The Ultimate Shopping List for When You Move into a New Place

Time to decide – does the tomato sauce go in the fridge or the cupboard?

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If it’s your first time moving out and you’re just now realising how bare the cupboards are – don’t worry. We’ve got you sorted with a handy checklist of all the essentials you need when moving into a new place. Everything from staple grocery items to cleaning products and medicine.

You can download this guide to your phone or print it out if you want to check it off as you go when doing that first big shop. If you're living with housemates, you might be able to pinch a few items off them (ask nicely first!) but if you're living alone or just moved out with new people, this is a good place to start with the basics of the kitchen.

In terms of bigger purchases like appliances or furniture, it’s a good idea to start second hand on Facebook marketplace, Gumtree, op-shops or go to websites like Lucky White Goods to get those more expensive items for a bit cheaper.

Also don’t feel like you have to buy all of this in one trip. This is the basics to get you started.

Start with the basics – cleaning supplies.

Keep your home clean and organised. A good way to save money in the future is to buy items like this in bulk because you’ll always need them and they never spoil.

• Toilet paper
• Toilet cleaner and brush
• Paper towels and napkins
• Tissues
• Rubbish bags
• Ziploc bags
• Plastic containers (small, medium and large)
• Laundry detergent and stain remover
• All-purpose cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• Soft cleanser (like Bar Keepers Friend or Jif)
• Plastic wrap, aluminium foil, baking paper
• Light bulbs
• Batteries (AA and AAA)
• Microfibre towels
• Baking soda
• White vinegar (mix it with baking soda to use as a cheap drain cleaner!)

Pantry items.

• Rice
• Dried pasta
• Canned beans
• Lentils
• Canned tomatoes
• Canned tuna
• Canned coconut milk
• Canned soup
• Chicken, vegetable or beef broth
• Bread
• Peanut butter
• Cereal
• Cooking oil (olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil)
• Vinegar
• Honey
• Sugar
• Coffee and tea

Refrigerated items.

• Milk
• Eggs
• Butter
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Fresh fruit and veggies (you can opt out of this and go for frozen if you want to save some money but if you’re buying fresh, go for veggies that will last long)
• Wraps

Freezer items.

• Frozen vegetables
• Frozen fruit
• Meat

Spices and condiments.

• Salt
• Black pepper
• Mayonnaise
• Basic spices (garlic powder, chilli powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg depending on what you want to season your food with)
• Tomato sauce
• Mustard
• Barbeque sauce
• Hot sauce

Basic first-aid stuff.

• Band-aids
• Painkillers (Panadol and Nurofen)
• Disinfectant
• Scissors

Misc/Extras.

• Superglue
• Extension cord
• Power board
• Flashlight
• Mini tool kit
• Batteries (AA and AAA)

We’ve also included a handy downloadable you can save and print from your desktop or save to your phone for when you make that first big shop (and hopefully feel a bit less overwhelmed).

Download the full shopping list here:

Or, check out the mobile version here: