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LustForLeith
07-08-2024, 07:35 PM
Hi folks
Just a bit of as of really
My son’s going to uni in September! Proud as anything.
Me and his mum are thinking of putting a hamper together of stuff for him. What sort of stuff would folk recommend? Both for uni life and leaving the family home?
Thanks
MagicSwirlingShip
07-08-2024, 08:30 PM
Where’s he off to, and what’s he studying? Assuming he is in halls for first year?
A good recipe book would be one.
A young persons railcard for trips back home?
A gym membership for a month in the new city.
ErinGoBraghHFC
07-08-2024, 08:36 PM
Hi folks
Just a bit of as of really
My son’s going to uni in September! Proud as anything.
Me and his mum are thinking of putting a hamper together of stuff for him. What sort of stuff would folk recommend? Both for uni life and leaving the family home?
Thanks
Chippy sauce is an absolute must. Pot noodles, soup, all that sorta stuff to fill the cupboards for moving in. Stuff that doesn’t perish basically, comes in handy between student loan payments.
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hibee_girl
07-08-2024, 09:09 PM
My son has just completed his first year at uni, if yours is anything like mine he’ll need a few hangover cures in there :greengrin
I’d put in some lemsips, cold & flu tablets etc. they all come down with freshers flu within the first week.
Gift cards for food delivery apps will go down well too if you want to put in something a bit different to the norm.
ErinGoBraghHFC
07-08-2024, 09:10 PM
My son has just completed his first year at uni, if yours is anything like mine he’ll need a few hangover cures in there :greengrin
I’d put in some lemsips, cold & flu tablets etc. they all come down with freshers flu within the first week.
Gift cards for food delivery apps will go down well too if you want to put in something a bit different to the norm.
Gift cards a smashing idea, I’d have loved that.
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danhibees1875
07-08-2024, 09:14 PM
Congratulations to your son.
I asked a similar question on here when I left for uni in 2009 (did you not check that far back before posting a new thread? :greengrin ).
A first aid type box with various medicines etc that he'll likely not bother buying himself if needs them.
It'll depend on what setup he's moving into whether or not he'll need any pots and pans etc... failing that gift cards/cash probably the most actually useful thing for him.
Course textbooks are very expensive (can usually find second hand ones though!) so maybe those boring bits so he can spend on the fun stuff?
ErinGoBraghHFC
07-08-2024, 09:21 PM
Another good one my old man done for me was a years iptv on a Firestick. Made a lot of pals being able to show whatever sporting event someone wanted to see. Especially with a lot of foreign students in halls, I had the all-Ireland football and hurling, World Series, Super Bowl, the lot. Definitely a good ice breaker for him if that’s his thing.
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JimBHibees
08-08-2024, 06:50 AM
Another good one my old man done for me was a years iptv on a Firestick. Made a lot of pals being able to show whatever sporting event someone wanted to see. Especially with a lot of foreign students in halls, I had the all-Ireland football and hurling, World Series, Super Bowl, the lot. Definitely a good ice breaker for him if that’s his thing.
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Good idea
Jones28
08-08-2024, 07:41 AM
Electrolight tablets. They're a hangover cure from the gods.
Science In Sport do big packs of them.
ErinGoBraghHFC
08-08-2024, 08:07 AM
Electrolight tablets. They're a hangover cure from the gods.
Science In Sport do big packs of them.
The SIS gels are good too, always keep a box in the house. Would imagine they’d be handy for study sessions tbh.
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Speedy
08-08-2024, 08:18 AM
Congratulations to your son.
I asked a similar question on here when I left for uni in 2009 (did you not check that far back before posting a new thread? :greengrin ).
A first aid type box with various medicines etc that he'll likely not bother buying himself if needs them.
It'll depend on what setup he's moving into whether or not he'll need any pots and pans etc... failing that gift cards/cash probably the most actually useful thing for him.
Course textbooks are very expensive (can usually find second hand ones though!) so maybe those boring bits so he can spend on the fun stuff?
Learn to work the library system would be my advice. Between uni and local libraries, I was never without the right book.
Speedy
08-08-2024, 08:18 AM
Electrolight tablets. They're a hangover cure from the gods.
Science In Sport do big packs of them.
Good shout
Pretty Boy
08-08-2024, 10:25 AM
A recipe book is a great shout; I'd add a wee box with some basic herbs and spices as well. Nothing worse than living off pasta and jars of sauce for a year. Also if he is in shared accommodation then the ability to whip up a half decent meal on occasion will ensure he is pretty popular.
A couple of decent towels, a laundry bag/basket and an extension cable are all handy to have as well.
Finally, and maybe one you don't want to think about too much, but a couple of packs of condoms. Doesn't have to be a big deal, just stick them somewhere in his bags and he can find them when he unpacks. You have a whole load of young people living in close proximity, living away from home for the first time and likely drinking and socialising together regularly. They will come in useful.
Just Alf
08-08-2024, 12:15 PM
If its a flat rather than Halls, then make sure he knows how to change a light bulb or unblock a vacuum! (Personal experience!)
PS ... NOT me!
No advice on what to send with him - I sent my son to Aberdeen with kitchen stuff, bedding and laundry powder But the best piece of advise I got from a good friend was to set up a weekly phone call. 6pm every Thursday I phoned and had a quick chat. Hearing his voice gives you so much more than texts and WhatsApp messages. I could suss out if he was OK far better. He says it was good for him now too.
We sent money for food once a month and if we had takeaway I'd send him money to treat himself to something too.
Jones28
08-08-2024, 05:18 PM
On the cooking front, Simply Cook is a recipe kit where you buy the raw ingredients (chicken, pasta, etc) but they send you the awkward stuff - think like miso paste or something that you wouldn’t normally have in.
Probably early days for that but if you wanted something special and he’s a bit cheffy it might be an idea.
MagicSwirlingShip
08-08-2024, 11:26 PM
No advice on what to send with him - I sent my son to Aberdeen with kitchen stuff, bedding and laundry powder But the best piece of advise I got from a good friend was to set up a weekly phone call. 6pm every Thursday I phoned and had a quick chat. Hearing his voice gives you so much more than texts and WhatsApp messages. I could suss out if he was OK far better. He says it was good for him now too.
We sent money for food once a month and if we had takeaway I'd send him money to treat himself to something too.
Love this. Good work Da
JimBHibees
18-08-2024, 08:34 AM
No advice on what to send with him - I sent my son to Aberdeen with kitchen stuff, bedding and laundry powder But the best piece of advise I got from a good friend was to set up a weekly phone call. 6pm every Thursday I phoned and had a quick chat. Hearing his voice gives you so much more than texts and WhatsApp messages. I could suss out if he was OK far better. He says it was good for him now too.
We sent money for food once a month and if we had takeaway I'd send him money to treat himself to something too.
Good advice
LustForLeith
21-08-2024, 07:31 PM
Thanks for this
Some really good advice!
He’s away to do business and philosophy. Super proud.
Hits home now and again, empty nest and that.
Love all the stuff on here. The phone call idea is great.
Any more tips greatly appreciated
Thanks
LustForLeith
15-10-2024, 04:58 PM
No advice on what to send with him - I sent my son to Aberdeen with kitchen stuff, bedding and laundry powder But the best piece of advise I got from a good friend was to set up a weekly phone call. 6pm every Thursday I phoned and had a quick chat. Hearing his voice gives you so much more than texts and WhatsApp messages. I could suss out if he was OK far better. He says it was good for him now too.
We sent money for food once a month and if we had takeaway I'd send him money to treat himself to something too.
The phone call advice is great. Just had a weekly catch up
Tots emosh!
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