Ideas thread for what to take/not take to Uni.......

[MissMarplesBloomers]

We have found already that the student forum on the Warwick Uni website has been a valuabel resource.

Also advice from past students on here & other friends so thought I'd share a few "ooh ...good tip" moments that we've already had as the lists are mounting up!!

-Keep stuff to take to a minimum, check the list of stuff provided first or else the kitchens end up with 8/10 sets of everything by the end of first week.

-ditto for groceries, stick to dry/tins so tehy last longer & the shared cupboard in the kitchen/fridge shelf may not be that big!

• plain white china/crocks can be muddled/lost/appropriated with all the other IKEA stuff in the kitchen, a couple of granny's patterned plates will stand out as yours & can be found cheaply in charity shops. Ditto cutlery. Then no biggy if it doesn't come home at end of term.

-some halls provide linen/bedding but having your own from home helps with the settling in. Eg DD is taking her double duvet & own covers as that is snuggly on a single bed.

-lots of pound coins for laundry & buses.

-Double up the amount of underwear you pack, you'll be too busy the first week to do washing!

Loads more I'm sure, all little things but useful!

Please share your top tips

Passport size photos for the different ID cards they need

As well as electric tea lights ikea do fairly lights and stick on spot lights, can make a place look more like a home and can give light under shelf (there always seems to be a shelf over the desk).

spare mobile phone pre loaded with emergency numbers, you can get them for about £10 to £12.

If you have a teen who will be wearing a coat then you can sew a £20 into the lining so there is always money to get home.

Another vote for ear plugs and flip flops.

A big Tupperware box to go in the fridge so everything can be kept together.

If you/your ds dd have long hair then a supply of hairbands.

Toilet bag to carry essential to bathroom.

Overnight bag if they are coming home for weekends, or going to a friend's.

Buy a new duvet and leave it in the wrapping until you get there - saves loads of space in a car.

Blur tack and drawing pins to pins.

Photos of family / friends.

list of family birthdays.

Dark , or heavily patterned towels, bedding so as not to show dirt

Door stop

Nothing valuable

Those old lady type of square bags with zips round that you get from bargain shops for transporting stuff and leaving up there, doesn't take up space

One biggish rucksack/case for visits home. DS always seemed to cart loads to and fro.

sleeping bag for visiting friends

Ikea blue bags or like for laundry

Things to make the room feel more like home - I took loads of photos/posters to stick on the walls

DS insisted on getting a largish TV, 32" for his student halls for gaming on. He had no available arial point in his room and did not tune it so did not have to get licence.

When he moved to student house he didn't use it a lot and now the TV is languishing in his room at home. It took up a lot of car space carting it about and now it is taking up a lot of space in our house, so I would say it wasn't that useful and is also another thing that could be stolen.

He watched a lot of i player and streamed stuff a lot on his laptop for TV watching in halls so they didn't have to get a licence until they were in the student house in the 2nd yr and watched the proper TV.

I was going to treat Dd to one of those micro firdges, just enough for a pint of milk & a choccy bar!

But Warwick doesn't allow electrical items like that or a kettle in the room-can understand why with PAT regulations.

But will treat her to a tea-pot as she does like her tea

The square zip up bags are also good for laundry - better than the Ikea ones I think because you can zip them shut to carry to the washing machines. Dotcom gift shop has lots of different patterns.

A spiral bound diary that can be left open on a desk so you can see the week at a glance, but also taken to tutorials to write down deadlines.

Don't waste money on new single bedding if your DC is going into halls. By the second year they will be likely to be sharing houses with double beds as standard.
Charity shops are good for obtaining large amounts of odd cutlery etc at knock down prices - good for shared houses and normally better quality than cheap bendy cutlery.

if buying crockery remember to check it can be used in microwaves.

We added deodorant and those liquid washing things you throw into a machine to the plastic uni box today, with a tea towel and can opener.

Keep a record of driving licence/passport numbers with you at home for when they lose them so you can quote the number to get replacements. Ds2 has lost his licence in night clubs twice this year.

forgot to say colour catcher sheets were reduced in Sainsburys so threw a box of those in. I have doubts about any washing getting done but if it does maybe everything doesn't have to go grey

from my own experiences ...

a few pairs of gloves / brollies. It was cold and wet when we were queuing up to register for modules. The girls I lent gloves and brollies to are still friends now, 20 years on!

Def something to share on the first night.

My aunty sent me a treasure box ... inside were a bottle opener, chocolate, tin opener, sweets, wooly socks, more gloves, cards, sparkly pens, post it notes, biscuits, photos etc etc. My housemates helped me unpack it all and it was totally fab.

A plastic tub for the fridge to stop it getting cheese, bacon etc. getting 'contaminated'.. yep.. was always glad of this.
A nice slouchy jumper. Lived in mine.
A little rug/ lamp/ sunflowers etc - to make the room their own.
A lot of A4 lined paper - went through a serious amount of this.
Student Diary - essential
Good bag
Vanish soap bar- handy for handwashing
Really good idea to have the photocopying card topped up
I read a lot - so a few books (didn't bother with TV)
Disposable cleaning cloths
Oil burner
Clothes Horse
Good few passport photographs

Diary! Brilliant - hadn't thought of that at all.

I also send a goody box half way through the term, a shoebox with small treats and goodies in it. Like a Christmas stocking, just when all the excitement has worn off and they might be flagging a bit.
End of October and February.

My ds is straight to a house so am off loading a lot of old stuff. My oldest friends 2 kids came to my town for university and I seem to remember a lot of stuff being carted around in her car at xmas and summer so will be keeping that in mind.

Condoms.
Morning after pill.
Own razors and toothbrush - never share, hepatitis can live outside the body for a week.

Pot plant!
Flip flops. Big towel, wash bag, clothes horse for hanging towel to dry.

Gym gear/ togs.

Weighing scales for mindfully fighting the fresher fifteen (beer has huge amounts of calories)!

Your brain!
Course outline is very handy, and have a look at past papers and essays to see what's expected, and what the curriculum is so you can cut yourself some slack, and know what's ahead.

Oh, a torch. And some string (girl guide much!?)

Fizzy vitamin C tablets for mornings-after. Kick start any hangovers/pep you up if you weren't drinking.

I'll stop soon, sorry.

DD's first phone call mentioned that her room was cold, so I sent her the fluffiest, cuddliest robe I could find. She said it really helped her to know I was thinking of her.

Her room had a mini fridge, but she t urged it off because it was so noisy - it was pretty crap at actually keeping things cold anyway.

Oh yes, CLOTHES HANGERS. There are never enough...

great to read, thanks

DD3 is underweight and trying to put weight on so she won't be worrying about being over weight

Picked up some fab tips here, thank you all. Love the idea of putting together a 'Fresher survival box' as previously suggested and am going to include ProPlus