If all goes well I'll be moving out on my own for the first time this fall, so I've been trying to figure out worthwhile appliances and such to set my sights on. So far I've got:
- Rice cooker for easy cheap meals
- Cold brew maker (I do be drinking it almost daily)
- Sparkling water maker (any non-sodastream recommendations?)
Doesn't have to be kitchen stuff or even an appliance like the stuff above—anything helpful (and general advice) is good!
Some bleach-based tile cleaner that you use on the shower to combat mold. Careful with the noxious fumes, but it will make your bathroom way less gross.
Drain cleaner for opening up any clogs. This is theoretically the landlord's responsiblity, but in practice they don't care. And don't pour grease down drains, like, at all.
If you have a dishwasher, use dishwasher detergent powder, and rinse aid. Actually fill the prewash and the little door that holds the detergent. Actually look up how your dishwasher is supposed to be used, a lot of people just throw pods in and wonder why stuff isn't getting clean.
Keep a small pharmacy of painkillers, allergy medications, bandages, etc.
Just generally buy generics of everything I posted about, all the ingredients are the same.
Someone else mentioned light bulbs, and I would emphasize to actually pay attention to the color of the bulb. So many people have rooms with daylight and warm bulbs in the same space clashing with each other.
Also, periodically clean the filters in your dish washer.