Moving into your first college apartment is a huge step! It’s exciting, a little daunting, and definitely requires some planning. To make sure you don’t forget anything essential (or overpack unnecessary items), a solid packing list is your best friend. This College Apartment Packing List is designed to help you navigate the transition smoothly, ensuring you have everything you need to create a comfortable and functional living space. Let’s dive in and get you organized!
New Items for Rooms
The biggest adjustment to apartment living is furnishing more than just our bedrooms. Since we’ll be cooking most of our meals, we need the right kitchen essentials—cookware, dinnerware, and cleaning supplies. Many college students don’t realize how important potholders are until they bake something and struggle to take it out of the oven.
If you have a roommate, coordinate your shopping list to avoid unnecessary duplicates. For our kitchen, I brought dinnerware, pots and pans, cooking utensils, potholders, and kitchen towels. My roommate took care of the coffee maker, toaster, blender, plates, bowls, and drinks.
With private or semi-private bathrooms, you can finally say goodbye to dorm bathroom slippers—but you’ll also lose the cleaning service that restocked toilet paper and hand soap. If this is your first apartment, you might not realize you’ll need to supply essentials like a shower curtain and curtain rings.
Fortunately, I rented a furnished apartment, but we still made a detailed list of what was included to see if we needed extras like window blinds, lamps, a microwave, or tables and chairs. Since we won’t have built-in closets, it’s also important to think ahead about often-overlooked essentials like light bulbs and batteries.
Items for Your Peace of Mind
Not wanting to live in a mess, I put together a basic cleaning kit. I figured having the supplies on hand might encourage me to use them at least once or twice during the school year. Since I’m not a fan of cleaning, I kept it simple—just a light vacuum, a mop with extra pads, disinfecting wipes, toilet bowl cleaner, and a duster.
I also invested in an affordable, compact all-in-one printer so I could easily print assignments at home—especially when finishing them in the middle of the night—rather than trekking across campus to a computer lab or library. Plus, when I need to review a document with someone (like a lease, study abroad agreement, or scholarship application), I can quickly scan and email it instead of snapping pictures of each page and sending them one by one, like we did last year.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, utilizing a printable college apartment packing list is an invaluable tool for a successful and stress-free move. By carefully considering each category and tailoring the list to your specific needs, you can ensure you arrive with everything necessary to create a comfortable and functional living space.
