By Natasha Keating

Thursday 1 October 2015

Home from Home, The Essentials..

You know summer is officially over when the schools, colleges and universities reopen. I can’t say I miss school or university that much but I miss how easy life was when I was at school.
As I have been through school, college and university I thought I would use my experience to help give people an idea of what you need for starting or going back to college and moving into halls/dorms away from home. I remember before I started university it was very daunting as not only was I moving away from home for the first time I was also clueless what I needed to bring with me. I searched web wide for checklists, ideas and bargains for ‘student life’, maybe just like you are now and that’s how you came across this post.
I found it hard to find a one stop shop so found myself buying the odd bit here and there. Some of the shops I found good for the things needed were Argos , Dunelm Mill and tescos.
One thing you have to remember when shopping is that this stuff should last you for the 2/3/4 or 5 year duration of your course and therefore it is best to get good quality goods. Especially bedding, as lets be real, students do get away with sleeping more and sometimes need it more after the late nights be it studying or partying.
I have been made aware of a company called Parachute and I wish I had discovered them when I was going to university. They have lots of high quality bedding and a range of décor too.  It is always useful to research a company and get a taste of what they are like, this can be time consuming. As this an unfamiliar brand to some, like myself at first, and to save you the bother I will give you a quick rundown.
Instead of me doing a poor job of telling the story of how Parachute came about I have screen grabbed the beautiful Ariel’s words for you to read yourself.
 
 
According to parachute, one third of your life is spent in bed. If that’s the case then I couldn’t agree more on the importance of high quality bedding. You only have to go to your local department store or check online to witness the extreme pricing of such bedding. But parachute has changed that, they can provide us with this high quality without the high price tag.
Basics you need for moving aware are the likes of:
- Duvet
- Pillow
- 2 x Duvet cover sets
- Kitchen utensils
- Dinner Set with Mugs
- Cutlery
- Glass Ware
 
Aside from the Basics I found it useful to get some of the following:
 
Candle – A candle is a great way of making the place your own and makes you feel at home, especially if it’s a scent you usually burn at home. But be sure to check if your accommodation allows you burn candles as some can be funny about it. Parachute do a nice collection of candles you can find here.
If you aren’t allowed candles an alternative would be a reed diffuser or those handy little sachets you can pop on your radiator.

Throw –  A throw came in handle in some many ways for me. Theyre are great for adding colour, for warmth on winter nights as an extra layer, to get cosy in the communal areas while watching movies etc. or for those late nights you’re doing work and don’t fully want to get into bed. Parachute’s throws, which can be found here, look so chic.
Speakers – Whether it be when you are chilling in your room on your own/ with friends or be it a party, most likely, speakers are a necessity. An added bonus is when it has a built in alarm clock to make sure you make it to class. I had one like this one from argos which is about £40 and can be found here.
 
Lamp - for late night reading/studying or better light for doing that nights makeup look this is a must. Some may be lucky and already have a lamp provided but if not it will come in handy. I loved having a lamp for the mornings after as the main lights never went well with my hangover head. Any lamp would be good and theres lots of great value lamps out there but I liked this one which is similar to the one I had. This lamp comes in a variety of colours so would be great way to add colour to your room and again help towards making it your own. Can be found here.
I hope this post helped even in the slightest. I know many have already started and would have most of their stuff in but it wasn’t until I was there a week or even a month before I realised extra bits and pieces that I needed so maybe you haven’t already got some of the items I recommended and if not get a pen and piece of paper (or notes on your phone) to jot them down so you don’t forget to pick them up.
Chat soon..
Natasha xx
 
 
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