Planning for son going to uni

jasperlil

Hi, my eldest is looking at going to uni this year.

Whilst we cant support him finacially(really would like to but know we just cant) we would like to kit him out with basics to start him off in his first month or two.

We are going to make him a food hamper and cleaning hamper to keep him going. 1 or 2 items a week in our weekly shop which should make a good start for him. Tins, packets,shampoo, soap, etc. With this we know what he likes so wont be a problem.

However we know he will need bedding , towels etc, but, not sure what to kit him out with like cutlery, plates, cookware wise.

Would like to pick bits up in the sales as we go along.

For those who have been to /going to or have family going to uni, could you please recommend items that will be really essential. Items that will get used on a day to day basis.

I know we have to wait and see what is provided when he finds where he is going and where he is staying, but , can make a start on essentials.
Thank you all :beer:

abailey54

Hi OP

I reckon a link to this website and the local freecycle would be pretty valuable

Is your son likely to cook? I think a sharp veg knife would be good since a knife in a shared house is likely to be pretty blunt due to being used a lot.

If he is likely to cook - what sort of thing does he like? For example, if he likes curries, a good set of spices will be useful as you only need a few other ingredients to make a nice nutritious curry.

Can't think of anything else other than the obvious, which like you said, might already be included in the accommodation

ViolaLass

If he's living in halls for the first year, it's very possible that bedding will be provided. After that, a basic set from Argos shouldn't cost much (I still use mine 10 years later so it was well worth it).

LisaLou1982

I'd check closer to the time. depending where he studies- they may include a lot in halls. however if not:

for his room:
bedding, duvet, pillow
towels
then whatever he normally has in his room.
he might want pins/blue tac to put posters or photos up

for the kitchen:
cutlery and crockery (set of 4 is enough)
usually halls Inc toasters etc but check closer to the time. likewise with utensils. otherwise they'll end up with umpteen bottle openers and corkscrew but no tin opener!!

hippihaz

when I went to uni ( 7yrs ago now!) my mum did something similar. is he living in halls? because usually you have to provide your own crockery, cutlery, pots pans etc but remember that the others he is sharing with will also bring things, so we ended up having 4 kettles and no toaster between 6 of us!
- my mum picked up a plate set in charity shop (4 plates, small plates, bowls and 4 mugs), this was good, because had enough if had a friend over and also if got slightly behind on washing up. Got baking tray x2, 'kiev' tray, 3 sauspan set, frying pan from supermarkets and this was enough to start with and enough if the other people in halls had decided we wouldnt share things. Tin opener, sharp knife, pair of scissors and a basic cutlery set (people will borrow these without asking most likely so cheap set) and extra pack of cheap teaspoons (they always disappear)
Things I also found very useful:
- spices, expensive to buy otherwise for students, mum got about 6 different ones and 4 'baking ones', lasted the yr.
- oxo cubes (seasoning and gravy).
- washing up gloves and liquid (you may end up doing a kitty for these but having some on first day, very useful!)
- freezer bags and tags.
- salt and sugar
- key ring with bottle opener on!
- white tack (for putting posters up)
- pack of cards (good ice breakers)
- tea towel and oven gloves
Hope that helps xx

Lunar_Eclipse

jasperlil wrote: »

However we know he will need bedding , towels etc, but, not sure what to kit him out with like cutlery, plates, cookware wise.

Do you have items he could take from home, if he even needs them? When I went to uni, there were basic cooking/crockery items in the 3 different accomodations I rented during that time (not halls.) I did take one of Mum's chopping knives, a pair of scissors, a better tin opener and few mugs from home with me though.

I also took a couple of tea towels, hand towels, bedding etc. None of this was ever provided.

In terms of food and other items, a basic stock of toilet rolls, handwash, shampoo, laundry detergent (& coins for the machine), pasta, rice and tinned items would be good. Space will probably be limited though so no need to go overboard.

Every term when I went back to uni (I was driven down but trained back), my parents took me to Sainsburys to do a shop before leaving.

Don't forget skills, these are far more important. He needs to know how to manage a budget, operate a washing machine, shop for meals and actually cook, if he doesn't already. Knowing how to clean a bathroom and how often would also be helpful.

Wyre

My lass went this year, and we are in the same situation in that we can't afford to send her money all the time. First things first, the Uni will want a deposit for halls. Ours was £250 payable way before she went. There will be a check in inventory, make sure he puts everything down and takes pictures, just as you would in a private let.

I would suggest no pins or blue tac unless he has a noticeboard. Any marks will be taken from his deposit! (Yes even in halls.)

