'Bottom Drawer' for Uni

poppycracker

A sharp knife. Obviously not for leaving around in shared kitchens! Nothing worse than wanting to chop an onion or potatoes or something and not being able to find a sharp knife.

Nellie_the_Viking

The thing that I found most useful when I went off to uni, apart from an array of good recipes to use, was a well stocked "flavourings" set - chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, sage, celery salt, vanilla, almond, cardamom, cocoa, tabasco, Worcester sauce etc. It meant that even when I was scraping the barrel to make ends meet, I could still make my food taste good. Beans on toast or beans on a jacket were much more exciting if I could do them as curried, bbq, pizza flavoured etc. It also meant that I could produce different flavoured sponge cakes and puddings really easily.

lizziebabe

I used to go to car boot sales in the Summer before mine started uni, you can get cheap often unused kitchen stuff. So, it is not precious and doesn't matter if it breaks.

Get towels and bed linen etc during the end of Summer sales. Cheaper shops like Matalan, Tesco, Asda often have decent cheap stuff.

For food shopping go to Lidl or Aldi, your son needs to go with you so that he can see the cost of food etc. My son used to enjoy cooking but only used to buy value food and make it tasty with spices etc. In the Summer before he went we used to try out easy and cheap recipes.

Hope all goes well.

Artytarty

Useful box. Good idea, I'd add blu tac.
Mini first aid kit with headache tablets, plasters rehydration sachets etc.

theoretica

Artytarty wrote: »

Useful box. Good idea, I'd add blu tac.

But not on the walls, even if everyone else is doing it, they may be hit with damage payments for it!

Islandmaid

So,

Based on the brilliant info above, we have decided to start by making 3 boxes -

1 - first aid/ medicine box
2 - spices and herbs box (inc salt and pepper)
3 - a really useful box

I'll also buy a washing up bowl and fill it with tea towels, basic cleaning stuff and bin bags etc - the bowl will be useful to chuck stuff in to take from room to kitchen as well as less attractive uses....

Then once accomodation has been confirmed, we'll know more of what's needed.

I,ve just ordered him 'how to boil an egg' as a school leaving present - he can cook for us once a week till he goes, that should give him some cooking confidence

Thanks again - you are A wealth of knowledge

Owain_Moneysaver

Artytarty wrote: »

I remember Bristol hLls of residence recommending a door wedge. The bedroom doors have automatic self closers and it's a pain of yore popping in and out to the kitchen or neighbours rooms.

Some really modern halls with electronic door locks will detect doors wedged open and activate an alarm.

Ms_Chocaholic

Rather than buy him cheap pans/crockery for Uni, if you've got some you'd like to replace, send him with those and buy yourself new! That's what we did.

cbsexec

I do a present box for the youngsters off to uni who work with us. I asked the ones who had already had them what was the most useful things I had put in and came up with Box of biscuits (to share so you can meet people), door wedge - rooms in hall often have strong hinges but if you can wedge it open for a bit it helps to meet people, favourite choc bars (for homesickness), paracetamol! I also put the last lot I did in a washing up bowl (Always useful if not for washing up eg storing things, carry stuff, and another use I wont mention! I also put in plasters, tin opener, tin of beans, bottle of wine/beer, paper cups (sharing again), loo roll, washing up liquid, photo frame, mug etc. Hope this helps.

spadoosh

I remember from uni just having a tonne of stuff. Everyone brought a family pack of plates/cups, family sets of knifes forks and spoons, everyone brought communal cleaning stuff, everyone brought a washing up bowl, everyone brought a veg peeler (it goes on and on).

After a couple of weeks everyone was using everyone's stuff.


Id build up a store of staples if i did it again. So foods i liked that store easily (sweets and chocs). And then cosmetics so things like shampoo, deodorant, soap etc. Always resented spending money on cosmetics as it can take up a good chunk of your weekly shop.

Really like the costa coffee card idea.