What to buy in your first days in an unfurnished home, what to borrow or get used, and what usually is not included.
Most US rentals are unfurnished: you get walls, a kitchen with large appliances, and a bathroom, but no bed, no chairs, no dishes and often no light fixtures in the bedrooms. Here is what to get first, in order.
Before the first night
Something to sleep on: an air mattress, a futon, or a mattress delivered the same week. Many stores deliver a mattress in a box within a few days.
Sheets, a pillow and a blanket.
Toilet paper, hand soap, a bath towel and a shower curtain with hooks. Many US bathrooms have a bathtub with no glass screen, so a curtain is needed.
A phone charger, a power strip and a flashlight.
Bottled water and simple food that needs no cooking.
Kitchen basics
One pot, one frying pan, a cutting board, a knife, a spatula and a can opener.
A few plates, bowls, cups and sets of cutlery.
Dish soap and a sponge. If there is a dishwasher, buy dishwasher detergent. Regular dish soap in a dishwasher floods the floor with foam.
Trash bags that fit your kitchen can (often "13 gallon" size), and paper towels.
Food storage containers and aluminum foil.
Cleaning and safety
An all-purpose cleaner, toilet brush, broom or vacuum, and a mop.
Check that the smoke alarm works. Press the test button. If it does not beep, tell the landlord in writing.
A small first-aid kit and basic medicine for pain and fever.
Light bulbs. Bedrooms often have no ceiling light and use a lamp plugged into a wall switch outlet.
The first two weeks
A small table and chairs, a lamp, hangers, a laundry basket and detergent.
Curtains or blinds if the windows have none.
A doormat and shoe rack if you do not wear shoes inside.
Where to buy
New and cheap: Walmart, Target, IKEA, dollar stores and Amazon.
Used or free: thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups. See Furnishing your home cheaply and safely.
Buy a new mattress if you can. Used mattresses can carry bedbugs.
Common mistakes
Buying everything in one trip, then finding the sofa does not fit through the door. Measure first.
Using regular dish soap in a dishwasher.
Forgetting a shower curtain and flooding the bathroom floor.
Signing up for expensive "rent-to-own" furniture. It costs far more than buying used.