Advice Needed: Moving Into a New Place With Nothing

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m not sure if this is an IMHO thread or an MPSIMS thread… feel free to relocate it if I have it in the wrong forum

Sometime in the next week or two, I will be moving into my very first apartment and I literally own nothing more than two suitcases of clothes, a couple books, a cardboard box, and various miscellaneous items that will be of no use whatsoever in helping me live. The apartment is completely bare as well. It doesn’t even have so much as a chair for me to sit in.

Can anyone give me some tips and suggestions as to what I will need (assume I’m retarded and list everything… I might forget even the most basic thing) and how I could go about getting this stuff cheap? I’ve already checked out the local Goodwill store for some stopgap furniture and dishes but am not sure what all else I will need as well.

In addition, please feel free to give me advice on how to live frugally, clean up around the place, cook, and anything else domestic you want to share. This will be my first time living alone and I will need every bit of advice I can get.

Thanks.

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Firstly, good luck to you! It’s scary to start all over.

Second, when I relocated from NWT to Alberta, I left behind all of my furniture and had to start from scratch. The first thing I bought was an inflatable bed. I slowly bought other things I needed, but the first things were a bed for my son, a kitchen table and chairs, and coffee maker.

Goodwill is great. Use it to your advantage. Off the top of my head, you’re going to need:

Dishes (plates, bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery)
Pots & pans
Utensils - spatula, wooden spoon, ladle, whisk (if you cook at all), CAN OPENER, a couple of good knives
Dish cloths and towels
Towels
Sheets
Blankets

Furniture: Bed, table and chairs (which can double as a computer desk if needed), some kind of couch or comfy chairs. Maybe a tv and vcr/dvd player.

You should be able to get everything at a thrift. You and Gr8 can go on excursions to other towns if you can’t find all you need in your local thrift.

Have fun with it! Don’t worry about everything coordinating. I was lucky that I had the money to buy the things I needed in the colours that I wanted. This may not be the case with you.

Again, good luck!

3

Forget dining room stuff. Use the space for something else.
Get a couch and a coffee table. Couch is useful for tv watching, reading, sleeping, having a friend or two over. Eat off of the coffee table.

Buy all sorts of canned and bagged non refrigerated foods. Pastas, rice, beans, vegies, sauces, soups.

Microwave and toaster oven.

Ice trays.

Towells. Gonna need some good ones.

Laundery baskets.

Those stackable plastic boxes are useful for all sorts of storage in addition to being a sort of furniture substitute.

Oh yeah, a phone.

4

Oh yeah-

Broom and dustpan
bathroom cleaner
cleaning sponges or rags
Don’t let yourself get trapped into eating only convenience foods. If you can’t cook, learn how! I can’t stress this enough. It sort of sucks having only yourself to cook for, but if you learn to cook a few simple things, you can freeze leftovers so you’ve always got something ready just to heat up. You don’t necessarily need a microwave for that, although it’s a nice thing to have. You can buy a new one for sometimes less than $50 now.

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A loaf of bread; peanut butter; jelly; honey (depending on preferences, of course).

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If you require coffee in the mornings make sure that’s taken care of before bed the first night.

Smoke alarms are nice to have, and maybe a fire extinguisher.

Personally, I love shopping at Goodwill for housewares. All my dishes and silverware are mismatched and that’s how I like it. Every piece is unique and interesting.

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Ging, I wasn’t slamming you. I didn’t see your post while I was posting.

As a young bach, my dining room table and chairs became clothes hangers and a catch all for misc junk. Having a kid makes a big diff, I would think…

i have two large desks now, a couple of couches, an easy chair, some other non easy chairs, and a slew of small tables (nightstands, end tables, coffee table, etc…)

I never use a bed, either. I sleep on the floor on a mat.

Oh yeah, I have a huge hammock set up in one room. Get a hammock!

Apts rarely have enough light. A floor lamp puts out a lot of light.

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No offense taken. I didn’t see yours!

9

Ikea, homes. Ikea kicks ass.

Bookshelves: 60-some-odd.
6-drawer dresser: about the same.
3-drawer dresser- in the 40-range.

I make a decent amount of money, but I’ve got nobody to impress and clothes that need storing, and Ikea does just fine.

