Have you any MS tips for me in my first flat alone!?

nesssie1702

How are you planning on storing your clothes? Will you have a telly?

Is the studio shelved, so that you can store things on that? I used to have a small room when I flat shared as a student many years ago and there were four long shelves in the room that I used for putting baskets on. The baskets contained a real mix of things, from my bank statements and other correspondence to creams and cosmetics as well as folders and books.

Sounds like fun and hopefully you'll enjoy your time there. What else are you planning on growing on the balcony? Do you have a folding chair or cushion that you can use if you're sat out there? Failing that I'm sure that the DIY stores will do the plastic garden chairs for around the £5 mark?

rachbc

Skint_Catt wrote: »

5 for 40p IS 8p each

yes BUT 8p each means you can buy as few as you need at the bargain price rather than having to buy 5!

nimbo

with fridges they do like to be full to maintain the coldness, but they should be less full to allow air to circulate inside as this will help food last longer.

freezers should be ram packed though.

if you have space to grow small pots on the balcony, then grow herbs, as the seeds will be cheap, and will help add a bit of flavour to food that could otherwise become a bit samey...

have a good 'break'!!!!

miss_keep_counting

Skint_Catt, does Stardrops not bleach a little? I'd be worried using it on coloured clothes? I'll give it a go but I don't mind the idea of buying non-brand powder and mixing it up in the hot water with a spoon before adding the clothes... and ah... Poppy, no bath, my bathroom is a toilet with a shower over it, like a wet room, no sink! So I'm going to try drying over the rails of my balcony when sunny and I have a small fold out ikea table with bars which I can hand things inside on... I think I'm going to have to do small daily washes or save washing when it's not sunny.

LilyKim, I'll ask the the landlord, I know I can change suppliers to cheaper ones. Would a watermeter cost him money to install?

Reverbe, I'm really touchd by how much help people have been it's giving me to confidence that this trip is the best choice for me, and a lot of the tips are priceless

It's not that I can't have mail sent, it's more that I don't want to. It's a communal entrance with a letterbox so all mail will fall on the floor, I've rented all sorts of places in the past one being a bedsit with a similar hallway. I've had all sorts of personal mail 'vanish' or 'never turn up' including bank details. I now have it all sent to my mums and pick it up every once in a while. Maybe when I settle in I'll get freebies which will have none of my personal details on it sent there to see what arrives, but I just don't want to risk people having access to my mail. If it was my own bought studio or I was there for a year I may buy a metal lockable mail box to put outside but not sure if it would be worth it for this summer.

I haven't joined the library yet as I'm moving on tuesday, but good point with needing proof of address! I may try beinging my rent contract and see if they'll accept that.

Nesssie I'm debating buying this lovely metal clothes rail with shelf storage but it may be to big for the room!! So my back up in £20 metal and material storage unit on wheels from ikea which wont take up much space. I wont have a tv no, but I barely watch it and will have dvds on my laptop.

I think a fold out chair I can use inside with my desk and sewing machine or outside will be good. I'm also bringing two big fluff cushions I can sit on. So far I have 3 massive old strawberry plants to bring, some seeding salad I need to pop in a pot and I'm bringing some more rocket and some tomato seeds to plant up. I'm probably going to need to buy a small bag of compost and bring some pots for when the tomatos get bigger. Not sure what else is good to grow, I'll have to take a look out for part grown pre potted plants.

Thank you nimbo, freezer full, fridge part full. I hadn't thought of growing herbs, I'll take a look for some good ones, a little lavender bush would be nice

QueenBeruthiel

Miss, there should be a Tourist Info Centre in Brighton. They might have free town maps and other useful info.
Check out your local authority website for info about amenities too.

Skint_Catt

There's no bleach in Stardrops? It can be used for washing up aswell as anything else and I wouldn't want to wash dishes in bleach!

Flying_Fire

miss_keep_counting wrote: »

So where do I need your help??
Lastly, is anyone here from Brighton? Do you know cheap places to shop, are there fruit stalls, good butchers? Anything cheap I can do? Best library?

Hi Miss
I don't live in Brighton any more, we moved to small town 8 miles along the coast. My husband works there and I'm there often. We lived there 7 years first as students and then poor newly weds.

The place to go for fruit and veg and over cheep eggs and some meat is The Open Market, It is near Level, or there is access off London Road. www.openmarket.org.uk has all the information about it.

Also on London Road there is a new Aldi, I can't say how good it is as I've not been there yet. Come to think of it I believe there is a butchers on London Rd too, but we are both vegi so I could be wrong.

From what you say about how far you are from the marina ect, you are quite close to the Lidil on eastern road, again I've not used it but some of my halls friends used it and found it good.

The best library for you to get to is Jubilee Library, its the largest library in the Brighton and hove library service, its not far from the Pavillion, lovely light and airy and has a computer suite where you can access the internet. www.citylibaries.info is the place to look, you should be able to use your tenancy agreement, or any franked envelope with your address on.

There is a very comprehensive bus time table magazine produced twice a year, the present one has not long come out. Can pick one up either of the One Stop Travel Shops, there is one at Brighton station and one at the Old Steine.

The tourist information office looks like its now based at the Pavillion with the shop, its worth popping in there as they will have some maps of the city and lots of other information too.

Have a look at the city website www.brighton-hove.gov.uk there is so much useful information on there, and often have information on free events in the city. Not sure quite when you are moving down, but the Brighton festive and the Fringe are on in may and there are loads of free or cheep events going on.

Hope that lot makes sense to you, if you have any more questions, just ask,
FlyingFire

ellawood

Hi just a little tip for drying clothes I have a plastic oval shape frame it has 20 little pegs that hang down they are very cheap about 1.30 and you can fit on lots of bit like socks underware and I have used it to dry stappy tops as well you can move it a round very easily inside and out HTH

Teresita_2

Im so inspired by this thread and wish you all the luck. Wish i had, had the bottle to do it (sounds right just looks odd when typed). I can't wait for me and the boys to get our own place and will take all these tips in to consideration when I do. Good luck and there is always skip diving ive seen on tv. Never had the bottle myself but have seen what they can get from them and OMG id be rich if I didnt have to set foot actually inside my local Tesco.

Snowy_Owl

If you're ever sorting through your clothes and want to get rid of tsome, either ebay or something like that or if they are M&S/Per una, take them to Oxfam shop s and you'll get a £5 voucher for markies. The voucher only lasts for a month though. I have a bag of stuff under my bed just waiting to be traded in for when I next need something!!

Snowy