11 MUST-HAVES FOR A COLLEGE GRAD’S FIRST APARTMENT
TO GET PICTURE SHOW TO WORK:
When you're putting together all of your new IKEA furniture, don't use those chintzy hex wrenches that come in the box. You are a grown-up—use this compact cordless PS11-102 drill/driver from Bosch. The head pivots 90 degrees to shimmy into tight spots, and the variable-speed trigger offers a high degree of precision. A pair of LEDs light the way while hanging shelves in the closet. $130 BOSCH
Your first mission as an adult: say goodbye to that nightly pizza delivery and start cooking your own dinner. The first piece of equipment you'll need is a good knife. Victorinox's chef's knife is a sturdy all-around chopper good for every type of kitchen work—from buttering toast to slicing a roast. It ain't fancy, but it's dishwasher safe, will stay sharp forever, and costs only $40. JOSH VALCARCEL/WIRED
You don't want to show up late for your first big job (look at you!), so make your morning routine more efficient with a Nutribullet. Dump in fruit, yogurt, coconut water, hemp protein, whatever. Seconds later, you've got breakfast to go. Get the $90 original model 600. It has 18 and 24-ounce cups, and its 600-watt motor is powerful enough to fully pulverize kale stems. NUTRIBULLET
Depending on what night of the week it is, your downstairs neighbors are either raucously playing Cards Against Humanity or practicing their psy-trance iPad DJ skills. When you need shut-eye, stick these in your earholes. Mack's foam plugsoffer 32db of noise reduction and are super-comfy. A 50-pack is $9, but you can't put a price on a good night's sleep.
That gym membership will seem like a rip-off after you've given yourself an ass-kicking with the TRX Home Kit. Anchor the nylon straps to your bedroom door, then use the resistance of your own body weight against the straps to perform hundreds of exercises. It packs down into a small box; take it on road trips or bring it to the office. $200 TRX TRAINING
Skip the bulky coffee maker and get a Clever Coffee Dripper instead. Slide a paper filter inside, drop in some ground coffee, and pour the hot water in from your kettle. Let it sit for a few minutes, then put the whole assembly on top of your go-mug. The spring-loaded valve on the bottom opens, hot coffee rushes out, and you're ready to hit the streets. $19
The easiest way to improve the ambiance of your cramped studio apartment? Pipe in some hot jams. Sonos is offering $50 off a two-pack of its PLAY:1 wireless speakers for a limited time. Put one by the bed and one in the kitchen. Control the sounds from your phone by queueing up tracks from streaming services, internet radio, or your iTunes library. $350 SONOS
You've cut the apron strings. Now it's time to cut the cord. The Roku 3 set-top box gets you access to Netflix, HBO Go, YouTube, Amazon, and literally thousands of other programming channels. Hook it to any screen with an HDMI port. Bonus: The remote has a headphone jack, so you can watch some late-night Michael Bay without waking the roomies. $90 ROKU
There's no better pan for cooking everything than a simple cast-iron skillet. Frying eggs, searing a steak, blackening a fish, baking corn bread, cooking hash browns, sauteeing vegetables—this is the business. You absolutely must have a good cast-iron skillet in your kitchen, no question. Lodge makes a great 8-incher for less than $20. LODGE
You wanna look sharp for the boss, don't you? Join the Dollar Shave Club. The company mails you a nice razor handle and high-quality blades—way nicer than what you can find at the drugstore. The blades keep coming as often as you keep your subscription active. It's cheap—between $3 and $9 per month, depending on which type of blade you choose—and DSC's blade options work for both men and women. DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB
Take our advice: Freecycle your creaky futon frame and get a real bed with a real mattress. The Casper is a supremely comfortable foam mattress with a perforated design that improves air circulation so you don't overheat. Plus, it rolls up and fits into a box, so it's super-easy to move it to your next apartment. $500 and up. CASPER
When you're putting together all of your new IKEA furniture, don't use those chintzy hex wrenches that come in the box. You are a grown-up—use this compact cordless PS11-102 drill/driver from Bosch. The head pivots 90 degrees to shimmy into tight spots, and the variable-speed trigger offers a high degree of precision. A pair of LEDs light the way while hanging shelves in the closet. $130 BOSCH
Your first mission as an adult: say goodbye to that nightly pizza delivery and start cooking your own dinner. The first piece of equipment you'll need is a good knife. Victorinox's chef's knife is a sturdy all-around chopper good for every type of kitchen work—from buttering toast to slicing a roast. It ain't fancy, but it's dishwasher safe, will stay sharp forever, and costs only $40. JOSH VALCARCEL/WIRED
THIS SUMMER, YOU’RE moving into your first apartment. It may be cheap and noisy, and maybe it isn’t in the best part of town, but it’s yours—a place to call your own.
You’ve probably already taken care of the big stuff like your couch and your fridge and your bike. But it’s the little things that you probably haven’t considered yet. There are some truly essential items you only learn the value of after years of paying rent on a two-room walk-up. We’ve been there, and we can tell you what to buy. These are the eleven products you’ll most certainly need as you begin your journey through adulthood. Things to keep you clean, well-fed, happy, and dignified.
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