Freshers Starting Guide - What to take...
Its bizarre to think it's already been a year since I started Uni, I may have been the most over organised student in terms of packing and getting all my stuff prepared however it definitely helped so I decided to write a little post on what you need to take and stuff that you may have forgotten about.
1: No matter how nice your new fancy glasses are and your cool cutlery, by the end of the first year these will be long gone. Especially if you're living in a big flat of people, the chances are everyone will end up 'borrowing' a knife or a fork and within a few weeks they've completely vanished. I took over 20 mugs and glasses to Uni with me... and I came back with none. Same goes for cutlery, I actually had to buy more throughout the year as mine all disappeared. Thats just what happens with flat sharing, so keep an eye not to go waste loads of money on fancy things as its not worth it.
2. Freshers flu is well and truly a real thing.
I'll never forget the week after Freshers and how in every lecture for a good week there wasn't a moment of silence for all the sneezing/coughing students. I don't know one person who didn't get the flu so make sure you stock up on throat spray like this and medicine or paracetamol. One thing thats a lifesaver when you're bundled up in bed with the flu... invest in a mattress topper! University mattresses are known to be pretty crap so I cannot recommend enough getting a topper to enable a decent nights sleep.
3. All the snazzy kitchen gadgets you get will probably end up still in packaging come moving out day. For example, fancy pizza cutters and egg timers. It just ends up being 10x easier to guess with food timings and pray they don't get burnt, scissors also come in pretty handy for cutting pizza. It's a good idea to to take 2/3 different duvet covers as it makes it easier to do a quick change than having to wash and dry it that day. It is important to double check what your accommodation provides you with prior to moving in, I know some already provide bedding, plates etc however with me I needed to get it all new so I just shopped around in IKEA, Asda Living etc. It also may be a good idea, if you can to ask your new flatmates what pans etc theyre taking. I know with a lot of people they don't find out their flatmates til moving in day, luckily I knew mine a good few months before moving in. We ended up taking about 4/5 pans each.. and in a flat of 10 there wasn't enough space at all for them. Don't do a me, and take 4 different sized saucepans and 2 frying pans plus a wok. One or two at most saucepans is enough and a big frying pan will do just fine.
4. One 'Kitchen Gadget' I would recommend getting is a George Forman grill, I literally used mine every single day as you could grill everything from Chicken to different veg. You can usually get them for around £20 which is a pretty good deal, especially if again your living in a big flat and sometimes the oven may not always be accessible when you want it.
5. If you can get your parents to do you a big shop on dry foods i.e pasta, sauces etc it will save you a lot in the long run. I was so lucky to have an amazing dad who literally got all my food for me and also as we have a family run butchers I always had all my meat sorted. I'd recommend stocking up on tins of baked beans, pasta sauces, pesto etc as you will most likely end up eating these the most as they're quick and easy foods to cook. Be weary of the little express supermarket round the corner, me and my flat were more than prone every night to pop to the shops for snacks and probably spent half of our student loan in there. It is cheaper to shop at a big supermarket compared to the express stores and after a few little trips to the shop every week you do realise it starts to add up.
6. If you see things on offer i.e. Shampoo, Shower Gel etc stock up. I took around 10 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and loads of shower gel etc and didn't have to buy a thing during my first year. It's also handy in the sense that if you're running low instead of panicking and thinking you're going to have the greasiest hair for the next two days, you can just grab one of the new bottles you have. Around this time of the year, all the supermarkets have really good deals on their toiletries, most places are selling shower gels for a £1 or less and keep an eye out for deals on Tresemme and Herbal essences.
Below I've included some of the best deals in the shops at the minute for things like toiletries and kitchen bits and bobs. I'll also include some links for packing guides and also advice guides.
This is such a fun post!!! I totally agree about the George Forman grill, best thing ever at uni!!xx
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