So far, shopping for my apartment this summer has been a game of, “How many necessities can I find on clearance and/or at garage sales?” My motto when it comes to college apartment shopping (the College Apartment is an entirely different animal than the Grown Up Apartment) has always been, “Never buy what you can get off the street for free.” With some all-purpose cleaner and a roll of paper towels, you can make pretty much anything usable. Just remember: nothing needs to match. You’re not Martha Stewart, especially not your senior year of college when sweatpants will be your primary outfit of choice. Right now, my apartment is working with a lovely color scheme of brown: light brown, dark brown, a brownish maroon, brown with some patterns in it, and various other earth tones; because everything we can get for nothing just happens to be dirt-colored. It wasn’t until I started shopping for my own place that I realized how many little things we needed that I never had to think about. Below is my ongoing list of things you definitely need for an off-campus apartment (even better if you can get them for free).

1. Plastic dishes/cups/utensils.

My grandmother wanted to give me an actual china tea set before I explained to her that in a college apartment, a china set is going to end up shattered in the living room, no exceptions. To avoid cleaning up broken glass, go with plastic.

2. CLEANING SUPPLIES.

Don’t lie to me: you’re a slob. Your roommates are slobs too. That’s fine, you’re in college, let it all hang out. But I’m telling you, buy yourself a bottle of some kind of all-purpose cleaner, a sponge, a magic eraser — save yourself from living in abject filth for a year. Do a dish. You’ll thank me later.

3. Lamps.

Your apartment lighting (if it has any) probably won’t be good or bright enough on it’s own and will leave the apartment too dark at night, even with the lights on. Also, a really cheap, ugly lamp is a good conversation piece.

4. A fan.

You don’t live in the Ritz, so I know your apartment won’t have air conditioning. A fan aimed directly at your face for the first few months before winter kicks in does a world of difference.

5. Bed risers.

Especially if your room is small, the storage space under the bed is a lifesaver.

6. Soap.

People always forget about hand soap for the bathroom. It’s one of those small things that people never think about because our parents just always make sure it’s there. Anyway, get some soap and wash your hands.

7. A garbage can.

My apartment didn’t have it and yours might not either. You need this.

8. A couch.

Just somewhere to sit in your living room that’s not the floor. There’s just something about a couch that makes a place feel more like home.

9. A toolbox.

This is a very grown-up thing to get, but honestly you probably will only ever need the screwdriver.

10. A dish rack.

You’re going to do the dishes in the sink eventually right?

11. A package of Band-Aids.

For cuts and scrapes. Just because you’re on your own now, doesn’t mean you’re invincible.