I am sharing 15 essential household items you may not realize are important. Since we have lived with family for the last year while all of our belongings were in storage, we had to take one too many trips to the store for essentials we could not find or lost in the move. From a trash can to a scrub brush, from a can opener to a first aid kit, I wish I had thought of these items before we started to unpack our boxes.
We have very nice neighbors who have already helped trim back some bushes and let us borrow a lawnmower. However, no one should bother their neighbors more than once a month for items they might need. Whether you’ve just purchased your first residence or you’re planning to put your belongings in storage while you house hunt, make sure you have these essential household items before settling in to your new place.
Trash Bags
Grab a variety of trash bag sizes – kitchen, heavy duty, etc. We had to throw away so many boxes and pieces of tape when we finally unpacked. We also purged our clothing and bagged up donations for the local Goodwill.
Tape measure
It is unbelievable how many times I’ve used a tape measure since moving into our house – whether its hanging pictures or writing down dimensions for an area rug, my trusty tape measure has been there every step of the way.
Shower Liner
Hopefully you threw out all of your old shower liners because… gross. I picked up our shower liners during Amazon Prime Day, but I buy this one for all of our showers.
Toilet brush and bowl cleaner
Just one of those cleaning items you never want to be without – grab a toilet plunger and toilet bowl brush combo for $20.
Broom with dust pan
Not every mess requires a vacuum cleaner, so pick up an inexpensive broom and a dust pan for the crumbs and dust bunnies. This broom and dustpan is only $11 and we use it all the time!
Can Opener/Kitchen Must-Haves
We could not find our can opener while unpacking and the first night I decided to cook dinner in the house required one. When I finally discovered our can opener in a random box, it was rusted! I’m glad we grabbed a new can opener – it was under $5. Think about what you may need immediately – vegetable peeler, wine opener, spatula.
Trash Cans
Before you set up your local trash service, you’re going to need somewhere to stick all those garbage bags. We bought a large trash bin from Walmart, but also an amazing automatic trash can for our kitchen. They sell them at Costco for half the price too.
Vacuum
A vacuum is a must-have in any household, but we accidentally left ours in Georgia when we moved so I had to rush out to buy another. THIS is my favorite vacuum ever for homes with hard floors and carpets.
First Aid Kit
A first air kit is one of the most important essential household items on my list. My husband sliced his finger open while going through one of our boxes and it bled for a solid hour. Then I burned my arm taking something out of the oven the first night we cooked. Make sure you have all the good stuff for any instances.
Heavy Duty Scissors
You’re going to want a pair of scissors cut anything. These are the BEST kitchen scissors we have ever owned – I highly recommend a pair!
Modem/Router
After way too many years of money spent, we discovered it is much cheaper to purchase a modem instead of rent from the internet company. I recommend the Netgear Wifi Cable Modem
Tool Set
You’re going to need all kinds of tools to put together furniture, hang photos, etc. Grab yourself a tool kit that has all of the essentials. This 129 piece tool set is only $40 and perfect for new homeowners.
Extension Cords and Power Strips
If you have an older home, you may discover a lack of electrical outlets. If you can install more electrical outlets then you have – you’re awesome. But if you’re not an electrician, make sure you have extension cords and power strips handy. This extension cord is $3!
Bleach and Scrub Brush
You can use bleach for EVERYTHING – cleaning your grout, making white sheets whiter, removing mold/mildew, the list goes on. Get yourself a giant bottle and disinfect everything – even a new house that’s been cleaned can be dirty. THIS scrub brush is AMAZING! Or grab this pack of 3 scrub brushes in a variety of sizes.
Hamper
We used our plastic hampers and nice clothes baskets during our move, so I snagged this double pack of cheap ones for our dirty clothes until we emptied everything out.
BONUS: Celebration Drinks!! For me, it’s Rosè all day! Personal Wine is an amazing shop where you can create personalized labels for your bottles. (One of the best essential household items)
Don’t forget to make sure you have all the necessary items for survival as you move into your new house – food, toilet paper, alcohol, pillows, etc. Good luck on your new adventure!
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Great list! If I might add: pack one box with sheets and towels and take it with you in your car (not the moving truck). No matter what happens, you’ll need that stuff on the first night, even if you don’t unpack anything else!
Moving is the pits, but I’m kind of an expert. We’ve moved three times in the last 7 years!
What a great tip! I might have to add this!
Awesome post!!! Thank you!
Love that you found this helpful!
Yea, my fiance and I definitely needed to run out and get a bunch of things when we first moved in too.
(We also bought our own router. 1. Because we wanted a really good one and 2. Now we don’t pay any taxes on our bill because since we just go Internet and no cable they can’t charge us tax on just internet. If you get a router and modem through the company THEN they can tax you on those. So saves quite a bit over time
http://www.closet-fashionista.com/
I NEVER KNEW THIS ABOUT THE TAX! Thanks for sharing!!
Love this post, it’s so true!! There’s so much stuff in here I did not buy when I moved – and didn’t even realize until after we needed it (like a first aid kit…yikes). Thank you so much for the list!
Yes yes yes to shower curtain liners! Ha. With every move, I end up going to Home Depot or BB&B a million times before feeling settled. Good list. And I love that carpet!!
Moving is always such a challenge! Of course it would make so much more sense if we could purge before we boxed everything up and moved it, but it never does seem to work like that right?
https://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/
Moving is always such a challenge! Of course it would make so much more sense if we could purge before we boxed everything up and moved it, but it never does seem to work like that right?
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https://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/
Moving is always such a challenge! Of course it would make so much more sense if we could purge before we boxed everything up and moved it, but it never does seem to work like that right?
Moving is always such a challenge! Of course it would make so much more sense if we could purge before we boxed everything up and moved it, but it never does seem to work like that right?
…..
Love this list! And love the personalized wine. Such a cute idea!
Thank you for sharing! This is such a great post; I may need to bookmark this for when we plan to move in a few years!
Great list! Def needed! Thanks for sharing!
-Samary
http://www.path2purpose.life
I think here is so much stuff in here I did not buy when I moved – and didn’t even realize until after we needed it (like a first aid kit…yikes). Thank you so much for the list!