I’m 29 (30 on August 28th), and have been living alone since fifteen. So let me give you for free the things I learned the hard way.

  1. Costco. In 3 trips you make up the 50 bucks you spent on the membership. If there’s no Costco, you’d be amazed at how much you can save by buying off-brands. And dented cans don’t dent what’s inside, but the price sure goes down. If you have to stop to think about whether or not you need it, then you don’t need it.

  2. The most important: Open an ING account or an account at a savings bank. Put a set amount of money (for me it’s a couple hundred, but it can be anything to start) into that account and don’t touch it. Make it ING if you can, but make it somewhere that you can’t get at the money easily. Because a 20 in your pocket gets spent, but a 20 you never had earns interest. And you’ll never miss it. The incidental crap you can do without could be earning interest for you. DO it. Savings means you can get credit, a job, an apartment, a break on bail, etc. Honestly, every “crisis” that cost 20 bucks, I lived through, and the fact that I couldn’t get at my savings immediately meant that I still have it today.

  3. Be a host when it’s party time. Friends bring beer, food, etc. And they’re more than happy to do it when they know that you’re struggling. When I was in the Bronx, I would throw the party, and whatever was left over was mine. It’s a decent arrangement, and one that kept me fed some weeks when the student loans and utilities all came due.

  4. Be fiscally disciplined. That extra 20 bucks you spend for the extra movie channels is $1040.00 a year. Add that to the 20 bucks you were saving in your account, and you’re doing OK. Don’t spend when you don’t have to. Even Bud light in the cans vs. Grolsch in the bottles saves you about 300 bucks a year.

  5. Put aside the money for your quantifiable expenses FIRST. That way you won’t have to scramble to dig change out of your couch later. For example, my cable bill is the same every month, and I have to pay it on the 14th. So I write the check on the 10th. My checkbook thinks the money is gone, and I’ve already planned for it. So I don’t get in a hole. If my checkbook balance goes into the red, the fear keeps me honest, and I actually end up saving more.

  6. There’s no fun to be had going out that can’t be replicated by staying in. If you don’t believe me, try playing “Drunk Trivial Pursuit” or “Drunk Monopoly.” The purpose of socializing is interaction. And that doesn’t have to cost money. No real friend will hold budget constraints against you.

Mind you, I’m not saying “Be a cheapskate.” If a bunch of your pals are going out, budget up for it and go with (If you know about it weeks in advance, eat ramen for a few weeks. The memories of the fun beat the eating of the ramen). But learn to recognize what’s frivolous and what’s not. Fun does not equal money, and durability beats brand recognition. Especially now.

I guess the meat of my post is this: Assess your needs and meet them. Then save some set amount that is inviolable. The rest is fun money, and don’t be afraid to treat it as such. Too many diets or “life philosophies” are broken by some stupid need to be ultra-disciplined. This is your life. You don’t get to carry over anything extra. So maintain first, save second, play third. Anything left over, save more. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment the likes of which you will not believe.

If you’re better this month than you were last month, you are succeeding.

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Oh, by the way:

Consolidate your loans.

One minimum payment from one company (consolidating, say, three loans) is often better than three minimum payments. You save on per-check charges, plus, there’s only one payment per month to make. This is, of course, presupposing that you get a good deal on the consolidation and don’t take any credit increases.

You don’t neeed any credit increases. Reject them all.

Best thing I ever did was consolidate and rip up aything that had “pre” in it anywhere. If I’m OK in the “pre,” I’ll do just fine in the “post,” thank you very much.

Nobody OFFERS you more credit, they’re SELLING it to you. ANd oyu don’t need anything so bad that it can’t wait.

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You’ve received good advice so far.

At one point in our marriage younger son and I set up a separate apartment in a different city for a few months. I learned a couple of things. We could get by with less than we’d thought and second hand isn’t always cheapest. While Goodwill and other second hand or thift shop options can be great, be a smart shopper. Know what an item is worth before plopping down your cash for something used when you might be able to get new or more for much less.

