Uni 2022 - self catered halls what does DS really need?

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Just the above really. Thinking ahead to Sept 2022 and wondering what exactly DS needs and how much of everything i.e. how many plates, mugs etc etc for self catered halls and whats the best way to buy everything (I was thinking maybe buying things individually but then need to think about packaging it all up to transport down there so maybe easier to buy a box kit)? DH remembers heading off to Uni on the train on his own with just a rucksack and that was it but I think he maybe remembering things through rose tinted glasses. Whereas, we hear these days students going off to Uni with cars absolutely chock full of stuff.

Thanks

We went to IKEA and bought everything
We spent a lot
I think it was about £300
Bedding bought separately

Check out the uni accommodation website. They will have a list on there!

I got a from Sainsbury's

Start then off with essentials, and give them a cheque to add stuff as they need it

Basic list:

Big pan, small pan, frying pan
Sharp all-purpose knife, kitchen scissors
Chopping board
Baking tray
Sieve/colander
Pyrex measuring jug
Wooden spoon, silicon spoon/spatula
Grater
Corkscrew/bottle opener
2x mug, big plates, small plates
1x cereal bowl, 1x pasta bowl
1x insulated cup, water bottle
Cafetière/teapot

Oven gloves
Tea towels

Tin foil
Washing up liquid/sponges

All seasons duvet was a good purchase, as was a mattress topper.

Uni towns usually have shops which cater for the student population, i.e. Wilkinsons, who devote whole areas to student needs in September including cheap kitchen utensils, basic crockery/cutlery packs (usually 4 places), etc. Lots of students go by train/bus and can't take more than a couple of bags/suitcases so need to buy the kitchen stuff when they get there.

Def nowhere near £300!!!! I think IKEA do a student box for £50 then you just need bedding which is usual a single duvet and 2x covers plus a mattress protector. Again IKEA is cheap.

Mug and tea bag is the norm rathe than teapot/cafetière for most students .

Depends on your son really. I needed very minimal kitchen stuff as just didn’t cook much whereas DH needed loads more as even at 18 he was an amazing cook.

I will say though I would invest in a really good thick mattress topper as generally uni mattresses are awful

Girls seem to require fairy lights and throws so count yourself lucky .

Thanks all lots of food for thought. I was going to start buying him bits and bats today but then younger daughter said about how would we package it up to take in car etc and then I started to think maybe a box of breakable items i.e. at least plates mugs bowls etc might be easier than wrapping it all up and packing it all up to store it ready to move etc.

find out about the hob before you buy pots - DD's self-catered halls (new build in 2018) only have induction hobs and the tenancy agreement had a section on using the appropriate pots and pans

I didn’t start buying until they got their grades OP. IKEA is awash with parent and student come late August. Most students get dropped off by a parent. There is a lot to take .

dc got mostly old stuff we had, and still our cupboard full of various mugs given to various family members for various occasions....

Don't buy bedding til you know which sized bed they'll have. Sounds obvious, but Dds halls had some rooms with double, some single.

Thanks all will leave off the sheets & e protector although thinking as he’s tall he has a double quilt on single bed at home.

@Benjispruce4

Mug and tea bag is the norm rathe than teapot/cafetière for most students .

Depends how much they like their brew!!

Realise I completely forgot to mention cutlery - that's not because I expect them to eat with their fingers!

Also a few Tupperware type containers - the sort that withstand freezer, microwave and dishwasher

Use charity shops!! No need for everything matching. It also v much depends on how much your student is likely to cook as opposed to heating stuff up in the microwave / oven chips and breaded items in the oven. Be realistic.

At some universities the SU holds 'fire sales' where graduating students sell off their old stuff - I'm not sure how you find out when

If there is a well-timed one, you can get used Stuff seriously cheaply

They can always order online once there so I’ll be sending the basics to sleep and eat with DD2 as it can always be added to.

@user1487194234

We went to IKEA and bought everything We spent a lot I think it was about £300 Bedding bought separately

What did you buy?! I did Ikea and got the lot for £100

@Benjispruce4

Girls seem to require fairy lights and throws so count yourself lucky .

Not plug in ones though, there was a fairy light inspector at ds's halls who regularly checked the rooms for them , battery ones were fine

Again, don't go all out buying. They generally have a number of students sharing a kitchen and they often buddy up into groups... the vegans, the veggies, the big eaters etc. DD21 is a vegetarian as were 3 of her flatmates, they tend to cook and eat together, so they don't need 4 small saucepans, they needed 2 big ones between them. Dd19 has 3 to 6 flatmates that she cooks with. Sends me pics of things like a vegetable pie made with cheap frozen pastry, but looking delicious... she made it for 4. Next night someone else cooked for 6 and made spag bol...
etc. Make sure you know how much room they will have for storage of kitchen stuff too. Mine both had a shelf in a cupboard, half a shelf in a fridge and half a drawer in a freezer. Get them to choose their fridge buddies wisely. Some students idea of hygiene is questionable to say the least.

(And, if they don't already know how, teach them how to clean a fridge, shower, sink, toilet! And how deal with hair, grease and "other" blockages - they may be in a flat soon where call outs for a blocked sink are £70 a pop.)

DS a very good cook and likes to cook so he has saucepans, frying pan, wok, knives, chopping boards - you name it he crammed it somewhere in the kitchen or under his bed (he cooked Christmas Dinner for 12 of them this year). Plates, bowls and cutlery x 4. Old mugs from home we didn't care if they got broken. Full selection of spices and seasonings because he uses them all the time. But no one else in his flat cooks at all, they live on sandwiches and Pot Noodle, so it really is a case of fitting it round what your dc likes to do. He has one three shelf wall unit, two shelves in the fridge, one drawer in the freezer but has more space when he moves out next year. Once they are allocated accommodation there is usually a WhatsApp group so they can discuss how many people are bringing a kettle, for example, as you only really need one though DS failed to discuss this with anyone and they discovered they hadn't got a kettle at all so he went and got one.

Definitely mattress topper and mattress cover. Towels came from home. Iron and Ironing board in flat (doubt it's ever used, certainly not by my ds). Best thing we got as far as he is concerned is a drying pod that costs only a few pence to run and means he doesn't have to fork out on expensive tumble drying. A weekly wash costs him about £8 and would be more if he couldn't dry his t-shirts, pants, etc in the drying pod.

I just let him get whatever he wanted as it didn't seem worth the argument
I kind of took the view that it would do them into the future
I still have a couple of things I had in my first student flat