marquise diamond.

That other post seems to be for people with money. But you don’t have money. So what do you actually need for your first apartment?

A bed. Not an air mattress. Not a blanket fort. Not a mattress pad with a fitted sheet over it. An actual bed. You’re going to try to avoid it, especially if you live in a city where bed bugs mean not buying a mattress from Craigslist. Beds cost money (unless you can take the one from your childhood bedroom, in which case, do that and use the couch when you visit home). But fuck it, you need one. If you’re desperate, you might go with a futon, but the futon you can afford will break with the quickness. You might also go with a mattress on the floor, which seems like a good idea until it suddenly seems really dirty, which is because mattresses need air flow to stay dry and sanitary. If you don’t have a box spring and don’t want to drop the $40 on a cheap bed frame, you can use these guys to build a platform, and if you find plastic drawers the same height, you can even build some storage in there.

A dresser. You will try to find a way around this. It will end up with your floor covered in clothes within a week. Just find a dresser on Craigslist or go to your local auction (a great place to find cheap furniture in general). And don’t buy a cheap dresser to build yourself from K-Mart or Wal-Mart, because it will break and it will likely be more expensive than a Craigslist/auction dresser anyway.

A TV. It doesn’t have to be new or huge or advanced. But you want a TV. Don’t try to skip the TV for something more trivial. You’ll regret that quick.

A couch. Specifically, an old, comfortable couch. One you don’t mind falling asleep on or letting guests sleep on. Don’t spend a lot of money. Couches will find you. Don’t overthink it. It’s your first apartment. Nobody expects you to have a perfectly curated adult home. Just get a comfy fucking couch. And if you get two, you can use cinder blocks to make stadium seating in your living room!

A table. You will ruin it, so get a shitty one. Learn your lessons on something cheap and disposable.

A full(ish) kitchen set. If these things don’t appear from your parents or your roommates’ parents, you need to buy a pot and pan set, silverware, a silverware organizer, at least one sharp knife (and let’s be honest, you’re gonna want a knife block and they’re only like $11), at least one mixing bowl, a colander, a cutting board, a couple of storage containers, plates, bowls, glasses, and mugs. You’ll figure out what else you need as you need it, based on your own kitchen habits. A lot of this can be picked up at the dollar store if you have one near you. And if you don’t bake often, disposable baking pans are your friend. 

Hand soap, dish soap, wash-your-ass soap. Nobody likes poor hygiene. You also need toothpaste and floss. And deodorant.

Flashlight and candles (nothing fancy). In case something goes wrong.

A plunger. In case something goes really wrong.

A toilet brush. Your momma probably never let the toilet form rings (or let you let that happen), so it might come as a shock how quickly and easily those shits form.

A shower curtain and liner. Or even just the liner. Don’t get the floor wet.

Sponges. You have no idea how many sponges you’ll need.

When buying used furniture: look in the cracks and under the edges for pin-sized brown/black spots. Bedbugs are tiny and they live in upholstery and any wood with enough crevices to allow it. You almost certainly won’t be able to see the bugs themselves, but they leave little spotted trails along seams and in places that don’t see a lot of light. You cannot get them out of furniture; it’s not worth the extreme measures it takes to do it.

Also, don’t forget laundry detergent and a rubbish bin and bin liners. Rubbish, laundry, and dirty dishes are 90% of the mess in a messy home and 99% of bad smells. Keep up with them and your home will always be at least clean-ish.

CLASSICAL

The old masters. I tried not to include most opera composers, since singing/lyrics interfere with concentration. Most of these playlists are at least an hour long:

Baroque (prancing through the flowers with royalty):

Albinoni

Bach

Corelli

Handel

Guerre

Purcell

Scarlatti

Telemann

Vivaldi

Classical (sipping tea with royalty while listening to their woes and gossip):

Beethoven

Haydn

Mozart

Paganini

Romantic (watching a heartfelt, teary-eyed scene in a soap opera):

Berlioz

Bizet

Borodin

Brahms

Bruch

Bruckner

Chopin

Dvorak

Field

Franck

Gade

Grieg

Liszt

Mendelssohn

Rachmaninov

Rimsky-Korsakov

Rubenstein

Saint-Saëns

Schubert

Robert Schumann

Clara Schumann

Smetana

Strauss II

Tchaikovsky

Wagner

Weber

Impressionistic (stargazing in an open field at midnight):

Debussy

Ravel

Late Romantic/Early Modern (dramatically confessing your love in the pouring rain):

Albéniz

Beach

Chaminade

de Falla

Dukas

Elgar

Fauré

Glazunov

Mahler

Respighi

Satie

Sibelius

Strauss

Vaughan Williams

Modern (these get sub-categories because they’re so different):

Emotional and moving

Barber

Bartok

Glass 

Holst

Ives

Kabalevsky

Kodaly

Poulenc

Schoenberg

Trimble

We’re off on an epic adventure!

Copeland

Grofe

Prokofiev

Tailleferre

Dramatic theme for every super villain ever

Adams

Musgrave

Shostakovich

Stravinsky

Tower

Curious and off-putting, but hypnotic

Cage

Higdon 

Rodrigo

Jazz hands and big city lights

Gershwin

Joplin

Milhaud

Still

Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Youtube Channels:

Classical Music

The Spirit of Classical Music

TopClassicalMusic

naxosorchestral

Classical Music11

There’s also playlists on Spotify (just go to Browse > Genres & Moods > Classical).

