The Only Apartment Essentials You Actually Need (2026)

I remember standing in my first apartment thinking “what the hell do I actually need?”

The place was empty. Echoey. Smelled like the previous tenant’s cooking. I had a list in my phone that was like three pages long because I’d been adding stuff for weeks. Towels. Plates. A couch. Curtains. A thing to hold toilet paper. It never ended.

So I went to the store and bought a bunch of stuff. Wasted so much money on things I never used. That knife block with like fifteen knives? I use one. The fancy salad spinner? Used it once. The extra set of sheets “just in case”? Still in the package somewhere.

Let me save you from doing the same thing.

Start With Your Bed. Seriously

You’re going to spend like a third of your life in here. More if you’re anything like I was at that age. Don’t cheap out on the stuff that affects your sleep.

• Get a mattress that doesn’t kill your back: I don’t care if it’s from a fancy brand or if you get one off Amazon for a few hundred bucks. Just make sure it’s comfortable. And please don’t take someone’s old mattress just because it’s free. There’s probably a reason they’re giving it away. Stains. Smells. Weird lumps. Just get a new one.
• Sheets that actually fit: Nothing worse than wrestling with fitted sheets at 1am when you’re already exhausted. Get one decent set. Cotton is fine. You don’t need the super expensive stuff.
• A pillow that works for how you sleep: This took me years to figure out. I’m a side sleeper. I need a thick, firm pillow or my neck hurts all day. My girlfriend sleeps on her back and needs something flat. Figure out what you need.
• Something under the mattress: Even a cheap metal frame from Amazon for like fifty bucks. Keeps air flowing so stuff doesn’t get musty. Keeps dust from building up. Makes the room actually look like a bedroom instead of a college dorm floor situation.

That’s literally it for the bedroom. The decorative pillows? The extra blankets? The fancy bed frame with the storage underneath? Buy that later if you actually want it.

The Kitchen: Keep It Simple Stupid

Here’s the truth. You’re going to eat a lot of takeout that first month. I did. Everyone does. You’re busy. You’re tired. You don’t feel like cooking. That’s fine.

But eventually you’ll want to make something at midnight and you’ll need the basics.

• One frying pan. One pot: That’s all you need to start. Get a medium nonstick pan for eggs and grilled cheese. Get a medium pot for noodles or soup or whatever. You don’t need a whole set of fancy cookware.
• One knife that’s actually sharp: Those block sets with twelve knives are a total waste. You’ll use one of them. Spend like thirty bucks on a decent chef’s knife and call it done. Keep it sharp. Makes cooking way less annoying.
• Spatula and a big spoon: Two things. You’re set. You don’t need the whole drawer full of gadgets.
• Four plates. Four bowls. Four forks. Four spoons: This is the perfect number for a first apartment. You can have people over without eating in shifts. And you can’t let dishes pile up for a week because you only own two plates. Four forces you to wash them every couple days.
• Something to cut on: A cutting board. Don’t use your counters. You’ll mess them up.
• Can opener: Buy one. You’ll need it at like 11pm some night and be really glad you have it.

Everything else in the kitchen? The air fryer everyone talks about. The blender. The instapot. The fancy mixer. Wait and see what you actually cook first. I bought an air fryer and used it twice.

The Bathroom: It’s Probably Tiny

Most first apartments have bathrooms the size of a closet. You can’t stuff much in there.

• Shower curtain AND liner: Two separate things. The clear plastic liner goes inside the tub. The fabric curtain stays outside looking nice. Don’t forget the rings. I did that once and used twist ties for like a week. Not my finest moment.
• Bath mat: Stepping out of the shower onto cold wet tile is genuinely terrible. A ten dollar rug fixes this forever.
• Small rug for the sink area: Makes the space feel less like a public bathroom and more like home.
• Something to hold your shampoo and stuff: A shower caddy or a little shelf. Keeps all your bottles from taking over the tub edge and falling constantly.
• Plunger: Buy it now. Not when you need it. You know what I mean. Just buy it.

The Living Room: You Need Somewhere to Sit

This is where people go absolutely crazy spending money they don’t have. They see a big couch and think they need it immediately.

• Something to sit on: If you can afford a small comfortable couch, great. If not? Floor cushions work. A sturdy chair works. I used a camping chair for like three months in my first place. It was ugly as hell but I sat in it and it worked fine.
• Something to put stuff on: A small table. Even a folding one. Somewhere to eat dinner. Somewhere to put your laptop. You don’t need separate dining and working areas in a first apartment. There’s not enough room anyway.
• Lighting that doesn’t suck: Apartment ceiling lights are almost always terrible. Harsh and ugly and make everything look weird. Get a cheap floor lamp or a couple desk lamps from Target. Changes the whole vibe of your place instantly. This is the cheapest way to make your apartment feel like home.

The Boring Stuff: Cleaning Supplies

Nobody warns you about this part. You move in, everything’s exciting, then you spill something and realize you own nothing to clean it with.

• Vacuum or broom: Whatever your floors need. Carpets need a vacuum. Hard floors need a broom.
• One all-purpose cleaner: Cleans everything. Counters, tables, bathroom sinks, spills. One bottle is plenty.
• Microfiber cloths: Buy a pack. They’re cheap, you can wash them and reuse them, they work better than paper towels for almost everything.
• Trash bags and dish soap: Sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people forget these and end up washing dishes with hand soap.

Here’s What Nobody Tells You

You’re going to end up with more stuff than you planned. It just happens. Family gives you things. You find stuff on sale. You inherit random items from people.

Suddenly your small apartment feels really small.

Maybe it’s your winter clothes in July. Maybe it’s the bike you ride sometimes. Maybe it’s boxes of books you can’t get rid of. Maybe it’s sports equipment you use twice a year. This stuff doesn’t have to live in your living space, taking up room and making you crazy.

This is actually where we come in. At I-10 MINI STORAGE, we help people just like you make room in their actual apartment. You don’t have to choose between keeping your stuff and having space to walk around. A small storage unit holds everything you don’t need every day.

Your apartment stays clean and comfortable. Your stuff stays safe and dry. You don’t have to throw away things you might need later just because you don’t have room right now.

We’ve helped tons of people in your exact situation. Young professionals just starting out. College kids storing stuff over summer. People between apartments. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it makes apartment life actually enjoyable instead of feeling like you’re living in a crowded storage locker.

The Best Advice Someone Gave Me

My older brother told me this before my first place and it saved me so much money.

Live in it empty for two weeks.

Seriously. Move in with just the basics. Mattress. Some kitchen stuff. A place to sit. That’s it. Live there for two weeks. See how you actually use the space. Figure out where the sun hits in the morning. Notice what you actually need versus what just looks good in a store ad.

After two weeks, you’ll know. You’ll know if you need a bigger table. You’ll know if that corner can fit a bookshelf. You’ll know what matters for your actual life.

The stores will still be there. The sales will still happen. But you won’t waste money on stuff that doesn’t work for how you actually live.

Your first apartment should feel like yours. Not like a furniture showroom. Not like a crowded storage unit. Somewhere you actually want to be.

Start with what you need. Figure out the rest as you go. And if the stuff starts piling up and making your space feel cramped, you know where to find us. We’re here when you need us.