S is moving in permanent apt Sept 1, which is moving day in Boston, so he and roommate are renting a Uhaul and shopping the streets. He will buy a bed. We were going to buy it for him as a grad gift but between sublet and perm apt and paying for 1st/last month rents, security deposits and a big car expense we are down $8400.
His roommate has been out of school a year already so I assume has some stuff already, too.
They are both making enough money that they can afford whatever else they might need.
^^Same here, eb. My S was in a house last year of college. He bought a new queen size bed last year. At that point we bought him sheets & comforter. We just bought him a dresser & headboard from Amazon. We’re giving him a bunch of furniture from our home no longer needed. They have pots & pans from last year. Also moves in Sept. 1st. Until then, he’s already working & living w/friends in Boston. He also just graduated in May.
I spent about $1000, buying most items on craigslist. I would rather have better quality items that are used than lower quality items that are new (Ikea in my mind). I did buy two new desk chairs from Ikea that doubled as kitchen chairs at the table. I thought my son would sell everything at the end of his one year residency, but he held on to most things. My suggestion would be to peruse craigslist for moving sales. It’s amazing how many people have to “dump” their nice furnishings in a hurry. If you find someone who has similar tastes, the job is much easier. Transporting is the bigger issue. I am lucky to have had veryhappy, from this board, to help us with transporting.
Does anyone here live in Phoenix and have a truck? I’m about to go through this again with my younger son next month.
This is one of those CC threads that will run the gamut in terms of what parents do/don’t and the $$ spent or able to spend.
My S just got his first apt post-college this month. He lived at home for the first year while working in our town to save some $$ for living and for an engagement ring.
When D1 and S got their first apts they first “shopped” the attic. Me: “PLEASE take anything up there you want!!” It’s one of the best ways to succeed at the “bag a week” thread - have your kids take bags/bundles/armloads OUT of the house!!!
Last fall I got new living room furniture at home - S asked if he could save a couch and loveseat for his apt, so he had those to take. I told him he could take his bed and other bedroom furniture from home (I really don’t need to have 4 fully furnished bedrooms at home!). In the attic he found lamps, a coffee table, tv table, etc. - mismashed but he was happy.
We gifted him a couple of things to get him started. A membership to Costco (one near his apt and great for gas alone!), a grill and I went to the grocery store and filled up a couple bags with staples - coffee, oil, sugar, box of cereal, etc. - so he had cupboard basics. He had basic cookware left from college.
NYC apartments are small (!) so D did just fine with her mattress from home on a harvard frame, a bookshelf, chest of drawers and loveseat from Ikea, and a couple of throw rugs. Short of the mattress from home, Ikea and Bed, Bath and Beyond (20% off coupons!), pretty much covered what she needed. She had a few good pots and took some of my things, giving me the opportunity to upgrade. I would guess that she and her roommate spent around $1000 split between them - including a window air conditioner. When she left that apartment and moved to her first grownup digs she sold a piece or two, gave away as much as she could, and threw out what little was left.
As a medical resident she makes a laughably small salary but did manage to buy a new mattress and a very good sofa for her first solo apartment. By ransacking our place and mixing a few older pieces up with her new purchases she has created a functional and really good looking space. She has a good eye…unlike her mother.
When considering IKEA furniture, young ones should be aware many moving companies refuse to move any particle board furniture, and moving insurance companies do not cover it.
Another plug for IKEA for great starter furniture. My daughter just moved into her first post-college apartment. She has a couple IKEA pieces from dorm room freshman year and a dining table with six chairs from her on-campus apartment sophomore year on. (Roommates filled in with other furniture; the table and chairs were her contribution.) All pieces look good some years later. The dining table and chairs even spent time in her sister’s apartment when daughter didn’t need them. She just made an IKEA haul to supplement what she has with what she needs. Her apartment looks good for a reasonable price. If her new pieces long as good 5 plus years from now as her older ones do, she’ll be quite pleased. She’s not one who moves around much so all’s good on that front. Anyway, she figures 5-10 years from now her taste in furniture will have changed anyway: she’s not looking for pieces that last a lifetime.
S and his fiance made a trip to Ikea last week to buy a few things (small furniture, other items) for their first apt post college. The thing is, while Ikea may not last forever, it is what they can afford and it looks desirable to them at this point - so it’s not just about the it lasting or being sturdy as stone, it’s part of the “graduation” to furnishing your first spot, not wanting to drive all over town or cruise Craigslist and paying for it with your own hard earned cash. It’s sort of a rite of passage for a new “home” owner!
She spent $1600 at Macys. Mattress/ box spring/ frame plus a sofa. ( The sofa was actually cheaper than a similar one at Ikea) We bought this at home and had it delivered to her Manhattan apartment. $95 charge
$250 at East Hook Ikea. 6 drawer chest and 2 bed side cabinets. Drapes/ shower curtain and a few nick nacks. $60 cab back to her apartment.
$200 window ac unit from Home Depot
$50 Bed Bath Beyond. Trash can/ hamper/ etc
Her room mates are supplying rugs/ tables etc since she bought a new sofa.
She took her bedding/ towels etc from college and a few kitchen items.
It’s been a while since my kids did this, so I can’t remember the amounts. I just wanted to give two small pieces of advice.
