5 Dollar-Tree Finds Every First-Time Homeowner Needs

Let me ask you a question: When was the last time you looked at your shower curtain hooks or rings? Did you ever just stare at them and think about how beautiful they are? You probably haven’t. So when you move into your new home, don’t bother trying to get fancy ones — you don’t need them. These clear plastic ones will do just fine. They’re cheap, there are 12 in a pack, and they’ll look good with everything.

It seems you always need a scour pad when you least expect it — in this case, when you’ve cooked one of the first meals in your new home and accidentally let chili burn to the bottom of your new pan. You’re better off safe than sorry keeping these little guys under the sink for dishwashing emergencies and beyond.

A welcome mat is not high on the list of things you need to buy immediately while moving into a house. But I’m here to tell you that it should be, as you’ll be traipsing in and out of your new place with shoes on while unloading boxes. Grab a cheap one from the Dollar Tree for you and your movers to wipe your feet on. The mats are made out of coir, which is a material made from coconut husks, so they’re durable and environmentally friendly, too. Each one is 27 by 18 inches and has a non-slip backing. If they get dirty, they’re strong enough to vacuum, shake out, or wash in the tub.

Let me tell you — one of the worst things about moving into a new home is realizing that suddenly you don’t have a way to close the bags of chips you’ve been snacking on while you unpack. Bag clips, like this five-pack of two-toned Power Clips, get lost so easily in transit. Prepare yourself by buying more right away. They’re also good for more than just closing snacks, of course. You can use these clips to hold papers together, suspend photos from a string, or even collect wires or cords together in a tidy bundle.

You will never have enough flashlights in your new home — trust me. If the power goes out, if you lose something under the armoire or in a hard-to-see spot next to the washing machine (I may be speaking from experience; RIP, socks), then you’ll use these flashlights regularly. They’re small, so they’ll be easy to store in a drawer; are coated in rubber so you won’t accidentally drop them quite as easily; and LED so the lights are stronger and last longer than other flashlights. These little guys come in four colors: black, gray, red, and blue.