What’s on your uni shopping list?

[SkygardenTower]

Now results day has gone and most know where they are going I thought I would be nice to have a planning thread on what to take to university.

Argos do a basic starter set which looks good value. Starter kitchen set

Then IKEA for some bakewear, duvet and pillows and duvet sets.

I was joking about giving her the old towels but will probably give her some new ones.

Vacuum storage bags to make transport easier. Vacuum bags

Then a rice cooker (we have one at home so I know she will use it a lot and you can cook a lot more than just rice). Mini rice cooker

What is on your list?

One thing we bought DD which went down a storm on freshers week was a whiteboard and wipable markers from wilkos. We initially bought it thinking she can do her equations on there for physics, but oh no; it got used as a message board ('who wants to come out tonight put your name down?'') cleaning rota, drinking board game got made on it, as well as a chunder chart. It had a variety of uses. It did help break the ice on freshers week though so that was a good thing :)

2nd year uni mum here. One thing I saw suggested on MN last year that I would not have thought of was a pair of flip flops/sliders. I didn't think he would use them but they have apparently been essential for not getting sticky feet from the kitchen floor!

And definitely pack them off with a massive supply of paracetamol and all manner of cold/cough remedies. Freshers flu is real and goes on for most of the year!

Are any of the uni kits worth buying? Such as those at Unikitout www.unikitout.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKyYBhB7EiwAU2Hn2TnAuc7ToLCejXacOgCLUOuEADYaL1hKVPCdiWJo73WbV-w4kE2hQRoCExMQAvD_BwE or Noah's Box?

They seem expensive to me but we do not have a car, so it will save lugging stuff up and down. No spare stuff to give either. And not much mental bandwidth!

We looked at those, @LobeliaBaggins, and they do seem overpriced. However, if you can't transport lots of stuff, they might be the best bet. (How will you be travelling? Renting a car for a day is sometimes cheaper than train. If it's a local uni, that's a different matter!)

What's a microwave toaster maker?

Something like this?
www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-511644-Sandwich-Microwavable/dp/B0853WGHKC

Sorry if already mentioned but definitely a sharpie for marking mugs etc with your name. Uni is 2 years off for ds as he's starting at music college in September. However, I notice people are saying buy new bedding, duvets etc but wouldn't some things like duvet covers be nice to bring from home as they're familiar, smell of home etc?

Good point about the sharpie!

One thing about duvets and covers is that if your DC is likely to pop home at all, will you have enough bedding? My DD is planning on getting train home/back at end/start of terms and leaving stuff in her room, as it's a very long drive for us.

Yes, unless their uni bed is a different size to their bed at home.

We live locally but DS is living in halls for complicated reasons. I might just take an Uber with all his stuff. The kits look expensive.

How does one figure out the size of the bed in their rooms?

That microwave toastie maker sounds great!

Probably a taxi/Uber would be a good idea for you, and if he's missing anything he could get it later from you?

With my DD, the bed size was on the accommodation description on the website, but it seems not all unis are as clear! (Sorry.)

@SkygardenTower £45 for a rice cooker???

It is so beautiful though:) I want it for myself.

Buying the cheapest possible stuff for DS.

I don't know anything about rice cookers - what's good about them (how are they better than a pan or microwaving the sachets?)

Rice cookers are awesome. We got one when we lived in South Korea and wouldn’t be without now. A lot of Koreans would have a rice cooker over an oven.

It can cook all different types of rice perfectly, normal long grain, brown (either standard cooking or with pre soaking/ germination) sticky, etc… The rice has a lot more taste than cooked in a saucepan, something to do with the fuzzy logic and the different temperatures involved breaking down the starch (don’t really know). And soooo much better than any packet.

It doubles up as a slow cooker (when a slow cooker can’t do rice).

You can even use it to bake cakes, make seriously nice porridge, make jam.

If you get a version is a separate tray (which the one I linked to does) you can steam stuff at the same time as the rice is cooking, so you can do the whole meal - rice, meal and veg - all in one go.

They last a long time, we still have our one from Korea. This looks very similar to the one we have except the writing is in English! yum-asia.com/uk/product/panda-mini-advanced-fuzzy-logic-ceramic-rice-cooker/

Just found out that you can use £10 of Tesco club card vouchers to buy a young persons railcard, which is a great price for how much you save!

This is what we're doing - I bought DS a double duvet and covers a while ago along with some new pillows and he's been using them on his bed at home for the last six months. He'll then just take it all to uni so that his room will hopefully feel a bit more homey straight away. I have a spare set of old bedding and some cheap pillows/duvet for use on his bed at home. We upgraded his old bed to a small double at the same time, but tbh even if your DC has a single bed at home (or is going to have a single in halls) it's worth buying them a double duvet.

I love the idea of the whiteboard and pens!

I am also investigating the option of a non-marking shower rail and cheap curtain for DS's ensuite shower room - it is apparently wetroom style and I have visions of him flooding it on a daily basis

Yes this

My DS to a tee

DD on the other hand will want all that's been suggested so far

Today she has ticked off...
2 big plates, 2 small plates, 2 bowls, 2 mugs
Baths mat
Lap top!

2 tins (from Amazon) one for first aid bits and contraception and one known as the “useful“ tin - sellotape, scissors, pinboard pins, command strip hooks, small screwdriver, small torch, sewing kit nicked from a hotel, emergency £20 note, fuses - basically things they usually yell “Mum, where’s the XYZ?” at home. Still used 2 years post graduation by DD1😊

that is a gem @sergeantmajormum!

Why not just but double bedding ? Fits a single, fits a three quarter bed you are always supposed to buy a bit bigger so it doesn’t fall off.. Flat double sheets fit both.

I’ve bought a fresher flu kit. Plasters, lemsip, hay fever tablets and condoms. etc. £30! Superdrug own label mostly too. Not sure if I hope he needs it or not now.

Why not just but double bedding ?

An argument against doing this if the student only has a single bed is that it takes up more room in the washing machine and takes longer to dry - university laundry facilities do tend to be rather expensive.

But the double duvets fit people better. A single duvet falls off you and the bed. Maybe they just have to wash their bedding a bit less then their mums recommend. It won’t kill anyone.🙂