<p>3 girls in an apt with large kitchen, they indulged themselves. DD got a wafflemaker for a present and they all love it for weekend party and breakfast. Not practical but fun. That said, the basic tool kit has come in handy. Got it at Target and it has the basic hammer, screwdirvers, wrenches that are needed for little repairs when they do not want to call someone.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve seen it mentioned, so I’d add a cookbook to the list. True they can get recipes over the internet, but it’s always nice to be able to have basics and be able to scan through in one place. We got S1 a cooking with 4 ingredients book that he used all the time. Oh, and the cookbook should have pictures for every dish so they can see it.</p>
<p>Tool kit is a must, as it a good large flashlight, full sized candles and, yes, a box of kitchen matches.</p>
<p>If you student is in a single off campus, addressing a hidden key is a suggestion.</p>
<p>Can opener.</p>
<p>My S filled in the hand me down kitchen items that we had provided him as he figured out what he needed. He didn’t ask for any money to do it.</p>
<p>I asked him where he shopped. He said the Dollar Store and thrifts. This is a time when “brand new” didn’t seem nearly as important as the lessons in independence, economizing and resourcefulness self-taught by the circumstances and necessity.</p>
<p>The cookbook is a good idea - I’ve actually been xeroxing/scanning some of my favorite simple recipes that are D’s favorites too. </p>
<p>Funny, we talked about this at dinner last night - she said she was going to have to start gathering recipes and I told her to just remember allrecipes.com. Honestly, I go there more than my recipe box anymore and am almost always happy with the recipes!</p>
<p>Oh–about the cookbook–my S had the “basics” of cooking down by the end of HS. It is VERY easy to use the Internet to get a receipe for just about everything.</p>
<p>We offered to photocopy any of his personal favorites from the receipe box, but otherwise you might want to save on the space that cookbooks can take up in a small apartment.</p>
<p>Yeah, cookbook to me means a compilation of recipes from home. :)</p>
<p>Otherwise, use the internet! It’s not very often I use my actual cookbooks.</p>
<p>Minimalist cooking.
1- wok for stirfry, fry, boiling, serving dish.
1- pair chopsticks
1- wok spatula with curved sides to act as a spoon/ladle/stirrer</p>
<p>Maximumist cooking
1 wok for stirfry
1 wok for fry
1 wok for boiling
1 wok for rice cooking
1 work for serving to guest
5-1/2 pair of chops. one for each wok plus one stir to replace the lost stick.
5 wok spatulas.</p>
<p>The internet is great for finding recipes when you have an idea of what you want, but a cookbook with pictures of every dish came in handy when they didn’t have a clue as to what they wanted. They could browse through it and see something that looked good to try. </p>
<p>We eventually made a notebook of favorite recipes for each of them, but the cell phone was used more extensively. It was handy for them to call home and ask what they needed for a recipe when they shopping. Sometimes, we even had to tell them where to look (fortunately grocery stores keep things in the same general areas).</p>
<p>S2 would starve to death without a pasta strainer/colander.</p>
<p>I just confirmed with my son’s housing office. His apartment kitchen has a stove and refrigerator and nothing else. No microwave, no dishwasher. My son does not know his roommates so I am going to have to push him to contact them to figure out who should bring what. No sense having 3 of everything.</p>
<p>I still have the $1 serrated-edge knife I bought for my first apartment in 1972 and a small broiling pan my mom bought me at that time and I still use them both. The knife still cuts and the pan is rather dented, but they are both a good size and have such history to me!</p>
<p>I just bought my D a couple of good knives for her apartment as that was something she and her roomie didn’t have. (Cost way more than $1 though.)</p>
<p>mom60 - don’t know how far away your S goes to school. We have found it very convenient to buy a lot of things online and have them shipped. WalMart, Target, IKEA, etc. I would do this with anything we didn’t already own. The stuff I sent with my S was stuff I had duplicates of. If I didn’t, I would have made him buy them there, or ordered them online.</p>
<p>If you think you’re going to be shipping a lot of stuff that you’re buying there, enrolling in Amazon.com’s $79/year two-day shipping can be worth it. Amazon Prime sellers sell just about everything you could need, even food.</p>
<p>This thread is very helpful and timely. I’m going to Miami next week to help recent grad S set up his first apartment. Between S and his roommate, they have a chair and 4 cup coffee pot. This should be interesting!</p>
<p>RE: George Foreman Grills</p>
<p>What size do your kids have? I have two kids moving into apartments and they both want one.</p>
<p>I got a two burger one free when I bought a toaster so that’s what my son has.</p>
<p>My kids also have the smallest one. Even that takes up quite a bit of counter space in their teeny, tiny apartment kitchens. I think it cost somewhere between $15 and $20 at Target.</p>
<p>07Dad mentioned a tool kit, and I’ll second it. Flashlight, extra batteries, and a small tool kit. Nothing major, just a hammer, pliers (slipjoint and needlenose), slotted and phillips screwdrivers or a good 4 in 1 type, plus a smaller slotted and #0 phillips for electronics applications. Utility knife with retractable blade, 6" & 8" combination wrenches. 16’ tape measure or 12’ folding carpenters ruler. A roll of duct tape. A pack of the electricians cable ties, in a variety size pack. </p>
<p>Very basic. Don’t buy the cheap stuff. Sears Craftsman, Home Depot Husky, comparable quality are fine and have lifetime replacement guarantees. Bargain bin, asian/chinese imports are garbage, poorly machined, easily break and are often safety hazards.</p>
<p>If he/she wants or needs more, then they’ve probably already amassed a beginner’s kit or beyond.</p>
<p>I’d advise the same for anyone’s s or d. These basics are constantly handy, and should also be included for freshmens’ “what to take to college” lists, regardless of if it’s dorm or off campus living.</p>
<p>Buy a plunger, a “plumbers friend” in they’re living in an apartment. Shared digs mean shared bathrooms. What ends up in drains (kitchen and bath) will fill volumes. Hopefully it will reside in a closet, never used. But best to be safe than sorry. Trust me, when they’ll need it, there is NO substitute. And oftimes, speed is of the essence, and waiting for maintenance can be a PITA.</p>
<p>Musts include a fire extinguisher and burn salve (and discussions about what NOT to put on a burn)</p>
<p>My S loves his bedroom to be dark. When I was helping him move into his single apartment, he wondered aloud how would be the best way to block out the sun that would come in one window. I was able to craft black-out curtains for the odd shaped window out of an inexpresive black-out panel I bought at Target by cutting it down and pinning it.</p>
<p>Yep, I suggest (in addition to making sure even sons have the basic know how) some sewing/project items–like good sissors, safety pins, needles and basic thread colors.</p>
<p>In 3rd grade, my Ss did a quilt, S2 remembered enough sewing skills to mend a favorite pair of trousers!
Thanks for the reminder about a sewing kit.</p>