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CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL

Sometimes the old masters are too stuffy. I get it. Have some more long playlists from a few of my favorite contemporary artists:

Piano

Yiruma

Michael Nyman

Ludovico Einaudi

Brian Crain

Jim Brickman

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Joe Hisaishi

Yann Tiersen

Violin

Itzhak Perlman

Vanessa Mae Storm

Emilie Autumn (electric)

David Garrett

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EDM

Maybe you don’t like classical at all. That’s fine, too. Here’s some wub-wub to get your mind on track:

Aggressive & Intense (dubstep, deathstep, metalstep, etc)

Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Youtube Channels:

Glitch Mob

Excision

TheSupremeKronus

Chill & Melodic (chillstep, deep house, melodic dubstep)

Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Youtube Channels:

Pulse8Music

ChillYourMind

Fluidified

Upbeat & Dancy (electro house, club music, more chillstep)

Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) Youtube Channels:

Madeon

Paul van Dyk

Omnitica

There are countless other Youtube channels and mixes. You can also find some playlists on Spotify (Browse > Genres & Moods > Electronic).

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INSTRUMENTAL COVERS OF POPULAR SONGS

Here are a few channels to check out if you’re starting from nowhere:

Piano

Miri Lee 이미리 Pianistmiri -  pop, r&b, rap, some classical, rock, and k-pop

David Sides - pop, r&b, rap, some rock

oysterlovers - pop, r&b, rap, some classical and rock

The Theorist - pop, r&b, and rap

TheUnsungHeroine - pop & electronic/dubstep

YourPianoCover - mostly pop, a few rap

Steve Siu Piano - pop, country, classical, some rock and rap

Yoonha85TV - pop, rap, r&b, some k-pop

Brooklyn Duo (piano & cello) - pop

ThePianoGuys (piano & cello) - pop, r&b, classical, rock

Hour-long, yearly pop playlists by oysterlovers:  2013, 2014

Yearly pop medleys by AlexTanMusic:   2012, 2013, 2014

Violin

The Mad Violinist & SCO - pop, r&b, rap, dubstep

Lindsey Stirling - pop, r&b, rap, soundtracks, classical

Momento - pop & rock

Josh Vietti - pop, r&b, rap, rock, classical

JuNCurryAhn - pop, k-pop, classical, soundtracks

David Wong - pop, r&b, rock, rap

Bryson Andres - pop, r&b, rock, electronic

JasonYangViolin - pop, rock, rap, soundtracks

Of course, there are countless people who don’t have huge channels and maybe only a cover or two. The search bar is your friend. And don’t forget to make a playlist!

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VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS

Think about it, there are tons of people whose only job is to get the atmosphere of a game right by carefully composing the right music. And there are plenty of games with beautiful music. I love these playlists:

Remember Me (brilliant mix of electronic and classical)

Papo & Yo (relaxing and tropical)

Rayman Origins (springy, lighthearted, and amazing)

Rayman Legends (energetic, goofy, and wonderful)

Dark Cloud 2/Dark Chronicle (beautiful, bouncy, heart-racing)

To The Moon (dreamy and moving)

Kingdom Hearts (gorgeous, epic, breathtaking)

Mirror’s Edge (soothing and mechanical)

Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite (adorable 8-bit)

Alice: Madness Returns (odd, creepy, and carnival-esque)

Journey (peaceful and atmospheric)

Child of Light (melancholic and powerful)

Trine (epic and mystical)

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (mysterious and haunting)

Valiant Hearts (pretty and heartbreaking)

Walking Dead Season 1 (depressing and beautiful)

Braid (relaxing, Celtic vibes)

Botanicula (breathy, vibrant, playful)

Machinarium (earthy, futuristic, energetic)

Long, random playlists:  (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Youtube Channels:

VGameOSTs

SoundtrackVideoGame

Video Game Soundtracks

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MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS

Just like video games, movies rely heavily on music to set the mood for the audience. Here are some of my favorite playlists:

Studio Ghibli

Spirited Away

Howl’s Moving Castle

Princess Mononoke

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Kiki’s Delivery Service (x)

Castle in the Sky

My Neighbor Totoro

Ponyo

Porco Rosso

The Wind Rises

Grave of the Fireflies

random playlists: (1) (2) (3)

Classic Disney piano covers (1) (2)

Lord of the Rings

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Two Towers

The Return of the King

Amelie

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Coraline

The Secret of Kells

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

The Piano

Schindler’s List

Harry Potter

Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone

Chamber of Secrets

Prisoner of Azkaban

Goblet of Fire

Order of the Phoenix

Half-Blood Prince

Deathly Hallows pt 1

Deathly Hallows pt 2

You can also view a full list of Grammy Award-winning soundtracks here

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ANIME SOUNDTRACKS

You’ll look like weeaboo trash, but at least you’ll be concentrating. You might need to skip a few tracks here and there if they have lyrics (that messes up my concentration, at least). That said, here’s some recommended playlists:

Elfen Lied (flowy and pretty)

Tokyo Ghoul √A (powerful, electronic, heart-wrenching)

Samurai Champloo (funky, hip-hop, soothing, amazing)

Hellsing Ultimate (epic, funky, aggressive, but also sad and moving)

Death Note (emotional, edgy, rock n’ roll)

Attack on Titan (sometimes emotional & harrowing, sometimes epic & gritty)

Ghost in the Shell (hollow, lonely, mysterious)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (gritty, funky, upbeat)

Blue Gender (funky, badass, intense)

Mnemosyne (jazzy, upbeat)

Cowboy Bebop (sometimes smooth jazz, sometimes wild & funky)

Neon Genesis Evangelion (more smooth jazz)

Fishugi Yuugi (emotional, romantic)

Sailor Moon (happy & upbeat)

Cardcaptor Sakura (lighthearted, bubbly)

Inuyasha (epic, emotional, inspiring)

Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Youtube Channels:

Dolan Zoldhost

EpicAnimeRequiem

Epic San

MrAnimeSoundtrack

Erolox OST

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