They will be renting, so by law, their new home will have a smoke detector and a CO detector. Dish rack, broom, & mop will certainly come in handy, though! Duct tape and pizza cutter added to my list. They also have two kitties, so I’ll pick up some litter, dry food, and a gift certificate for annual shots at my vet.
ETA: They lived with me when they acquired the kitties. I already took care of spaying and neutering. And DaNiece is on birth control. So the Big Important Shit is covered.
Fire extinguisher, always good to have. Two? Even better!
My standard housewarming gift package always included a good toilet plunger (not a sink plunger). One of those things that people never think about but when you need one you tend to need it OMG RIGHT NOW.
A home repair book.
Contribute something for their first dinner together in their new place; whether it’s a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses to go with their pizza delivery, or a card table and a couple of folding chairs (if they are short on furniture) so they don’t have to eat sitting on the floor with a cardboard box covered in an old towel (I know I wasn’t the only one who had that experience!).
Ooh, fire extinguisher! Thanks for reminding me! That sounds like an excellent thing for my brother to get, and I know he’ll add a dead president or two. (He doesn’t mind “just” giving money, but he likes to wrap with something practical, meaningful, or funny. Uncle B might even spring for extinguishers for the house and each car. I gave DaNiece my old van, and it’s perfectly sound AFAIK, but I’d feel better if she had a new extinguisher just in case.)
You can never have enough scissors. Also a flashlight or three with batteries. Give them a variety of tape (Duct tape, electical tape, packing tape, regular scotch tape). It’s also useful to have one of those lighter things so you’re not hunting for matches. I also like the idea of a hand-crank radio/TV/light (they make a lot of them that are invaluable in a power outage).
The biggest thing here will be that my little newlyweds will be living within five miles of me. I’ll be on hand for any major stuff, or even minor crap like “hungry and need to do laundry.” They know they’re always welcome to come eat dinner and wash clothes, and I pay cash for babysitting, or I can usually devise some barter for immediate needs. Both kids come from really dysfunctional backgrounds, and I’dlike to help them feel like they’re managing with only a little help.
One of the best things I own is a little skil cordless screwdriver. It has made short work of many, many, many Ikea purchases.
Auntie Pam, thank you for the suggestion of cards and stamps. That’s certainly one of those things that divide the kids from the grown-ups - sending a card of one’s own. Even at my advanced age, I sometimes feel like a real adult when I send a card instead of just signing one from my mom!
Oh yes! A powder extinguisher and a CO2 extinguisher. And a fire blanket.
A small toolbox, full of a quality brand of small tools, for under the kitchen sink. Even though they’ll be renting, a tape measure, a small set of wrenches, needle nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, small nails/tacks, and a hammer will come in handy, at some point. Oh, and throw in a set of those tiny screwdrivers, as well. VERY handy!
Years ago in our 20’s my friends were the first ones to buy a house. Her Grandfather gave as a housewarming gift, a few old coffee cans of nuts and bolts and screws and nails.
At first we were like WTF? After a few months my friend said to me it was brilliant.
My $0.02 is a $39.99 tool kit with screw drivers, pliars, adjustable wrench and the ilk. Maybe even the 101 how to fix anything type books too.
Boy I’ve suddenly got memories of a single chair in the living room and 1 pot and 1 frying pan and lots of empty cupboards…
Since they’re renting, I’d suggest a supply of those 3M Contact adhesive hooks that can be removed without damaging the wall. Saves on hole patching when they move.
Question for those who might know: would a veterinarian face privacy concerns if, say, I gave the kids a certificate for annual shots and a checkup, and asked to be notified that some health concern came up that the kids need help paying for? I’d much rather be billed for the kitty’s uti meds than have the kids worry about buying groceries or pay for treatment. And I certainly don’t want the kids or kitties to do without if I can intervene!
I was just sorting through household stuff in preparation for packing, and found some good stuff from my stash to add to the kids’: DaNiece works as a waitress, and is prone to hurting herself in stupid ways (it’s a hereditary thing,) so I added a new Ace bandage, a new inexpensive knee brace, and some pain meds. Plus some athletes foot cream. I buy school supplies in bulk when they’re on sale, so I raided that stash for ink pens, cello tape, pencils, and a couple of notebooks. And I raided the personal care shelf for toothpaste and toothbrushes,shampoo, body wash, hand soap, cold medicine, allergy medicine, and Pepto Bismol tablets.
I was also wrapping Christmas gifts that I already have, to make them easier to move, and found a small battery powered clock in my stash of spare/emergency tchochkies, and wrapped that for them. I figure a spare alarm clock is always a good idea, and I was pretty proud of myself for remembering to stash the right size and number of batteries inside the package!
I just did this for a good friend of mine. She loves it and has been a big help for her (or me when I happen to be visiting and something needs fixed).
Will they have a washer/dryer in their apartment or have to use a coin-op? If they have to use a coin-op, a couple of rolls of quarters will be appreciated.
Also:
Saran wrap
aluminum foil
zip top bags in sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes
a 13-gallon kitchen trash can and bags
a couple of waste cans for bathrooms and bedrooms
plunger
toilet brush
cleaning supplies
paper towels
toilet paper
food storage containers
swiffer and swiffer pads/dusters
toaster
pasta pot (really big tall pot) also good for stock
colander/strainer
vacuum cleaner
silverware
cooking utensils
good quality pots and pans
dishtowels
potholders
kitchen sponges
antibacterial cleaning wipes
a good quality chef’s knife, boning knife and paring knife
No. I’ve paid for other people’s vet bills before, just calling up and giving them my credit card info.
My mom has gone and picked up pills for my dog lots of times. Also she has taken the dog in for treatment before too (I left her with mom and she had fleas. Oops!)
Not just for housewarming, my mother has done this for WEDDING gifts.
By the time you add up measuring cups, measuring spoons, a small hand mixer(either electric or not), a wire whip, a couple of spatulas and spoons…
Just look around your kitchen and think of all the doodads that are small by themselves, but will add up and are so useful.
In a house rather than an apartment there is the garden stuff - hose, sprinkler, rake.
A friend of mine is getting divorced and I went to lunch with him. He said he is so tired of the constant $100 trips to Target for “I need a hose” “I need a toilet brush” “I need a spatula”
I had someone do this for me at my bridal shower, a bunch of cleaning supplies packed into a new trash can. I thought it was a great idea!