When setting up our little temporary apartment, I went first to Goodwill and the thrift shops my family had frequented when I was young. I realized rather quickly that with household kitchen items like dishes, pans, flatware and small appliances the Walmart was cheaper than the thrift shop. They wanted three dollars for one little pot without a lid and with loose handles and I could get a set with three sizes of pots, and a small skillet all with lids for $9.99 at the Walmart. By the same token, breakfast tables at the Walmart were at least $99. and we found a good little table for $20. at a yard sale. A new lamp at the Walmart was the same as a used lamp at the thrift shop. :dubious:

I found that yard sales were better for furniture and the thift shops were good for second hand clothes.

Oh and don’t forget to get yourself a good alarm clock.

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If you have access to a library, look for a copy of “The Complete Tightwad Gazette” by Amy Dacyczyn. Not only is it chock-full of advice about every aspect of miserly behavior, it also delivers a rational philosophy about how to live in a society that wants you to go into debt, and how it tempts you into buying all kinds of things you may not need. A lot of the tips you won’t need – she developed these techniques raising five kids! – but the idea is that you’ll find something worthwhile that applies to you, and since you’re starting early in life, you can avoid the mistakes a lot of us make (such as not investing for your retirement NOW, so that compound interest can take over for the long haul).

Anyway, I recommend an air bed. I used one for six months of daily use while I was moving north, and we still have it for occasional use. It’s a lot more comfortable than the camp bed I bought at Wal-Mart (which fell apart in less than a month).

Cooking: Obviously, the lower you eat on the food chain, the cheaper. That means no fast-food and as little frozen food as possible. If you can make bread dough, you can make pizza with canned pizza sauce, shred-your-own mozzarella and cut-your-own pepperoni.

Canned soups taste much better these days.

I’m not sure where you live, so I’m not sure how effective coupon clipping will be. In my family of five, saving coupons and using them can have a dramatic effect on the food bill.

As for decor, check out the decorating magazines from the library. See what appeals to you. Trust your judgment. Do you like contemporary? Country? Craftsman? Heavy furniture or bamboo? This will give you an idea of how to decorate, but take it slow. Yard sales, Goodwill, even stuff left by the side of the road are all valuable sources. Our house has the following: bamboo resort furniture, inherited pieces, a hardwood dining table bought from the local furniture maker, a desk which is a door to which legs were attached, an end table left by the road . . . you get the picture.

In general, take it slow, try new things and if you don’t like it, toss it! This is a period in which you’re going to discover what kind of space you’d like to live in, so don’t be afraid to backtrack and try again. If you keep pushing, you’ll find your comfort level.

Good luck.

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Thanks for the suggestions everyone… I’m finding them very helpful. Please keep them coming.

One thing, though… can someone break down the credit issue for me? I’ve been told repeatedly that I need it to get anywhere but if I am reading previous posts right, I don’t neccesarily. Which is it? If I’m reading the post wrong and I do, can someone tell me how to go about establishing safe and smart lines of credit?

I really feel in over my head here.

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Two words: Salvation Army.

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I seem to remember that you live in or near Salem, Oregon. If so, I do, too, and I may have some stuff you can have–my e-mail is in my profile. Seriously, it’s going to Goodwill, so let’s just cut out the middle man.

I also recommend you check out The Dollar Store. You will be able to get any number of useful stuff–plastic containers, a can opener, sponges, cleaning supplies, etc.–for a dollar each (hence, the name). :wink:

Other stuff to get if you are going to do any cooking:

A good frying pan (saute pan, skillet or whatever). I like one with straight sides, because then I can use it for almost everything. Which means

I only need one other good pan/pot. Something to steam veggies in or heat up the soup. I’ve always cooked and I did fine with just these two pans for quite a while.

A good kitchen knife. If you can spend some money on this, it’s worth it. I managed with a good (a very good) paring (sometimes called a utility knife) knife plus a cheap bread knife, but a good paring knife and a good chef’s knife (8 inch) is better.

A George Foreman grill. I love this little guy.

A one cup measuring cup.

Wooded spoons and/or plastic spatula.

Other things good to have:

Pillows, in all sizes and shapes–increases the seating capacity of any room.

Beanbag chairs are more comfortable than ever before. And can double for a bed if necessary.

Lamps.

A toilet plunger.

A good flashlight.

Boxes, covered by inexpensive tablecloths make fine end tables and nightstands.

