Kitchen appliances I would recommend purchasing when moving out on your own:
- Air fryer
- One of those panini press grill things (not only can you make sandwiches but you can grill chicken and steak if you have an expensive model)
- Rice cooker (not only good for rice but quinoa and any other grain, alternatively you could buy an Instapot)
- Electric kettle (depends on how much tea you drink but it’s good for boiling water for cleaning and preheating water for pasta etc)
Kitchen appliances I would not recommend buying when you move out on your own:
- Counter top coffee maker (you should not be drinking an entire pot of coffee on your own and it will be stale by the time you get to the bottom, plus these bitches suck to clean, Keurigs, French presses and stove top percolators where you make one or two cups at a time are more practical for a single person)
Here are some things it’s okay to buy off brand/cheap:
- Cleaning supplies. Most cut rate sponges, bleach sprays, Clorox wipe knock offs and cleaning chemicals get the job done just fine.
- Food staples like pasta, canned vegetables, rice etc.
Here are some things you should never buy off brand/cheap:
- Trash bags. I made the mistake of buying Dollar General brand ones and they ripped several times, sending garbage all over my yard while I tried to take the trash out. I had to double and sometimes triple bag which was not economical in the long run.
- Toilet paper. The two and one ply stuff sucks. You you have to use much more than you would if you bought quality paper.
Good luck and God bless you to any college freshmen out there.
toaster ovens are also very useful, much more than a regular toaster. you can do many things you can do in an oven, just faster and with less hassle