She's off to uni in a few weeks - what does she really need to take?

[oldenoughtowearpurple]

So DD is off to self-catered uni accommodation for her first year. The accommodation is downright palatial - ensuite, new-build flats for 4-6 mixed sex sharers (not like it was in MY day, I can tell you).

What does she really need to take with her? all hints and tips gratefully received.

My mum bought me a good frying pan, a decent kitchen knife and a Le Creuset casserole dish.

You may , but I've still got them 22 years on (and they were well used for the 4 years). I did cook a lot though.

I am actually looking forward to giving dd all my old stuff and getting new for MEEE!!

Mugs etc but also tea/coffee/biscuits etc for sharing during moving in day.
Essentials like washing powder to start her off
Staples/string/bluetack/those releaseable sticky things for hanging posters/drawing pins
A magic £20 (note in an envelope that can be pinned up behind a poster for emergencies)
Relevant chargers for her electrical bits & bobs
Fave books/CDs. teddy (honest, you'd be surprised)/duvet etc - things to make it homely.
Posh frock (they often put on a freshers' ball)
Don't get books until she gets there - there will be offers on the course books locally, but if you see good offers on things like paper, A4 notebooks etc might be worthwhile getting now. Also stickyback plastic - the books I bought in first year are still fab because I covered them, later ones much more dogeared!
If a wetroom rather than true shower in the ensuite then a couple of cheapy bathmats as everything will get wet otherwise. I'd have said crocs if not ensuite.
TV licence if she's taking a TV.

At the end of uni I was back in halls for a while and by then had everything I needed in a citroen AX. It didn't move fast when full but had everything including 12" tv and video/dvd machines, kettle, microwave, own duvet & pillows, clothes, computer and everything else!

Yes Sainsbury's do a student card - like a gift card, you keep one half and the student has the other and you can top it up.

IME it's just a shame it doesn't have an alcohol restriction on it..............

I took a bottle of tequila - made lots of friends very quickly

Extension leads
Door wedges (flats now have door closers on every door which makes it like a prison if you don't illegally wedge them)
Corkscrew/bottle opener
Cafetiere+ ground coffee and mugs - easy way to impress people
Thick old blankets for putting over the crap mattress especially if it's plastic-coated.
Decent duvet or extra blankets for when it gets cold
Hangers
Small and large knives for cooking, spatula, saucepan, tin opener. Don't really need more.
Towels and bathmats
Screwdriver, pliers, ball of string, roll of gaffer tape. Solves most problems!
Pens, passport photos, ID and photocopies of it

very useful thread, thanks.

I saw that sainsburys card the other day, excellent idea.
Love the idea of me getting the new stuff and giving DS the old crap

Some tips on here - have to confess an interest, in that it's DS's website.

www.studentgiftpacks.co.uk/advice/info_15.html

Also, if anyone here is interested, I have some tickets for the UCAS fair for freshers that's being held at Earl's Court first weekend in September. Let me know if you'd like some.

Not sure anyone's mentioned the Student Book Card. You can load it with money so the student can buy books at the university bookshop (if she/he hasn't managed to find secondhand copies).

Surely no-one takes a TV? The licence is such a waste of funds. They all watch stuff on their laptops instead.

All uni towns have prices slashed in Freshers Week, on all the essentials (and some non essentias too). I could have saved loads if I'd known.

I'd second the strong opaque mattress protector. As strong and opaque as possible.

I wouldn't send thick blankets though - everything which manages to come back comes back filthy and blankets cost a fortune to dry clean.

Sending a DC off with old stuff and replacing it with new is an excellent idea.

ajandj ooh, I read about that studentgiftpacks website in a newspaper yesterday, must take a look. UCAS fair sounds interesting, will ask DS if he wants to go.

Lilymaid book card sounds very useful too. I had thought I'd be much better off financially when DS went to Uni but somehow I think not!

mumofsoontobelawstudent
Let me know if you want tickets and I'll post them out to you. Just message me your address.

• Definitely a mattress protector. My DD was in hall at Bristol and they didn't provide one. (do check what size bed they have as even in halls they vary)
• a selection of coins for the washing machine and dryers. In our case it was 20p and 50p. It usually says what coins you need in the student handbook.

Is she able to get in touch with others who she'll be sharing with . DD2 did and they found out what sort of things others were brining. So they didn't all bring the same and could share. EG DD2 bought a sandwich toaster and another girl bought an iron. A similar thing happened with DD1 but she waited until she got there and then the girls looked to see what they still needed. I did with both girls buy them a couple of saucepans. Some kitchen utensils. Cutlery and crockery. We also did a small food shop when we dropped them off. It was easier with DD1 as she was at uni in the same town as us so could come home if she needed anything. DD2 is 3 hours drive away from us. Oh yes we bought a cable for DD1 so she could connect her laptop to the Internet socket.

Bought DS some fab things in Lakeland plastics. Got a 'poach pod' for his eggs and a fabulous bag to put sandwiches in that then go in the toaster for no mess toasted sandwiches. (DD has previous for turning toaster on side to do cheese on toast and wanted to avoid incidents like that!)

ajandja very kind of you, have asked DS and will PM you if he'd like to go

Oh yes those toastie pocket things are great. I sent some to DD2 and she lives them. Got them in poundland so a lot cheaper than Lakeland ones.

ooh, are the poundland ones any good? Lakeland ones apparently can be used 500 times. DS asked if he needed to keep a track of how many times he'd used them! What is it they say about lots of intelligence?

Fab mattress protector/mattress cover for those uncomfortable hall beds (especially good for "princess and the pea" types).
But it is probably not a good idea to spend too much on single bedding for 1st year in hall as when DC lives out in 2nd and 3rd years many student houses now provide double beds rather than singles, so you could end up buying/providing two new sets of bed linen (plus duvets/comfy pillows).
An old white sheet always comes in useful for toga parties ...

Mumofsoobtobelawstudenr. I don't know how many times you are suppress to use the poundland toast pockets. But DD2
used hers loads of times and said they were very good .

When ds went off last year, I bought a fleece throw - about £20 from Dunelm - which he thought was a mixture of hillarious and embarrassing. He rather sheepishly told me later how much he'd loved it during the Autumn/Winter when it got a bit chilly - although I suspect he always hid it away from his flatmates.

DD took tons but the most useful thing was a big thick dressing gown- drunken students setting off fire alarms meant a lot of time shivering outside while the buildings were checked. She laughs about it now but at the time she was exasperated, the record was 4 times in one night

The fleece throws are well worth having as they will probably catch freshers' flu, colds, coughs etc and have to cope without the tlc of home.
Also, pack loads of Lemsips/Paracetemol/Ibuprofen etc (though do tell them where they are, as DS suffered from all above maladies without realising that he had a veritiable medicine chest somewhere in the room.

todays 'gift' for DS was a tin/bottle opener

and todays 'gift' was an extension cable, a door wedge, miniture salt and pepper pots and swine flu wipes! Couldn't resist those!