For coffee you might look at an Aeropress, if you’re only making one cup at a time. Cheap, reasonably durable, and make some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.

This may depend on personal preference and your shoe/carpet policy, but if you like sitting on the floor/sitting at a low coffee table you can get floor cushions. I got four or so from Daiso (called zabuton) in alternating colours. They add colour to a space that’s often unoccupied and make the floor a bit more cosy

consider a rug

Space Heater

Try a heated blanket. You can warm yourself directly, without having to heat the whole room.

Seconding the electric tea kettle, basic toolkit, and vacuum. Also you’ll want a good mop, the tornado ones are really efficient. Sweep first, then mop. If you keep shoes on a shoe rack then you won’t have to worry about cleaning as much/often

If you don’t live in an arid or semi-arid climate, a dehumidifier is a must; 60% humidity and above will mold things faster in your kitchen, promote mildew, and just feel hotter in general.

Having plenty of chairs and table space is important. 5-gallon buckets are cheap storage and double-purpose as bottom-tier stools, but stackable chairs are better, and can be condensed to the space of just 1 or 2 chairs. If you find yourself keeping everything on the table, you probably need shelves. (In a pinch, you can use cinder blocks and 1x6 dimensional lumber for shelving, and still pull off a DIY aesthetic.)

Make sure your bed rises far enough off the ground that you can put storage totes or shoeboxes underneath it. Bed risers can help with this but a higher frame is best.

A space heater is a good idea to “heat people, not rooms”. For yourself and for guests during the winter, put extra blankets on a couch and chairs.

House plants, rugs, lamps and wall art go a long way towards making stuff look more adult-like and “complete”.

As far as amenities go, a space heater is pretty meh and they cause a fair amount of house fires. Don’t recommend it. Someone said heating blanket which I will second if you’re trying to save cash.

Rice cookers are great, but honestly rice isn’t that hard in a pot so I would prioritize other stuff first.

Bidets are life changing, and they help save on toilet paper which is nice.

The French press is a really cheap purchase for making coffee and quite versatile.

Oh and if you have a place to compost, use a coffee canister for food scraps. Food in the compost, rinse off anything with food residue. If you have this, plus a nearby place to recycle stuff, your trash won’t stink, and you won’t go through as many trash bags.

Bidet is god-tier. Get one – even a cheapo cold only one is good, but if you have a few hundred saved, Costco often has sales on a pretty solid Toto model that’s pretty no-fuss. I had a Tushy once, and getting the hot water from the bathroom sink was a pain.

Also, learn how to use drywall anchors for hanging shelves and shit – you can buy a 4 dollar tube of spackle when you move out and patch any holes yourself.

Bidet definitely. I refuse to poop anywhere else now.

Peg boards are really handy for hanging pots and pans and save you a lot of cabinet space

Similarly installing small shelves in the kitchen area for spices frees up counter space.

Ricer cooker with a steam tray on top, just remember you’ll need more water when cooking rice and steaming something at the same time. I love cooking tamales and steam baos from in mine

Cold brew coffee maker

get yourself a french press, it can do hot and cold!

Non meme answer, as a line cook:

• Get a good kitchen knife. If a YouTuber has sponsored it, it’s probably overpriced (and honestly, quality varies from bad to just above average). A Chinese caidao/vegetable cleaver is versatile and durable, although possibly a bit intimidating because it’s larger than Japanese/French knives. A Shi Ba Zi Zuo will be fine for domestic use for years, very affordable, holds its edge quite well, kind of heavy but unlikely to be strenuous unless you’re dicing vegetables for hours on end, and even so weight helps with cutting. Holding it is slightly different to a western pinch grip but should be easy to adjust, huge blade surface area allows for it to rest on your knuckles if you wish usage shown here. You can use it as a bench scraper as well. Get a paring knife for things that require a bit more dexterity and you’re set.

• Get a biiiig chopping board. Just as large as you can reasonably clean in your sink.

One of the main steps from “livable” to “cute” is rugs and throw blankets for your furniture. They’re good for decoration, but they also keep you warm. You can thrift them.

Go to a second hand store or a yard sale or the like. Pick of some cheap pieces of art that look nice to you. Don’t worry about tacky or classy, just whatever you vibe with. My wall is filled with an eclectic assortment of random pieces and if it’s all random, it goes well together.

Also an electric kettle is really useful, but if you’re fresh from college you might already have one.

sex swing

Art is huge, but cannot recommend throw rug enough.

Stuff that looks ugly in a thrift store comes alive when put against apartment carpet or vinyl flooring. Absorbs sounds too.