Sensible list to take to uni

[peach125]

Can anyone direct me to a list of what we need to help DD buy for 1st year at uni?

I expect there will be a list nearer the time on student room.

Is your DD going catered or self catered?

Don't forget in addition to duvet, pillow, sheets etc a mattress cover and to check whether they have single or double beds.

the list

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and more

good forum

make sure she has two very large suitcases on wheels, or you will be doing all the ferrying, as they do end up bringing lots of stuff backwards and forwards, books weigh a ton, make so they can do the train,

Son is loving his kindle as it is saving him a great deal on books, and it's easier to carry a lot of books around, he didn't have one the first year and it has made life much easier having one.

oh this is your chance to get new stuff, do not buy new towels, pans, plates............

You give her your old ones, they are going to get trashed(if not by her,house mates), and you buy yourself new ones,

A thick bed spread is a good idea, as they socialise on their beds,

tell her to take the minimum amount of stuff/clothes, as they always find they have far more bits with them than needed.

lots of plug bars with breakers inbuilt, as there is only one plug per room,

son loves his slow cooker, as he bungs in veg(sometimes ready cut),protein and stock in it in the morning,and comes home to lovely smells, said it's stopped him buy junk food.

when I want to give him a bolster, I send a tesco order, of big basics and a few treats, works brilliantly, they get a lot of student orders.

Check the uni website.

If in halls, there will be rules to be followed. Some allow things like mini-fridges in rooms and some don't.

smoke alarm, and a small fire extinguisher,

we keep buying the five pound ones from lidl , one got used in the first term when another student set fire to a tea towel and curtains, whilst toasting bread under a grill, the second one got used a few terms later when someone set fire to their bin,

on both occasions the fire extinguisher provided in the building did not work, first halls, second private landlord, so DS went and got his own and put out the fire.

DS had thought I mad when making him keep these in his room, but when he had to ask for a replacement he admitted it had been a good idea, I tried not to look too smug,

even if your child is sensible they are surrounded by drunken idiots away from home for the first time, and stuff happens.

Thank you, loved the give your old stuff and buy yourself new!!

We gave the old and had new-very sensible suggestion. Hang back on buying some things-they do not need 6 kettles in a kitchen!

yes i will definitely be giving my DD the old stuff and then possibly buying new stuff here. I know how careless she is.

I think my mum has got loads of stuff too and some extra pans etc.

My sisters and I realised about the buy yourself new and give the old,

when visiting the family home, we noticed that in the bathrooms there were lovely fluffy matching towels,

our childhood towels were not matching, not fluffy and certainly not huge bath sheets,

as our mother went about the county visiting us, she would always give us bundles of things she didn't need anymore, we had the childhood towels and old bed linen, all of us grateful as we were struggling on small incomes, no spare cash for things like sheets,duvet and covers.

I know have a draw full of lovely new utensils , and other odds and sods, and the old stuff is being abused in a student house.

now not know bla bum

Great idea about the fire extinguisher.

The list on TSR is extensive. Most Halls have very little storage space so it is worth checking how much space each person will have. In my DS's case half a shelf in a fridge, half a shelf in a freezer and one single base unit with a drawer for all storage. This doesn't seem like very much space to me? So it is important to be selective in what they buy.

On not getting new stuff, ds's college has a rule that all electrical appliances have to be either less that two years old or safety tested by an electrician, so for him he will need the new kettle etc.

In my DS's Hall they provide a kettle, a toaster a microwave, an iron and ironing board and vacuum cleaner? At my DD's university they had to have all their appliances checked too. Seems a sensible idea to me if it prevents accidents.
Plus mini fridges are only allowed if there is a medical reason to have one and kettles are not allowed in their rooms either.
So if your DC's university is the same it may cut down on more expenditure.

Don't bother with things that everyone thinks are essential but aren't!! Seriously..halls will have kettles, ironing boards etc ..I bought DD1 an iron that two years later hasn't come out of the box

However, a ton of cutlery and mugs/bowls/glasses etc are good. Get cheap as it will be lost and broken! We gave DD1 a load of old saucepans and judging by the state of them now I'm glad we didn't buy new!!

