The 5 Cheap Things This Renter Has Moved to 7 (!) Different Apartments

If you’ve ever experienced the joy of moving apartments, you know how tough it is to lug all of your possessions out of the car, up the stairs, and through the doorway. It makes you want to do a cleanse before your move; to shed those decorative baskets, and get rid of all of the unnecessary knickknacks you don’t need to waste your energy carrying. 

But there are some things that survive every move, right? No matter how many fifth-floor walk-ups you rent, maybe you can’t bring yourself to ditch that special coffee table. That’s certainly the case for Ali Wenzke, packing expert and author of “The Art of Happy Moving.” She and her husband have moved 10 different times and rented seven apartments over a period of 11 years. 

Throughout her long journey of moves both cross-country and cross-town, Wenzke says she swears by a few key items. They’ve served her well in her seven apartments of varying sizes, and gave her that instant moved-in feeling everywhere she went. Ahead, see what objects Wenzke lugged to each and every place.

You may not have the kind of closet space you want in a rental, and these drawers offer a light storage option that allows you to see inside them. Whether you’re storing clothing, supplies, or even snacks, the drawers make for an easy spot to stash things. Wenzke eventually used them as toy storage for her kids. “They required zero packing and were easy to transport on the U-Haul truck,” she says. 

A surefire way to liven up a space and make it feel like home is to paint it a color that brings you joy. (But before you do, read over your lease first to see if you’ll have to paint it again before you leave.) For Wenzke and her husband, it was also the perfect time to experiment with new colors (like orange, blue, and yellow) and painting techniques before they painted a house they actually owned. 

What’s great about this multi-functional piece is that it serves as a coffee table that can lift up toward you, or a dining table that you can serve and eat off of. “We prepared an entire Thanksgiving meal and enjoyed the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes on that little, versatile table,” says Wenzke. When space comes at a premium, your pieces of furniture should serve more than one purpose—this is a perfect example of that.

There’s nothing that can make a place look more lived-in than artwork and family photographs. They have the power to transform a new apartment into a cozy home almost instantly. Keeping core design elements the same despite your change in location can be comforting, and enables you to be surrounded by the people you love no matter where you are.

Owning a tool kit is imperative for renters and homeowners alike. The versatile little boxes allow you to assemble and disassemble furniture in a flash, hang photos and art, and tinker with other things around the house as you make the space your own. It’s worth noting that every apartment has its quirks, so coming prepared with a tool kit is a good idea in ways you don’t even know yet.

Eventually Wenzke and her family finally settled outside Chicago, but it took years for them to find a place in the right location at the right price point. “I strongly recommend that you rent instead of buy when you move to a city you don’t know well. You never know how the city or the job is going to turn out,” she explains. What you do know for sure? Having these five items will serve you well no matter how many times you move.