Practical Housewarming Gifts

Housewarming gifts bring a lot of unnecessary clutter into a new resident’s life. Thoughtful gifts are not always useful, so here is a list of practical items for a housewarming party.

Liquid hand soaps come in many creative scents and bottle designs. After a move, a new resident will need a lot of home necessities. Give a set of liquid hand soaps to leave a nice touch in your friend’s new home or apartment.

Olive Oil and Salad Dressing

Your friend may miss many of the necessities of cooking because of their move. Specialty cooking ingredients like olive oil or salad dressing will check one thing off your friend’s grocery list.

Personalized Stamps

Have a customizable stamp made online or in an office supply store with the new address of your friend. It may be an unusual gift but, when it comes time to mail in bills, your friend will find this gift useful.

Picture and Art Hangers

If the art is not on the walls at your friend’s new place, it is helpful to give some hooks and wall hangers. With a variety of weight limits and hanging styles, buy an assortment as your gift.

Local Newspaper or Magazine Subscription

If your friend is new to the area, a great way to introduce them is the gift of current events and entertainment. A six month subscription to the Austin Chronicle is only $35 and a one year subscription to the Austin Monthly is only $14.94.

Subscription Box

With so many subscription boxes available it is easy to find one your friend might enjoy. Birchbox sends cosmetics every month and is available in male and female packages. Plated is a weekly subscription where you can pick your daily meals from an online menu.

Solar Powered Lights

If your friend’s new place has an outdoor area or a walkway to the front door, solar powered outdoor lighting can be a practical gift. These lights come in many colors and styles so try to find a set that matches your friend’s preferences.

Welcome Mat

A welcome mat is an easy and practical housewarming gift. You can find generic welcome mats at home improvement stores or you can customize a mat online.

Gift Cards

Lowe’s offers a 10% off moving discount in the USPS change of address form and Ikea offers $25 off purchases over $250 for the newly moved, so a gift card to a store with moving discounts is a practical housewarming idea. You can also buy your friend a gift card to a local restaurant with delivery to help during the long nights of unpacking.

Refrigerator Magnets

Refrigerator magnets are a practical gift that take some creativity. You can build a magnetic storage container out of vintage spice tin or craft your own DIY fridge magnet project.

Fire Extinguisher

Sometimes fire extinguishers come with a home or apartment, but it is a practical housewarming gift to give to a new resident. The most versatile fire extinguisher is a dry powder extinguisher which fights wood, paper and textiles, flammable liquids, flammable gases and electrical fires. However, the dry powder extinguisher does not cover cooking oil and fat fires, so consider purchasing a wet chemical fire extinguisher to cover all of the possible home fires.