Even if your kid is getting a signing bonus or reimbursement for relocation expenses, the kid may not have the money in hand at the time when he moves, and it's a lot easier to shop for furniture before a job starts than afterward. If the kid doesn't have money in the bank, a short-term loan from the parents (to be paid back when the bonus or relocation money comes from the employer) would be greatly appreciated.
It's very handy for a young person to own a high-quality camping air mattress (with pump), and they're not especially expensive (typically, less than $150). A kid who owns an air mattress can sleep in his new apartment from day 1, even if his bed has not been delivered. He can also choose to postpone the purchase of a real bed if he prefers to buy other things first. He can have overnight guests easily. And when he moves to his next apartment (as they almost inevitably do within a year or two), having that air mattress means that the kid can sleep in an empty apartment (either the old one or the new one) while the rest of his possessions are in transit, rather than having to pay for hotel rooms or impose on friends.
We just moved my S to a small city a few hundred miles away. He is in a year-long situation where he may stay in that city or he may move elsewhere (goal is elsewhere). He is in a 2 BR apartment with a roommate (whom he has not met yet).
We already had an extra twin mattress and boxspring. Luckily, the roommate is already bringing a sofa and a kitchen table, and just asked S to provide a coffee table and a TV stand.
S went through the house and took lots of stuff, including an old set of dishes, extra Tupperware, towels, sheets, dishtowels, detergent, etc. We borrowed a truck and drove down there with the mattress and his personal effects. We went to a consignment store and bought the requested coffee table, TV stand, and a desk and dresser for H’s room - I don’t think we spent more than $150 on all of the above. Then, we went to Sam’s and stocked him up on personal toiletries, cleaning supplies (ha!), and non-perishable food items - if not the whole year, pretty close. Because this is a year-long situation in a city where he likely won’t stay, our philosophy was that it wasn’t worth it to buy even IKEA-level furniture and schlep it there and back - that this furniture will do and he can just sell or leave it there.
He did also get a car - his very first - a Prius (we are a Prius family). We had always promised them cars as graduation gifts and he needs one for this particular city.
It’s really our pleasure to do this - he’s a really good, hard-working kid, he’s not making a lot of money in this job and he’s super appreciative. Our hope is that his only expenses are rent, car insurance / gas, everyday food and entertainment (which will not be a lot in this city).
There are some small things he’s going to have to go out and get on his own - trashcans, shower curtains, soap dishes, little things of that nature - but no more than maybe $100 or so worth of stuff at a Target.
Our kid is taking as much out of this house as we can fit into the cargo van we rented. This includes a nice chest of drawers, bookcase, love seat, small rug, and any household stuff she cares to take. She has a whole kitchen worth of nice things, all bought at a charity thrift store. Lines will be taken from here…we have plenty to spare. Ditto lights, and artwork for the walls.
The new bed…gift from us…purchased there. Let someone else schlep that up,the stairs!
We will do a Target run for a work desk/table, coffee table, and TV table…nothing fancy. Hoping to get a side chair and bar stools there too…otherwise we will head to big lots. Budget about $1500.
Well, we found a place today. It’s beautiful but small so I’m thinking he won’t buy a lot. I have a lead on a free couch, which would be great and enable him to get a good mattress. He really likes the bed romani posted and loves the storage. He won’t need dining furniture but will need stools.
DS opted for a queen bed. He got a “queen split box spring”. Previously I’d only heard of for king size. He needed it due to tight stair situation at his first place. But it would make sense to get one even if the current place doesn’t need it to be flexible at the next inevitable move.
I’d say it cost about $2500 or so to set up our son’s first apartment. It was our graduation gift to him. Included a full size very comfortable bed and frame, dressers, and a wardrobe. Most apartments wouldn’t need a wardrobe, but his room had no closet. He just moved 2200 miles away, and it wasn’t worth it to move the stuff. Luckily, he was able to sell it to the incoming tenant.
As far as setting up the kitchen, he and his roommates had virtually nothing. For less than $100, I went to the Salvation Army and completely equipped their kitchen with nicer stuff than I have (not saying much here). But a huge box full of kitchen stuff for so cheap? More than they needed.
My S moved out of a furnished house (shared with roommates) into his own place this week. Other than some dishes, linens, mattress and box spring, he’s starting from scratch. His budget is 2000, not including a washer/dryer (that will be a gift from me). He bought a bed frame, dresser, nightstand, coffee table and bath items at IKEA, a TV at Best Buy and found a nice sofa on Craigslist. There are good deals on Craigslist, but it’s time consuming running all over town. And S drives a small car so hauling things is a problem. He’s still looking for bar stools, side tables, a TV console, and kitchen items.
I’m downsizing and getting rid of tons of stuff. I’ve been packing up small items to send to him, but I haven’t found an easy or inexpensive way to ship furniture. I just hate getting rid of quality furniture while he spends good money on cheap stuff. I wish he lived nearby!
My mom, who has time and loves to scour consignment shops, has taken it upon herself to be his personal shopper (she lives about 3 hours from S). She’s totally into this - it’s really cute. Today she called to tell me she found a brand new set of Cuisinart pots and pans for $45 (same set on Overstock for $100). Sometimes though she forgets his budget. Last week she called about a new Ethan Allen sofa (still with tags) that was “a steal” at $900.
