Last minute buys for uni!

[Passe]

D Day is Saturday and although we have most things on the uni packing list, I wound be grateful for any extra suggestions on those useful extras.

DS will be moving into self catered halls

Please hit me with your ideas

A fan

Command hooks.
Shelves for inside kitchen cupboards.

Don’t take anything extra. What would you do if 8 sets of extra pans, shelf inserts and egg whisks turned up! Wait and see. Amazon is your friend. Or a quick run to a homeware shop. Don’t go mad with silly irrelevant extras. Take stock and buy what u need when u need it.

Those shelves would not fit inside the cupboards in either of the 3 halls of residence my two have been in.

The reason I said a fan is because those rooms are roasting hot with little ventilation and when we arrived last year every shop in a major city centre had sold out of fans.

Fans weren't allowed at my DD's halls.

I went to Lakeland on the day dd moved in as she had a bottom cupboard in the kitchen to buy extra shelves for inside the cupboard. Otherwise her stuff would have been piled right up.

Wrapped, to be opened on specified dates

• stash of Hallowe'en themed sweeties
• Advent calendar

We try to visit during the first term (useful just to see how they are and take shopping for anything that they've discovered they need), but give them these at the off

Pizza oven tray, baking tray for chips, Cutlery that is easy to identify ( we bought pastel handled ones!) sticky labels to write name on and stick on all food in cupboards!
TBH my DD first year in halls had a great group sharing who all respected their own stuff but they also would chip in £5 for a weekly shop for shared stuff like cereal, milk and coffee etc

If you’re within a couple of hours travelling distance, I’d pop back in a couple of weeks to take them to ikea for any extra bits, buy them lunch, do another food shop. If they’re settling in well and don’t need a parental support visit, send them some cash, there’s often a student trip to ikea.

Coat hangers

Oven gloves.

Those shelves look good. We got small handy baskets to help organise stuff in a small space, and a largeish tub with a lid for cutlery and small kitchen knives/peeler/can opener etc

A door wedge to prop their door open during freshers' week . Students will feel welcomed to say 'hi.'

A tub of chocolates or biscuits to share with new friends and drop-by guests.

A mattress protector to provide a couple of millimetres between your son/daughter and whatever still lurks within the mattress!

Toilet paper.

Hand held hoover and carpet cleaner.

DS1 has his room cleaned fortnightly so this helps for the in between the weeks in case of spillages.

stash of Hallowe'en themed sweeties

By Hallowe'en or bonfire night most first-year students (and lecturers) have "freshers' flu" - usually manifesting as barking/rattling bronchitis - so a stash of cough sweeties might be useful.

Good point - if they're used to just raiding the family stash of OTC medicines, then worth including things like paracetamol, ibuprofen, hot lemons, antihistamines, buscopan, plus some first aid supplies like plasters.

If they need prescribed medicines, remind them to register with the student health centre and find out how to get repeats from there

Bin and bin liners - I hadn't thought of this and we got there and found no bin in the room.
A desk lamp.
Laundry bag/basket for trips to the washing machines

I agree with pp who says to pack light and then pop out and get what is needed. They will have enough to pack/carry with clothes, laptop etc It’s also part of being a student to not have every possible luxury.
As a student I don’t remember anyone celebrating Halloween or having advent calendars. I’m guessing your ‘open later’ rule may not be followed.

A couple of fancy dress bits.

2 Dc, one 25 ( stayed in uni city and now lives and works there) and one 20, about to go into 3rd year- bottle of vodka

I never sent food or chocolates. DDs existing in a treat free flat! Didn’t helm them. They would have opened everything on day 1 anyway! I just sent money.

Tape measure, batteries and a bag to transport laundry in, Ds used blue Ikea bag.

We did use those Ikea shelf inserts but best to check if they fit. Ds came home for the weekend after 3 weeks for a family party so we drove him back to uni and took up a few bits like the shelf inserts but he had measured up so we knew they would fit.

Amazon is your friend and has a student discount too for Prime membership.

Thanks for all this. What about a TV license, do they need an individual one?
DS isn't taking a tv with but will be watching stuff like iPlayer on his laptop

Condoms 😬

Oh definitely!!

Depends on accommodation. Check about requirements.

Batteries? Can they just not buy them as they need them from a supermarket? That’s what everyone else does. Leave a weekend bag with DC plus maybe a zip laundry bag. Or they put laundry in a pillow case. You simply cannot provide everything and it’s not House Beautiful. If they truly cannot manage without a laundry bag, get one from Amazon!

Yes, they do need a tv licence but some accommodation includes it so check that.

My suggestion is a flu jab from Boots! It’s rife during autumn. My two do have asthma though so it was a bit more necessary than for some I guess.