickly without relying on your stovetop or oven to cook every meal.
Fire Stick
a. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu are some of the basic necessities when it comes to TVs in college homes. Most students will choose to opt-out of cable and instead pay for Wi-Fi while using an Amazon Prime Fire Stick to watch shows and movies. On Amazon, you can buy one for only $29.99 or 5 monthly payments of $6.00/month, perfect for college students on a tight budget.
Extension Cord
Multiple people living in one place, charging phones, cooking, and using plug-in electronics can make outlets overcrowded. Using extension cords can allow more items to be plugged in at once, meaning every person is able to charge their phone at the same time, without worry.
Throw Pillows
If friends hang out on the sofas or sleep there overnight, throw pillows quickly become essential. Even if you get some pillows from Walmart, spending a few bucks to get throw pillows can be a home game changer.
Shoe Matt
Heavy snow or sticky mud can accumulate on your shoes in no time. Taking your shoes off and keeping them on a shoe matt when you enter the house can keep the floors clean and reduce the constant need to scrub the floors of messes. Personally, living in New England during the winters, I've found this to be the best option at keeping our heavy snow boots from dragging snow into the house to then leave a wet, melted mess on our hardwood floors.
Speaker
Music can set a great mood amongst friends when spending time in your college apartment or house. Unlike dorms, you won't have a quiet time that requires you to shut off music by a certain hour. Although you must be respectful and ensure your music isn't too loud for neighbors, a good quality speaker can be a great addition to any home and can bring friends together with catchy songs or a steady beat.
Your college apartment has the potential to be a study session in the making or the optimal hangout spot for your friend group. Whatever your ideal college home will be, hopefully, these items can be benefitting to your college home. Get packed, get pumped and get ready to move into your college apartment this upcoming fall!