22 Foxhole East

kerri_gt

Not sure how useful this would be to DS1 but my mum bought me this for uni (self catering halls but in a flat set up) https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Boil-Egg-Jan-Arkless/dp/0716022206/ref=asc_df_0716022206/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310882654267&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14806000303401747282&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006906&hvtargid=pla-562865754139&psc=1

It's still one of my fav books now. 

Oven gloves are one thing I found useful. I know you can use a tea towel but ugh to handling a greasy tray with the cloth I'm going to wipe clean plates with,  and a single laye tea towel usually isn't thick enough to get really hot trays out ovens.

Chopping board was another useful thing. 

f0xh0les

Good suggestions, keep 'em coming! 

He has been told he will get £11k for living loan, and £9k for fees - he has also been told he does not have to spend it all!!! £20k debt for his first year of 4.   The flat is not en-suite - they were all chosen by people who applied at the right time in June. So he has a communal bathroom which is cleaned daily, and anything left in there will be taken and binned - they have been warned!.  The kitchen will be cleaned weekly.  He is not allowed to stick anything on the walls of his room, and there is a weekly room inspection (I think it is more a 'head in the door - nope, not a cannabis farm / brothel / animal sanctuary' kind of inspection - the  rooms all had a mini fridge up til June, but they have removed them to be more eco friendly.  No fridges, heaters, fairy lights that plug in, toasters, kettles etc allowed in the bedrooms - but I bet hairdryers and curling tongs are allowed, and are just as dangerous in my book.

I never thought of halls as being cold.  How odd - yuck to bed bugs though - mind you I remember cockroaches in one of  the student halls in Germany. Urgh. Good call on the mattress protectors - if they keep the halls on the cold side, maybe I should send him with a double duvet rather than a single. He can wrap himself up and fantasize he is a sausage roll. 

I think it is starting to feel a bit more real to DS1, he keeps appearing in doorways and asking 'how do I.....?' questions.

Baileys_Babe

The double duvet sounds like a good idea, particularly if you have an old one he can take.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Agree re double duvet especially as you could find he goes from a single bed to a double if he lives in a student house for subsequent years; that's what happened with my DD2 who lived in 2 different houses in years 2 & 3 (& same now she's going to do a Masters) .  DD2 also had a padded mattress protector so it made the bed more comfy.  Definitely lots of tubs for food & maybe those reusable net bags for veg so no food has to directly touch the surface of the inside of the fridge  

clyndu

Potato peeler.

The_Lady_Sarah

On m’y first day of term dad bought me 3.5 kilo bag of pasta twirls ….. just in case….. come end of term me and three friends used to share the bag - one would provide cheese - one tomato sauce - one veggies and all together pasta bake for at least a week! 

Did it every term and didn’t need emergency loans!! 

redofromstart

Double duvet is much better if you end up sharing a single bed.  *coughs*
I bought myself a really good kitchen knife (in the basement of Leicester Fenwicks!), which I still own 30 years on.

apple_muncher

silicon oven gloves?

one of those egg laundry things?

VintageHistorian

I agree with the double duvet, and a hot water bottle, and also a blanket of some kind so that on the rare occasions he's working at his desk he can have something wrapped around his legs or torso if it's chilly.

In my experience the heating was never put on in halls of residence until November so the last week or two of October, particularly those months that had a very early frost, could get quite cold at night.

I don't remember my halls having a mattress protector provided, but I think they had one thin pillow and a ratty-looking duvet provided, both of which were consigned to the bottom of the wardrobe until I moved back out. I think they're mostly provided so international students don't show up for their first night with no bedding to speak of, but it's much nicer having your own (much cleaner) things!

f0xh0les

Just had confirmation  of DS3 & 4's embroidered school PE uniform having been dispatched.   So that has about 10 days to get here.

I ache today. Really sore around the kidneys, taking a deep breath hurts, probably a bit due to the running yesterday, but just urgh!! I hurt everywhere.   Whine over.

So I baked a walnut and plum soda bread, some shortbread, a tray of brownies, and made a shepherd's pie for supper that they decimated.  I expected there to be a few portions left to go and live in the fridge, but no, they ate every scrap, and then asked for more.   They then ate a brownie, then asked for more - I said no.  They could not possibly still be hungry, they just wanted ..... I pointed them at the fruitbowl, they were not interested.  What kind of a freak says no to a mango?   One that was not really hungry!

Managed to clean bits of the house, feed everyone, take DS1 off the child benefit claim, do some admin, and not a lot else. Hot bath helped a bit this morning, hope I feel better tomorrow morning or work will not be fun.