Son/daughter going to uni in September 2012. What do we need to buy?

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  • Matress protector - some Uni's come with these bit I brought one and put it ontop of the other one to make the bed even more comfy.
    Quilt
    Pillows
    Bed covers - I brought two to save money on washing
    Printer - Most Uni's charge you to use the printer in the Library
    Clothes horse - saves money on using the tumble dryer
    Towels - Again I brought two to save money on washing
    Bath mat (if living in en suite accommodation)
    Toiletries - I stocked up on these when they were on offer and I didnt have to buy any until at least Christmas
    (Also as a christmas present my Mum brought me a basket full of toiletries so i've never had to buy toiletries since i've been here)
    Pots/pans - Tesco Value are what I brought and they have lasted fine
    Cutlery
    Plates/bowls - I brought two of each so if one broke I had a spare
    Glasses
    Mugs

    Thats all I can think of now.
    Also for freshers some shot glasses and maybe some cheap alcohol for predrinking before going out (i know thats what we did to save money!!)
    Poundland do a lot of disposable plastic glasses which can be washed which is a doog idea for Freshers week as many of my glasses got smashed because someone drunkly knocked one over!!

    I also brought roughly a weeks worth of shopping to cover me before my 1st loan came in before I came to Uni as well which was a huge help.

    Many places do delivery on shopping to student accommodation which costs about £3.00 to deliver (which is usually cheaper than bus fair and means you dont have to carry home loads of shopping on the bus!!) which also means you can order some shopping for your daughter if she is desperate!!
  • bouncydog1
    bouncydog1 Posts: 2,696
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    Forgot to add that I often forward DD money saving emails - £10 train fares etc as well as vouchers for cheap meals out and everything else I can think of. Result? She now does a voucher search before she buys anything -even a recent eye saved £20 - and always asks if shops give a student discount!
  • deb0020
    deb0020 Posts: 191 Forumite
    Essentials from my experience with a daughter going into catered halls.

    To help with getting to know people:-

    Full length mirror – DD was the only one on her floor with one and so lots of other girls popped in, especially on fancy dress nights.
    Something to prop door open with
    Alcohol
    Biscuits
    Sweets
    Tea, coffee

    Plates, glasses, cups, cutlery, Just because there are 3 meals a day provided does not mean they will not eat in their rooms.

    Clothes horse.

    All basics :- sellotape, scissors, safety pins, needle and thread, blu tac, change for laundrette, batteries, plasters, paracetomol, post its, drawing pins etc. All the things they are used to having provided for them at home.

    Knowing how to use a:-
    Microwave
    Toaster
    Washing machine
    Tumble dryer

    You would be surprised how many of my DD’s fellow students struggled with basic equipment.
  • Thought I'd give this a bump back to the first page.

    I had a " Parents Welcome Pack" from my kids university. Anyone else get one?
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  • My daughter got a welcome pack today. But doesn't know yet which accommodation she will be in. She is guaranteed a place in halls, but had to apply for 3. Each with different facilities (and prices :eek:).


    I am so excited for her and can't wait to start getting the things she will need, so glad I found this thread
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  • Hello not sure if this is in the right place so if necessary could someone put it right:o
    I am the mother of a child going to Uni in September 2012 and aside from all the issues with finance I know that I am going to have to get him a lot of other things like pots and pans etc. I thought we could start a thread advising each other of any bargains. Also any parents of currents students could advise of things they bought that either turned out to be really useful or a waste of time.
    To get the ball rolling. I went into B*S yesterday and they had an 80% off sale in the home section. I bought a two seasons duvet reduced from £55 to £16. Then I asked about a discount card I had which they didn't know how to work, so they asked if I was a student to which I said no but I am buying this for a student so they knocked another 20% off making it £13.20:D The quality looked O.K. and I thought this would be doubly useful as it covers all eventualities..hot/cold room and a spare duvet if friends come to visit. The uni he is hoping to go to has a shared kitchen and they advised not to buy lots of pots and pans as everyone brings them and for awhile they have 8 of everything, so my MIL is giving us a set of spare pans, so we won't have to fork out for them initially and we can suppliment them at a later date if need be.
    I am hoping by starting early on my purchases to get some bargains in the sales. Anyone else got any thoughts:money:

    Suggest making everything identifiable in the kitchen department.

    DD and No1 son daubed a spot of hammerite paint on all their items, not necessarily to prevent it from getting stolen but more as a point of ID especially if you are buying new stuff rather than taking items from the home. You'll be amazed what they can't identify as their own when its all in the same cupboard as 6 other people!

    So far the paint has lasted 4 years worth of washing up!!

    Also invaluable is the tin of sweets to share around with their new housemates on arrivals day. Helps break the ice! :D

    Defoe suggest 9 page list of 'what to take to uni' on Student Room site as already suggested.
  • vanoonoo
    vanoonoo Posts: 1,897
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    a sharpie pen, a book of stamps, a set or two of passport photos would all be useful
    Blah
  • Glad this thread has been bumped. Daughter has just found out her hall today, not what she wanted ( it's catered with a sink when she wanted self catered and en suite!) so she's gonig to try and phone them on Monday, but then we'll be using this to help us plan.
  • SuziQ
    SuziQ Posts: 3,042 Forumite
    I bought my DD a lovely small clothes airer for her room this week ( she has recently finished her degree) it was from dunhelm mill and it has a small foot print but is taller than average. It was £12 and came in lovely colours, lol.

    We bought a small, heavy duty lockable Filing cabinet when she first started Uni, to put her valuables and lap top in, she took it to each accommodation and it gave her some security. I know a serious thief would have got into it, but it would have slowed them down, and certainly stoped sticky fingers that her flatmates suffered from occasionally when they had parties!We got it from a second hand office supply shop for about £35.
    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it!
  • SuziQ
    SuziQ Posts: 3,042 Forumite
    edited 18 August 2012 at 11:15PM
    Having just read the full thread, I would just like to add my two-pennorth about helping your kids out at the start of this adventure. I shopped with my DD to get her stuff, we were really lucky that WIlkies had a mammoth sale on in July that year so we got a huge trolly full of stuff for less than£30!
    It's a big thing for a lot of kids, leaving home for the first time. I wanted her to be able to just enjoy the first few weeks without worrying about getting 'stuff' and I know she appreciated it. She learnt to cook before she went and ate really well and cheaply for the whole 4 years, budgeting carefully. Every time I saw her I wold give her a bag of shopping- the essentials like long life milk, tinned toms etc, plus a few treats I knew she wouldn't buy for herself. I put stuff away whenever I got a good deal, and she stored the tinned stuff under her bed in those pull-out under bed storage boxes. I would send her back also with home made cottage pie and pasta meals, split into reusable boxes to freeze- that was especially useful to her, when she was sitting exams as she could just pull out a ready made nutritious meal with little effort and get on with her work. When she was cooking she would make a double portion, having the second for her lunch the next day- so proud of her!

    On the other hand, one of her friends was just left to get on with it, and spent all her money very quickly in the first term, leaving her broke- and her mum furious. The second year that mum doled out her money like pocket money, leaving the poor kid with no feeling of independence at al. She learnt nothing from it, whereas if that mum had taken the time to teach her to cook, shop, budget- how different an experience it could have been for her!

    When I took DD back after a period at home I would take her to the Asda local to her digs and was always impressed with how she shopped. She actually came away from Uni with savings, never had any debt/overdraft and is a very resourceful, independant young lady now, so helping her did not hold her back or baby her in any way!
    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it!
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