So you’re living on your own now. OK, maybe you have a roommate or three, but for a lot of students, it’s a big change from living with parents or guardians.
You’ve probably got the gist of it by now: go to class, go to work, come home, eat, sleep. But if you’ve been looking for some extra advice on how to make your life easier, look no further. Here are five essential items for living on your own.
Basic tool kit
This may seem unnecessary if you live in a residence hall or apartment where you’re lucky enough to have a maintenance staff, but it’ll make everyone’s lives easier if you can fix the little stuff on your own.
Say your dresser knob falls off, or you have to change the batteries on your alarm clock. Or perhaps you — hypothetically — want to unscrew the railing from your lofted bed, because you hit your head on it every time you walk underneath. Whatever it may be, having a screwdriver, a hammer and some nails will probably come in handy at some point.
Coffee pot
It’s no wonder why the Starbucks on Indiana Avenue always has a line leading almost out the door — college students love coffee. Whether you just need a cup or two during finals week or coffee courses through your veins, basic pots are usually pretty cheap and could do you some good. And the hot water can be used for making other food and drinks. Legend has it you can make ramen inside the pot itself.
Disinfectant wipes
At some point, you’ve probably heard your residence hall referred to as a “petri dish.” In case you haven’t noticed, when one person in a residence hall gets sick, everyone seems to get sick. A large number of students living in a small space together is basically a breeding ground for disease. A quick wipe down with some disinfectant wipes can help you avoid getting sick without the hassle of deep-cleaning.
Extra set of sheets and blankets
If you like to eat in bed or if someone spills something on your sheets, it can be convenient to have an extra set ready while you run the other through the laundry. You can also use the sheets and blankets to set up a makeshift bed if you have a guest staying over. No one likes to use their own jacket as a blanket.
First Aid Kit
For some, a surprisingly rude awakening about living alone for the first time is not having their parents around when they get sick. If you keep a kit full of some pain relievers and cold medicine, your future snotty, achy self will thank you. Make sure to also keep some bandages and disinfectant, too, because someone is bound to get injured at some point.
