You will remember the bed and the couch. It is the small, boring things that get forgotten, and you notice each one the exact moment you need it and do not have it. Here is that list.

The ones everyone forgets

  • A shower curtain. Discovered missing at 6am on day one.
  • A can opener. The single most-missed item in any first kitchen.
  • Trash bags. You need them before you need almost anything else.
  • A dish rack and towels. Assume there is no dishwasher.
  • Two towels. Two, so one can dry while you use the other.

Why these get missed

They are not exciting, so they are not on the mental list you make while imagining your new place. But every one of them is something you use on the first day.

Our kits exist partly to catch exactly these. Each item on The First Night and The Kitchen From Nothing is there because someone told us they forgot it and wished they had not.