You’re Not Really Adulting Unless You Have These 11 Home Essentials

You know that friend who uses cloth napkins at her dinner parties? That same one who also lent you her drill when you moved into your new apartment? Don’t you sometimes wish you were that friend?

Well, you can be! Listen, there are a lot of things that take time to collect. You don’t necessarily need a full set of matching china off the bat. Nobody just goes out and buys an entire salt-and-pepper-shaker collection. Those kinds of personalizations take a lifetime to gather. Nice rugs? You can wait to catch those at a great sale.

But, there are a few basic home essentials that all real homes should just have. Stuff that will impress guests and make them go, “Wow, she has that? I didn’t realize she was such an adult.”

Here is that list of stuff!

Every home needs a signature scent. These are a little pricey but they last longer than the dollar-store finds and emit a scent even if you don’t light them. Plus, just having them in your home gives off the impression that you are a connoisseur of nice things. This sampler pack is a good way to figure out which scent fits your den best.

Towels are not meant to last a decade. When was the last time you invested in a nice set of new luxurious towels for your bathroom? You have all your lotions and bath bombs and you should have a nice oversized towel to wrap yourself in when you come out of the shower. Plus, having a matching towel set in the bathroom? Major #adulting move.

Guess what? A chair is not a hamper. We all know how it goes. Your life just piles up on the chair until clearing it off becomes a dreadful, tear-inducing hours-long task. First step in breaking the cycle? Purchase a home for all your dirty clothes. It makes putting things away easier. It makes laundry less of a task. It makes your room more zen. It seriously just makes everything better.

A good cast-iron pot is a rite of passage. It means you now know how to cook and appreciate delicious things. It also means you are ready to throw some awesome dinner parties.

Nothing will kill your newly-minted adult vibe quicker than serving wine in a water tumbler. Come on. You know better than that. Splurge on some wine glasses. We love this set because they are stemless (meaning less-tip-overable) and can double as cocktail or dessert vessels.

When people come over, you have to be able to offer them coffee. That’s just an adult rule.

Do you still use a Brita pitcher? News flash: Real adult people have filters that attach to their faucets. There are fancier ones you can get that hook up under the sink but this one tastes just as good and is way easier to install.

I was once at IKEA when a women in line in front of me, holding a set of cloth napkins, turned to me and said, “Just because you live alone doesn’t mean you can’t use real napkins.” It was weird and unprovoked. But, I have used real napkins at every dinner ever since.

Ironing sucks. Steaming is way easier and much more enjoyable. This steamer is also so small it stashes away easily and is great to travel with.

This is kind of a 2-for-1 deal. Every adult household has a good speaker. Sure, a phone in a glass works but ... just trust us on this one. While there are a lot of good, inexpensive bluetooth speakers out there, there are also a lot of good smart home assistants with pretty great sound. That’s where the Echo comes in. If you are going to pay for a speaker, why not have one that will also order garbage bags for you, right?

You will probably only need to buy one of these your entire life so make sure it’s a good one. With this kit on hand, you will be able to tackle most small projects around the house. Seriously, with the right tools, you can do most things yourself. Leave dad out of it.