Let it be known that I love saving money! I live on hand-me-downs, enjoy making do with what’s on hand and thrive on a good deal. So, of course, those were my strategies when outfitting my first apartment. However, I quickly learned that there are 5 apartment items that I should not have skimped on.
1. Kitchen Garbage Can
Get a large garbage can for the kitchen. I made the mistake of buying a cheap, small one and it filled up really quickly. Also, it didn’t have a lid that closed tightly. Within a couple of weeks I had to buy a bigger and better one, with a lid and a foot pedal to allow hands free opening.
Here’s something similar to what I purchased. It also comes in white.
simplehuman Slim Plastic Step Trash Can
2. Vacuum
I got a small inexpensive hand vacuum, thinking that it was perfect for my small apartment. Turns out, I was very wrong. First of all, we had a slight bug problem, so we used the vacuum all the time to ensure the apartment was spotless. But because it was a hand vacuum, we had to crouch down to use it making it literally a pain to clean with. Second, both my roommate and I have long hair that seems to shed everywhere. Our hair kept clogging the vacuum bristles and each time we used it we had to cut the hair out of the bristles with scissors. Basically, our vacuum was the worst.
After some research, here is the type of vacuum I should have bought. It’s bagless so you never have to change another vacuum cleaner bag and it’s slim enough to fit in the back of our closet.
Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum
3. Blinds
My roommate and I bought cheap blinds. They worked for perfectly for a while, but then the tilt wands fell off and the blinds started to look dingy.
One of my friends bought these blinds and I love them. They are so easy to install without any tools and simple to use, plus they look much better than my cheap ones.
Cordless Honeycomb Cellular Shade
4. Dresser
I got a lovely dresser for a steal at yard sale. It’s exactly my aesthetic (mid-century modern), BUT not practical for my clothing needs. The drawers are too small and it has never had enough room for my clothes, which means that I have a large pile sitting on a chair in my room. My roommate, on the other hand, bought a large white cabinet from IKEA. It might not be mid-century modern, but her room does not have piles of clothes on all chairs, either.
I covet her dresser. Here it is
5. Plunger.
Trust me, when you need a plunger, the small one that was free with a trash can does not work. Go all out and buy the $20 plunger, you’ll be grateful every time you need it.
This is similar to the plunger that my super suggested I purchase.
Heavy Duty All-Angle Power Toilet Plunger
Also check out my fellow blogger Chloe’s tips on best apartment cleaning tool.
*This is not a sponsored post.
