University planning

Hey , how much did you spend / expect to spend on all the essentials before going to university? a friend went last year and they spent close to £1000 which in my head seems a little steep

Reply 1

vegansarah1989

Wow, £1000 seems outrageous to me!

It is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question but I personally sourced a lot of things second hand or cheap from IKEA like bedding and kitchenware and spent between £50-£100. It really isn't necessary to have plates, cutlery, glasses, pans etc to host a dinner party. You just need a couple of pieces of crockery, a frying pan, a boiling pan, a baking tray, chopping board and a cheap set of kitchen knives. More than likely your flatmates will bring their own things and you'll end up with so many glasses and pans etc. If you find that you need something you can just pop out and grab whatever it is at wilkos, poundstore or elsewhere. there is really no need for it to cost a lot :smile:

Reply 2

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by mrkrabs19

Hey , how much did you spend / expect to spend on all the essentials before going to university? a friend went last year and they spent close to £1000 which in my head seems a little steep

Hi there!

When I was preparing for university I probably spent between £100-£150. I think how much you spend is very dependant on your needs, have you looked at any uni essentials list, what to take to uni, what not to take? There are some really helpful videos on YouTube that may help you buy the essentials and save money by not buying the things you don't need. Here is a good list from prospects which may be helpful to you: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/applying-for-university/university-life/what-to-take-to-university

I hope this helps!
Becca (Placement student)

Reply 3

Keele Rep

Official Rep

Original post by mrkrabs19

Hey , how much did you spend / expect to spend on all the essentials before going to university? a friend went last year and they spent close to £1000 which in my head seems a little steep

Hi @mrkrabs19!

When I was preparing for university, I made the mistake of buying a lot of things new and bringing them all with me. Then when I got to university I found that many of my flatmates had bought similar things (we ended up with so many wooden spoons in our kitchen!) and that there were lots of students and freshers fair stalls selling books and items second-hand - plus lots of shops in town that catered to students in terms of furniture, decorative items etc - so I could have saved quite a bit of money if I'd waited.

Hopefully your university will provide you with a list of what is included in your halls, what you can purchase, and what they suggest you bring with you from home. Remember you don't have to buy everything. For example, a lot of universities offer bedding packs for purchase to save students bringing bulky duvets and pillows from home. Personally, however, I preferred taking some favourite bedding with me because it made me and feel more 'at home' in my uni accommodation. So do what works for you.

You may also find official recycling schemes being run by your university - at Keele, for example, we have The Great Donate Scheme where students moving out of halls can donate good quality kitchen and furniture items that are then sold to incoming students during Freshers Week. The money raised goes towards our Green Keele events and initiatives - and means we're encouraging sustainability on campus, as well as reducing moving in costs for students by letting them pick up common items (kitchenware, cutlery, washing up bowls etc) for a fraction of the cost they'd be new. I got a washing up bowl for the princely sum of 20p last year! Maybe your university has something similar?

If your university has students using Unibuddy, consider getting in touch and asking them what they took with them into halls, what is provided, and what is easy to source locally?

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 4

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by mrkrabs19

Hey , how much did you spend / expect to spend on all the essentials before going to university? a friend went last year and they spent close to £1000 which in my head seems a little steep

Hi @mrkrabs19,

I agree with what everyone else has been saying, £1000 is way too much to be spending ahead of going to uni! It's better to spend less and just take what you need, and only buy more if you find you need something.

I made the mistake of buying everything new before I went to uni and I found that I had so many things that I didn't really need. When I came home for the summer, I also had the problem of not having a proper space at home to put all of my uni items, so everything was shoved in the garage and spare bedroom. If you can, I'd recommend taking things that you already own with you. e.g. if you have a few sets of bedding, take some of them with you instead of buying new ones.

Lucy