Mini fridges are not usually allowed but DD1 had a small egg shaped one which could be hidden away:D

Old towels. old everything! And a mini fire extinguisher!!

Good advice so far, especially the sending them with your old crap stuff plan. I prepared an expandable pre-labeled file for all my uni bound DC. I included old passport photos for membership cards, stamps and other paperwork. Normally I let them get on with things themselves but I was glad I did for my DS. It is also useful for them to take a sleeping bag for when they are visiting pals around the country. The only things my DS should have taken but didn't were tea towels (?) spare gloves and somewarmer cloths for playing footie

The things that were super useful for me but easily forgotten:

Torch
Screwdriver
Tape measure
Ethernet cable
Big blue Ikea bag or equivalent
Coat hangers
Light bulb (though will obviously have to check what kind)
Drawing pins

Put together a box of the sort of useful stuff you can usually find at home (painkillers, cough sweets, elastic bands, blu-tac, safety pins, string, sewing kit, antiseptic cream, batteries, etc)

I've been married 22 years and I still have the old plates DM sent me to uni with.
She bought nice light ones.

Sharp knives.

My flat mate sent most of her stuff home a couple of weeks early, because her dad could bring the car.

4 voices yelled in chorus, don't pack your kitchen knives. The ones provided with our flat were utterly useless. We wanted to eat!!

Check what the get first, some places give them utensils, knives etc, some don't.

Bedding - duvet and pillows and t sets of sheets etc - take old ones from home.
a spare mobile phone for emergencies - you can get ones for £10
some warm clothing, they start in what feels like summer but don't come home until Xmas, so scarf, hat, gloves, boots / wellies.
tampons/Sts
paracetamol
plasters
sewing kit
overight bag - depends on where she is, if she is close enough to come hom mid term or visit a friend
passport
crockery / cutlery - the supermarkets oftn have a box set for not much
towels
dressing gown
flip flops if she doesn't have her own shower
toiletries
spare toothbrush
voucher for a supermarket to get basics
washing up liquid
washing up cloth/brush
photo frame / small album with pics of family
cushons - can be sat on, also personalise the room.

If you are taking her by car then
tins of beans / tomatoes / soup /veg
Pasta - lots
Rice
UHT milk
tea
coffee
squash
sugar

All of those can be stored in her room - under the bed - for when she runs out of money at the end of term.

Don't bother with posters, there will be a poster sale at the uni, there always is.

I don't think my parents bought me anything much for university, and they certainly would have expected me to get myself organised with lists and packing. Having said that I did opt for a catered hall in my first year, am the youngest of four and my parents were very keen on independence.

I still think that this is something that the student should be in charge of organising, not the parent. Those lists look a bit nuts to me. Most universities are in towns I really can't see the need to take everything but the kitchen sink!

Condoms?

I still have and use my saucepans from when I went off in 1985! Great idea about the expandable file.

My dad still has the "old" frying pan his neighbour gave him to take to uni

I was going to second the suggestion of a good ish kitchen knife, but crucially a steel and teach them how to sharpen a knife properly! Everyone will be bringing old, blunt knives with them which are a PITA to cook with and also more dangerous as likely to slip and cut you.

I had a stick blender and made a lot of soup at uni too - cheap and nutritious.

A couple of pallets of tinned tomatoes / tinned beans at the start of each term is always handy! She can shove them under her bed for the lean times when she has spent up and still has a few weeks to go before the end of term.

Some of the lists as nooka says, do look excessive - I'm a believer in the student sorting themselves out as independently as possible. After all they are going to be living by themselves. I would expect my DD to be able to pack all her own personal items such as clothing, toiletries etc without any input from me.

Echo what has been said about checking list of contents of accommodation first. No point in taking large items which are already there. Also, my DD made contact with her other new flatmates via facebook. This was good in lots of ways - for first day nerves especially, but also to discuss who was bringing what.

The things that my DD was pleased to have taken were:

A throw and loads of squishy cushions - everyone seemed to congregate in her room because it was so comfy apparently.

Some new bedding including a decent quilt - again for cosiness.

plug extension block.

Fairy lights.

Most important of all - a mattress topper. She loves this. Her bed had a plastic mattress cover on it, so the topper was a godsend.