As a second year student, I realised that a lot of the stuff I took to university was rarely used and ended up in drawers or cupboards still unpacked from when I first moved in. In my first year I lived in a house with four other freshers, we had in our rooms what any other student property has; a bed, a desk and a chair & a wardrobe. The essentials. I had all these thoughts on how to make my room homely, but my room was just so big it ended up with junk everywhere - especially clothes, I took my whole wardrobe!! If you're living with others ask what they are taking in terms of kitchen appliances, or you might end up with five toasters and three kettles or something, which then becomes a waste of money when only one is used.
I'm also going to write places that have been useful for university items and not at an extortionate price and tips.
I'm going to write down what I think is necessary to take to university with you & then
other things that may not be urgent or a must have but could end up being a nice thing to have.
Documents:
I.D - passport or driving licence
National insurance number/card
Bank details
Exam certificates
Uni documents such as acceptance letter & student finance
Diary or calendar
CV's & references
TV licence if needed
Kitchen:
Dinner set - plates & bowls (don't get one of each, get a set)
Glasses - pint/normal size/shot
Mugs
Saucepans - rarely given in halls, unless left behind
Cooking implements -spatulas, big spoons, etc
Corkscrew/bottle opener
Tin opener
Cutlery
Scissors
Knives
Plastic box for leftovers/lunch
Cling film & tin foil (saves a lot of washing up!!!)
Sieve/drainer
Tea towels & wash clothes
Chopping board
Peeler & grater & masher (depending if you will use them)
Work/studying/bedroom - suggestions
Lamp
Pads of paper
Printer(?)
Stationary
White tac for the walls
Notice board/white board
Healthcare/medicine:
Prescribed medicine
Painkillers
Vitamins (helps immune system)
Contraception
Mini first aid kit
Lemsip/cold & flu stuff (you will almost definitely get freshers flu!)
Pro-plus (late nights & early mornings!)
Antihistamines - hayfever/allergy tablets
Bathroom:
Bath mat/ mat set
Towels (2 sets minimum, 1 in the wash 1 can be used)
Toilet roll (buy this in bulk, you will suffer greatly when money is low and there's no toilet roll!)
Toothbrush/paste etc
Hand soap
Shower gel
Hair stuff - shampoo & conditioner/treatments
Deodorant
Perfume/aftershave
Hair brush
Moisturisers
Shavers/hair removal & tweezers!
Housekeeping:
Fabreeze
Laundry bag
Clothes airer - tumble dryers can be expensive when you have no money
Hangers
Antibacterial cleaning spray
Clothes washing stuff
Door stop
Dustpan and brush
Electrical:
Alarm clock
Laptop
USB sticks
Portable hard-drive (depending on your course)
Network cable for internet/gaming
Phone & charger
Headphones
Extensions leads
TV
Clothes (basic):
Dressing gown
Slippers
Pyjamas
Tops
Jumpers
Trousers
Underwear
Socks
Shoes
Eveningwear
Smart - interview clothes
Bedroom:
Photos
Fairylights?
Cushions
Blankets
Sheets
Duvet & pillow
Hot water bottle
Candles
Home comforts
Miscellaneous:
Alcohol
Plastic boxes/underbed storage
Lightbulbs?
Torch
Money bank
Mini sewing and tool kit (comes in handy!)
Matches - candles
Fan?
Fancy dress
Face paint?
Iron
Other stuff:
Hair bands
Hair grips
Hair dryer
Straighteners
Tampons/feminine hygiene products
Cosmetics
Skincare
(I will make this available as a print out!)
Another tip that will come in very handy is don't spend too much money on things such as kitchen things - it will get lost/stolen/break! In my first year I went straight to ikea and got 1 plate, 1 bowl and a set of cutlery (ridiculous), whereas this year I have been looking at wilkinsons who offer a dinner set of 4 bowls, 4 big plates and 4 small plates for £5.00! Absolute bargain and will not be such a hassle if it does go walkies. Wilkinsons also offer a lot of cheap things such as bedding, kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff and toiletries, they have a section on their website designed just for students which of course you don't have to go completely to the basic minimum, you can buy more upmarket things but it is good value for money and does seem very durable.
Another place I would recommend a lot is B&M home bargains, I'm not sure if you have one near you but in Northampton there are two which sell homey stuff, kitchen stuff and other things at ridiculously cheap prices. Get used to cheap guys, money doesn't last long in a student environment! When you've maxed out your loan & overdraft and only have pasta left you'll be happy you didn't spend £500 on cushions in Next but managed to buy 3kg bag of pasta hahaha.
Another tip I cannot recommend enough, is to buy a lot of things like toilet roll, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in bulk whenever it is on offer, you are going to need these things all the time and are more of a necessity than a luxury and I personally would rather have toilet roll than a luxury meal in the fridge. If you can get your parents to buy these things for you as part of your first shop before you move into university so you can save some money and spend it on other things or save it.
Also in terms of money, you will not budget in first year, you will have no clue about how money works and spending your last £5 on a bottle of wine is more appealing than buying some vegetables, trust me, it may seem like a good idea but don't do it! One thing I cannot recommend enough is the student money manual from
savethestudent.org, it helps you to budget writing down your income and expenditure, which although may seem boring, you will thank me later. This website will be a lifesaver and might be a good idea to read before you go to uni to get your head around some of the things like overdrafts, housing and they also offer great discounts and freebies.
Link to view the checklist - please print in fit to width & portrait for best results
Thank you for reading, if you have any questions please feel free to write a comment.