A folding card table and at least one folding shair–this can double as a study table, a computer table, a dining table, a place to play cards, etc. Yes, you can always eat at the coffee table while watching TV, but sometimes it feels good to sit at a real table and eat a meal. again, a cheap tablecloth can disguise its true nature. of course, if you find a real dining table, even better.

A vacuum cleaner (one of the things I have that you can have, actually).

Things to hang on the wall. Something to give the apartment a personality.

A hammer, screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers. the landlord/maintanence person won’t always be available (or you may need to do something you don’t want them to know about). And eventually you move up to “some assembly required” furniture anyway.

That’s it for now. Good luck.

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Just saw you’re post about credit. Here’s my take.

You don’t need to get a credit card, but it is very useful if you use it right. And, somewhere down the line you may want to buy a car or a house, and that is usually something you pay off over time, and without a credit history, it can be a hassle.

Get a cedit card (Visa or Mastrcard) with a low spending limit, with the lowest interest rate you can get and no annual fee. If you don’t qualify for one, open an account at a department store or Lowe’s. Some people advise that you never use credit unless you can pay off the whole amount that same month. I’m a bit more lenient, if I can pay it off over two months, I’ll charge it (example–if after paying basic bills (including some into savings), buying food, gas, etc. I usually have 25 dollars left over, I might charge up to 50 dollars). Even today, I try to never let my credit card balance go above what I could pay off in one month (two months after Christmas!).

Not paying the balance off each month won’t raise any red flags in your credit history, as long as you always pay the minimum due. But always pay more than the minimum, so you don’t end up paying heaps extra in interest. Paying some interest is the price of using credit, but let’s be sensible.

One possiblity–if you have a car, get a card and just use it for your gas. That way, the card sees a lot of action (a good thing) and you’re buying something that you would buy even without using credit, so it’s hard to go overboard.

Basically, get one card and use it modestly. And remember, even if they want to raise your limit, it doesn’t mean you have to spend up to that limit.

If you have student loans and you’ve graduated, you want to consolidate the loans into one or two big loans at a lower interest rates.

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Call your friends, family, neighbors, etc. You’d be amazed at how much stuff people have lying around that they’d be happy to get rid of, if not to help you out, then at least just to get rid of it! I was laid-off for about 6 months in 2001 and during that time my live-in GF and I were having major issues. So I moved out as soon as I got a job. In other words, I was ass-broke. But from friends and relatives I got:

  1. A loveseat with a “full leg length” ottoman. The loveseat pulled out to make a bed and the ottoman opened up to store lots of stuff.

  2. A George Forman grill - know anyone that got married recently? They probably got 7 of them.

  3. A full solid mahagony bedroom suite from the 1950s. My great-grandmother died a few months before I moved out and this was sitting at her house gathering dust.

  4. A dining room table (also from great-grandmas’).

  5. Two wrought-iron chairs and a table for the patio - not crucial, but hey it only cost me cellphone minutes - my family even delivered them!

  6. A full set of pots and pans - 'cos people upgrade them, yet don’t have the heart to throw them away!

Just remember - think of what you need immediately - like a can opener, shower curtain and toilet paper - and worry about everything else later. I was able to buy the rest of the stuff - bath mats, a matching set of towels, placemats and lots of kitchen stuff that aren’t really “extras” but stuff you can do without until you get a couple of paychecks under your belt… Like a couple of extra knives, a cutting board, a collander, etc.

Oh, and don’t forget to take advantage of “semi-free” stuff. I had a few extra dollars saved so was able to buy a microwave as soon as I moved in. I then bought several frozen dinners - not the cheapest way to go, but they’re easy to make without any utensils and they’re quick if you’ve got a lot of unpacking, hanging pictures, etc. to do - but I forgot to get any eating utensils! So I walked into Wendy’s and picked up a huge handful of forks and spoons. It’s not really “ethical”, but it’s not out and out stealing. Besides, when you’re broke it makes sense to you then. Oh, and my first roll of toilet paper came from TGI Fridays! :smiley: heh.

Lastly, consider slipcovers. Target has them for cheap and if you’re buying a sofa or whatnot from Goodwill you have NO IDEA what’s on those cushions. Plus, slipcovers these days come in a variety of colors and patterns. For a small investment - down the road of course - you can make dissimilar pieces all fit together.