He will probably need a couple of cups, plates, knives and forks. It's cheap enough to buy full sets but space is limited so he only needs to take a couple with him, and if stuff gets broken pick up replacements from the set next time he is home. In my lass's halls, kettles and toasters aren't supplied so someone in the flat will need to bring one. No utensils were supplied either, so a wooden spoon, colander and fish slice would probably be a good idea. It would be worth picking up some plastic/disposable cups for when he has friends over saves on clearing up broken china/glass when something gets dropped! A can opener, pair of scissors, bottle opener, and a sharp knife will all be useful. O and tea towels.

No bedding is supplied at my girl's place bar mattress protector. So sheets, duvet and case, pillow and case are needed.

Loads of notebooks and stationery - paper, pens, highlighters, post it notes, dividers. A decent usb stick and a portable hard drive are brilliant too - the eldest asked us to send a usb stick down to her after she has started as she hadn't thought she would need one. If your lad has laptop and printer so much the better but the library will have ones he can use if not.

My girl has just discovered the joy of home delivery shopping. She doesn't drive and walking round the supermarket either means she doesn't buy what she needs as she can't carry it, or she buys all the wrong things due to impulse buying. Before she went back after Christmas we sat down and did an internet shop from a supermarket that delivers - in her case Asda deliver to her halls. Yes it cost her £3 but it saved more than one trip and the added extras that always end up in the basket.

Set him up more than one bank account too. She has a student account that her loan and bursary go in to, and her normal account that her phone and other bills come out of. She also has a savings account. When her loan comes in, she pays her rent, transfers out enough money to cover her phone bills 'til the next payment, pays for her next coach trip home, does a big shop and puts half of what is left into the saving account. What is left is her money to live on and have fun with until the next payment.

She is looking for a job down there but so far hasn't gone into her overdraft (bar at the beginning of the year when her student loan was late in and her rent had to be paid), hasn't got any credit cards and hasn't starved!

LandyAndy

Way too early to start buying specific things.

Wait until you know where he is going and what they provide.

Much better to put aside the money you are planning to spend on food etc right now and use it nearer the date.

Mojisola

LandyAndy wrote: »

Way too early to start buying specific things.

Wait until you know where he is going and what they provide.

Much better to put aside the money you are planning to spend on food etc right now and use it nearer the date.

Agree with this. You'll find places like Dunelm have "new students sales" in the run-up to uni starting and you'll be able to pick up everything he needs cheaply.

It's worthwhile getting him to go on the students' forum and finding out from people already at his uni of choice what they found useful and what they never used.

brook2jack

My daughter has just gone to uni and son will be next .Both have a copy of Delia Smith bought from charity bookshelf.

Both have had to plan ,buy and cook food for a daily of four based on a ten pounds a weeks budget per person. It has made them converts to market shopping rather than supermarket.They have also both built up a loose leaf folder of favourite recepies.

After an incident at home both now know how to locate and shut off stopcocks, change a blown fuse, locate and change fuses,reset trips in fusebox and both have a small basic tool set. Daughter has a carbon monoxide alarm ready for rented accommodation.

Both have sewing kits and can carry out basic repairs, buttons zips etc .

Both have first aid kits. The one at uni has added dioralyte,paracetamol,lemsip etc. Also as she has hearing aids she started to take responsibility for all appointments etc before uni and we made sure she filled out a hc 1 form when she was 19 to help with medical costs. Did make sure she got eye check and new glasses just before uni when it was still free.

We bought hardly any kitchen stuff, friends and family cleared out cupboards. However start thinking about how you're going to transport this stuff. Save boxes or better still big plastic packing crates now, as moving lots of plastic bags at beginning or end if term is a pain. Also see if you can borrow a trolley to transport stuff. Often car park is miles away from halls.

Student cards such as nus cards are sometimes on special offer £1 last year and get alot of discounts. Rail and coach cards also more than repay money spent.

Finally they need a job in the summer before they go. Looking for a job in vacations from uni is difficult due to time frames. Better if they have a job they can slot back into. Daughter worked for an agency doing factory work,so now on holidays she rings up just before she arrives home to arrange shifts.Very hard and dirty work but this Christmas she put quite a few hundred in her savings.

Wyre

Brook2jack has some good points that I didn't even think about as she has been going to Cadets since she was 12. So a decent first aid kit is essential as is knowing how to sew (buttons and hems). A few medicines - painkillers, cold and flu remedies will help. I can definitely recommend an eye test while it's free too. Knowing how to iron and use the washing machine will be advisable.

If you are on a tight budget buying a bit of food as you go isn't a bad idea, but as others have said don't buy/acquire through friends and family the big items yet.

Do you know what unis he is looking at?