I need some suggestions of what to give as a gift for a housewarming party.

It's my first 'housewarming' invite so I am pretty clueless...
I do have a budget since I am a student, but I don't want to be seen as too cheap.
I will be travelling by transit, so it can't be too heavy...

Any ideas?

an appliance! a toaster? a blender? a potted plant?

worse comes to worse...a gift card to ikea perhaps?

i only bought one house warming gift...a few of my friends and i chipped in to buy our girl friend a microwave lol

For my housewarming party, my best friend got me a bucket filled with cleaning products. She put Lysol sprays, wipes, Mr. Clean, sponges, Febreze air fresheners, Windex, and other goodies in it. It was by far my favourite gift because it was practical - I've already used them all up. But I think those type of gifts work well if you're really close with the person.

Other people gave me home decor, such as scented candles (which I love love love), and picture frames. Another also baked me a batch of cookies!

Is it their first time out on their own or do they already have all that they need?

how much did you want to spend?

i got my sister a geoge foreman grill for her housewarming

My friend bought a beanbag chair as a housewarming gift.. really useful!

Adding a few more details

The host is a 'he' if that makes any difference. It is not a "first time out on their own" experience-moving closer to the school he is attending. As for price range, anything goes I guess, but no I don't think a grill is in the works lol...

Thanks for all of the suggestions, keep them coming!

Hmm, here's some random ideas:

1. Rock band poster or his favourite movie poster
2. Frame a record (vinyl) from one of his fav bands as a piece of art
3. Cactus! It's an easy to manage plant, but he'll always remember it because it's weird
4. Heineken mini-keg, six-pack of beer, or gift basket of some specialty beers (usually sold by the bottle in the liquor store)
5. One of those old neon signs that says Corona or something like that
6. Champagne (to celebrate!)
7. Board game or cards/poker chips to host friends

Do you know how big his place is and what he has and doesn't have? Is it possible to chip in with a few friends and get him something he really needs? If you're getting something on your own and going by transit then you'd probably just want to bring something small.

Bottle of wine
gift basket(you can create your own)
gift card

If he's already got the basics, I'd go with things he could use to entertain guests
Perhaps a gift basket type thing. You could do a liquor one (with an alcohol mixing guide, a martini shaker set and maybe some liquors) or a fondue one (with a fondue pot, melting chocolate and fuel), a movie one (with munchies, microwave popcorn, flavour shakers and a popcorn bowl).
For individaul (non gift basket) gifts:
- Bottle of alcohol (liquors, wine, giant corona bottle)
- Funky shot glass or martini glass set
Hehe, based on my gift ideas it looks like I'm some sort of alcoholic. I really don't drink very often though...

I'm pretty sure it's an appartment. Nice and small lol.

Some interesting suggestions, too bad he doesn't drink.
So far I think I've narrowed it down. For sure something that is memorable

How about a plant? Bamboo? Sunflower? o-o
Table cloths? x)

if it's a housewarming party
you can probably bring a platter of
food to share as gift, it's cheaper that
way and other guests will appreciate it too

ex. make your own mini sandwich platter or cheese platter