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Ditto Rex’s advice. When I lived alone for the very first time (I’d shared an apartment before and so had some things, but not a whole lot), I got lots of old stuff from my family and our friends. I got my old bed from my parents’ house, pictures and vases and mirrors and such, a nice rug my grandparents had in their attic (we still have that rug, in fact), lamps, a card table and folding chairs, and a couch. Between that and the stuff I already had, it was more than enough to get me started.

My couch was a hideous 70’s burnt-orange plaid, so I got a cheap tan sheet on clearance at KMart and covered it up. (That color went with the rug and the picture I had for over the couch and the armchair I already had, so it worked out well.) I got a tablecloth at Big Lots and put it on the card table. The tablecloth was really oversized, so it covered up the legs and the metal folding chairs. Mom made me a little flower arrangement, and the final effect was pretty nice. I also found that sheets or lengths of cheap fabric draped over a curtain rod made nice valances and gave the room a homey, finished feel.

The stuff I had to buy mostly came from yard sales, the Dollar Store, and Big Lots. My armchair, a really nice little platform rocker, cost me $5 at a yard sale. Most of my kitchen stuff came from Big Lots, as did my coffee/end table set, a lot of my decor, and my shelving unit. I bought my television and stand from an ad in the paper, and I did without a VCR for several months.

The absolute, bare-bones essentials you’ll need to move in:

[ul]
[li]plates–the heavy plastic ones they sell for picnics are really cheap at places like the Dollar Store, and will do to get you started if need be[/li][li]glasses–same as plates, these are a MUCH better value than the disposable ones[/li][li]silverware[/li][li]bowls–you’ll eventually need the mixing/serving size as well as the eating size, but plain old cereal bowls will work for now. They come in plastic just like the plates and cups[/li][li]a skillet[/li][li]a saucepan–this stuff can be bought piecemeal secondhand, but it’s often cheaper to get a set at a discount store. [/li][li]Knives[/li][li]Spatula[/li][li]Something to sleep on–an air mattress or a regular mattress and box springs on the floor can hold you for a long time[/li][li]Something to sit on–you can sit on the bed for a while, but that gets tiresome pretty quickly. [/li][li]a trash can[/li][li]broom and dustpan[/li][li]mop[/li][li]dish detergent, bleach, ammonia, vinegar, and baking soda–you can make just about any cleaning product out of some combination of these ingredients cheaper than you can buy the products. Just remember to never mix bleach and ammonia[/li][li]laundry detergent[/li][li]towels and washcloths[/li][li]dish towels and hotpads–often sold as sets[/li][li]soap, shampoo, and shaving cream[/li][li]toilet paper[/li][li]paper towels–it’s often best not to cheap out on these. The cheap ones don’t absorb well, and buying the half-price ones doesn’t save you any money if you’re using 2-3 times as many of them. [/ul] [/li]
There’s a lot of other stuff you’ll want to get eventually, like a cutting board, pictures, curtains, etc., but that should get you started. You’ll also have to stock your pantry with stuff like salt, pepper, eggs, sugar, flour, etc. pretty quickly if you intend to eat.

Beware of buying in bulk–it’s not always a good deal for someone living alone, or even for a couple. Things like toilet paper and paper towels and cleaning supplies and stuff you go through like crazy, sure. Stuff that will spoil or freezer burn or get stale before you use it, though, is just a waste of money. Be flexible with your meal planning, so you can take advantage of sales and reduced meats and such at the grocery store. Don’t assume coupons are money-savers, because a lot of the time the store brand is cheaper, even with the coupon. Buy cheap meat and prep it yourself. You can generally buy a whole chicken for the price of one pound of boneless, skinless breast.

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Oh, and if you have the money on hand, buy your meat in the “family pack”. It’s usually cheaper per pound, and you can split it up and freeze it.

I’ve also got lots of fast, cheap, easy recipes that are perfectly for the domestically disinclined, if you’d like them.

20

The people who recommended learning to cook (if you don’t know how already) are right on. You can make a few gallons of soup for a few dollars, where a single can of hearty soup might cost you $2 for a single meal at the grocery store. If you can find one good, big soup kettle at a thrift shop, I can send you any number of recipes for easy soups. It pretty much involves throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot and letting it simmer for a while, it goes a long way and it’s much more satisfying than a frozen pizza. :slight_smile: