10 things to buy when living in Korea.

Happy summer, and welcome back to my blog!

I have fished around in my brain for things to write about, that relate to Korea.

As opposed to the abundant amount of blog posts about what to pack when coming to Korea, and what to buy when visiting Korea, I have not seen any posts about what to buy when living here.

If you are anything like me, you delay buying things that you need and end up buying it a year or so later. You then think to yourself, ‘why didn’t I buy this sooner?’…
This has happened to me multiple times in the last 4 years.

So, to prevent you wasting time and avoid regret, I present to you…

10 things that you should buy when living in Korea.

Check out my other lists, here.

Electric blanket

If you have to buy just one thing from this list, please buy this! My electric blanket has saved me from freezing to death in the winter. While Korea is crazy hot in the summer, the winters could not be more opposite. While a duvet can keep you warm, the cozy heat you get from using an electric blanket is irreplaceable.
For my female readers, electric blankets are also a God-send when you are on your period! Gets rid of my lower back pain almost instantly.

While this is not the heated pad that I use, here is a similar one.
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Dehumidifier

Korea is known for having 4 seasons. When I first moved to Korea, each season was 3 months long. What nobody told me was that the summers here are incredibly humid.
As I have only ever lived in 1 house until I moved to Korea, I’m not sure how accurate this is but, I think Korean houses are not built as well as my very old house in London. This means, mold forms very fast. Molds annoying cousin is water.
I regret not buying a dehumidifier in my first year, as I would have avoided sticky summers and countless times trying to scrub mold.

Buy a mini dehumidifier here!
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Humidifier

I know, why would I suggest the complete opposite item to the one I have just mentioned. Well, two reasons. First, everyone is different. Second, Korea is wet in the summer, but it is extremely dry in the winter.
When the winter is as cold as it gets here, you need to put the heating on. But the heating does make the air dry. I suffer from nose bleeds sometimes in the winter and I guess it is because the dry air. After I used a humidifier, the nose bleeds stopped and my skin was not dry anymore.
However, a warning, please make sure you clean and disinfect your humidifier as it could be very bad for your health.I am in love with this humidifier lamp!
Rice cooker

Many of my lucky friends moved into their apartment with a rice cooker waiting to greet them. I however, was not so lucky.
Now, I do not like rice. I can go months or years without eating it. But, a rice cooker is basically a slow cooker and steamer! You can make multiple things in their and it is very compact and cheap.
Whenever my Korean friends visited my house, they always asked where the rice cooker was and they would look at me like I had just offended their entire heritage. Avoid crushing your Korean friends hearts by buying one!

Here is a like to a cute 1-3 person rice cooker.
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Mini oven

Again, this one might not seem necessary, but I only bought mine a year ago and I can say that I am SO glad that I bought it. This should have been the first thing I bought when I got here because I love to bake. Not only baking. When I think about what kind of foods I used to eat back home, I almost always made things in the oven.
Mini ovens are around the same size as a microwave. More importantly, they get the job done!I have no regrets! Here is my mini oven!
Shower head water purifierNow, I must admit, I have not bought this yet. But, I am including it in my list as most of my friends in Korea have used purifiers and they love them.
The water in Korea is softer and I guess less chemically treated than water in London. So the water here has already done wonders for my hair.
I am not sure about the water in other cities in the world but most of my friends have used these purifiers as they had seen negative changes in their hair and skin condition.
As soon as I finish this post, I will order a purifier and possible give you a blog post about the benefits or cons of it!This is the most famous water purifier I have seen.
Fan

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the summers here are intense. I came from London, where 25 degrees is considered a heat wave! To Korea, where 25 degree is an average spring day.
Most houses in Korea are already installed with air conditioning, but air conditioning is extremely expensive in Korea! So, I suggest buying a fan as it is more cost-effective and if you end up living in a place without an air conditioner, you are set!

Also, handheld fans are so handy when you are out and about in public!
You can buy the Standing fan that I use here.
Vacuum

Most housing in Korea has vinyl plank flooring. I never realised how much hair I and Aurora shed. Not only that, but how fast dust forms! Having a vacuüm makes cleaning so much easier than using a swifter or sweeping.
While I still use my swifter, I use my vacuum almost everyday to get rid of Aurora’s fur in a time-saving way!There are many vacuum cleaners but here is a cheap but sturdy one!
Brita water purifier

Apparently, Korea’s tap water is drinkable. Not many Korean people drink the tap water, for I think the same reason people from London don’t drink tap water. It smells funny, the water system is old and it is well-known that the water is chemically treated.
However, drinking bottled water is terrible for the environment and Eco system.
Many Korean’s live in apartments and they have a water dispenser or water filtered installed. But for us foreigners, we never know when we will be moving next and water dispensers are like phone contracts, you have to sign a 2 year contract. So I suggest buying a Brita water purifier! It is slim enough to fit into your fridge, so you can also enjoy chilled water in the summer!Buy your own one here!
Padding

As mentioned above, the winters here are incredibly cold. At first I thought that I could survive with my winter jacket from back home. I later realised how mild British weather is and how extreme Korean weather is!
My second winter in Korea, I purchased a big padded coat and I realised that I had stopped complaining about the coldness!
If you will be here for the winter, make sure you buy padding!Sorry, I have no link for padding. However, in winter they are easy to find everywhere. I will recommend Discovery expedition!