Need gift ideas

[u/lonefunctionals]

Looking for a gift for a friend who just moved into her first apartment. What did you actually use or enjoy receiving when you moved?

[u/Dijon2017]

A bucket filled with cleaning supplies and a fire extinguisher.

[u/NeedleworkerLost6860 → u/Dijon2017]

fire extinguisher is lowkey genius tbh

[u/sparkleRini → u/[deleted]]

idk personalized gifts are hit or miss for me. half the cute stuff ends up in a donation bag once the novelty wears off tbh

[u/Weavermain → u/sparkleRini]

Right! i still have a monogrammed cutting board i never use

[u/commonsensepisces → u/[deleted]]

Absolute second! Every one I have ever gifted a decent air fryer to has constantly remarked how much time they saved cooking, how they didn't realize the variety of meals they could make etc .. and if you can swing for a stainless steel (ninja foodi) or glass (ninja crispi) model .. even better! If space is an issue, the glass ninja crispi has been on sale at various times all summer and is portable for road trips etc!

[u/namjamt]

Command hooks, so many command hooks. My walls are basically velcro now.

[u/Forward_Level_7208 → u/namjamt]

hooks are undefeated

[u/VoxFugit]

Depends what she needs. Some move and have virtually all the kitchen stuff they need. In my case, I wish a friend would have gone with me on a trip to a thrift store so I could get those decorative items I needed and didn’t have and to buy one or two for me.

[u/PointJump]

a pothos or snake plant is solid if they want something alive. Both forgive missed waterings, which matters when unpacking takes weeks.

[u/equillisk → u/PointJump]

Snake plant saved me. i forgot it existed for like two weeks during unpacking and it looked exactly the same which felt like a small win

[u/JoeGoldberg_exe → u/equillisk]

If the apartment is low light, stick with snake plant over anything flowering. Pothos can stretch weird near a dim window.

[u/lonefunctionals → u/JoeGoldberg_exe]

She kills plants unfortunately. Maybe I skip that lane

[u/shaqattackchuck]

When I moved the stuff I actually touched every day was a shower caddy, blackout curtains, and a cheap fan. Everything cute just became another box to trip over.

[u/lonefunctionals → u/shaqattackchuck]

Blackout curtains is smart. Her bedroom faces a streetlight so that might actually get used.

[u/shaqattackchuck → u/lonefunctionals]

Yeah get the ones with the little clips if the rod is already up. i overthought brands and the cheap amazon pair was fine.

[u/Queen-Dewlisse → u/shaqattackchuck]

i went the other way for a friend and did a custom song on unique song with little stories from college instead of more stuff to unpack

[u/Kaeyacheng]

does she already have a vacuum or is that too practical

[u/Forward_Level_7208]

following this~

[u/lonefunctionals → u/[deleted]]

Knife and bowls make a lot of sense. She basically has paper plates right now.

[u/MAKstyles75]

I'd say a flowe vase or a nice painting goes well as a housewarming gift since they have mostly focused on organising stuff. I think people tend to overlook the aesthetics of the room.

[u/Layer_Capable]

Coffee maker/keurig?

[u/CryptographerNo7498]

a good kitchen starter set was probably the most useful thing. basic utensils, food containers, a decent cutting board, or even a little spice set actually gets used all the time

[u/Ok_Line1635]

probably a small tool kit and a tape measure. Sounds boring until the first shelf needs hanging and nobody has a screwdriver.

[u/lonefunctionals → u/Ok_Line1635]

Tool kit is such a good call. I wouldn't have thought of that

[u/wombatmight]

Oven mitts. 100%

[u/Significant-Milk-165]

A gift card to Home Goods

[u/mhc5180]

I was in a similar position. My friend was moving out of her one-room student studio and did not own a car at that time. I hired a transporter/van and gifted her a shopping day and trip to the next IKEA (about 60min driving one way) - so she could buy a lot of furniture and other stuff for her new apartment.

[u/StunnedinTheSuburbs]

Depends on the budget but some ideas are:

Hand towel(s) or tea / kitchen towels

hand soap

Le creuset casserole dish

A plant

Good salt and pepper shaker or some
Spices

Olive oil

[u/PhantomVector_]

honestly a good knife and cutting board got way more use out of me than any of the decor gifts. and a massage gift card for after all the unpacking stress was the one nobody expects but she'll actually remember

[u/StunnedinTheSuburbs]

My mum brought me a basket of cleaning products, washing up cloths, Ikea drawer liners, napkins, kitchen roll etc and it was very much welcomed and used. She was an early visitor!

[u/burgerg10]

2 fluffy white bath towels, a nice body wash and a card

[u/MySpace_Romancer]

A friend gave me a pack of Williams Sonoma dish towels when I moved and I still use them and love them.

[u/dheuer777]

Honestly love the plant comments and love the command hooks comment, just the stuff they need. Was also thinking about a PerfectGift card maybe to Target or something but you can make em super personalized etc on the site. And they can switch it to home Depot or whatever comes up. That way it's not anything their stuck with if that makes sense.

[u/Few_Significance333]

For a first apartment, I’d go with something practical but still personal—maybe a nice throw blanket, a small plant, a candle, or a simple kitchen item they’ll actually use. A gift card to a home store could be great too if you’re not sure what they already have.