University Essentials With Home Bargains!

I am actually obsessed with stationery and can spend hours and hours in Ryman and Paperchase as well as searching for the perfect planner and notebooks online. I’ve never thought to look in Home Bargains for stationery before which is a little stupid of me, as they have some great deals! So I was sent a pack of flavoured gel pens (throwback much?) which are £1.29 although I can’t say they’re super scented they are pretty colours and perfect for making your notes more interesting! The mini highlighters with the cutest little faces on are only 89p (so cheap!) and are again useful for when making notes or just to have a cute face in your pencil case. Finally, the vintage weekly planner is the best way to keep meal organised as well as to write down plans and is great for a desk buddy and is only 79p! I use mine for blog ideas as well as food for each day (when I remember.) Home Bargains also sell clear pencil cases for 49p and a variety of other notebooks and pens!

Let the drinks begin: 

I could not think of another way to title this collection of items, so I decided to just name it based on what the items will be mostly used for and that’s drinking. So the biggest bargain in the whole haul is the mason jar/drinking glass for 59p, I’ve seen this go for more than £4.00 in other shops so to see them at just 59p is great, let’s face it is in halls/student housing you do not want to spend the earth on pretty things as they’ll get wrecked. So for a little over £2.00, you can have 4 of these bad boys. Next are a box of plastic straws, honestly, they come in so handy for reasons you won’t even know, plus they’re always good for drinks and someone always wants a straw. For 100 straws it is 69p! On to the ice cube tray, ice can be a good idea in theory for drinks, especially if you drink anything on the rocks, and carrying a bag of ice from the supermarket to your accommodation is never fun (totally not speaking from experience) The heart ice cube tray is 79p and makes the cutest ice cubes.

On to the alcohol itself, shots from Home Bargains are always a must for pres, you can get 4 shots for 99p the ones pictured are strawberries and creme ones however there are a few other choices, and the tube shots are 39p and totally worth stocking up on. They’re not the best-tasting things in the world, however, they’re cheap and get you tipsy and you can also purchase other alcohol in stores such as beer, wine and other spirits. 

Lets talk kitchens: 

As well getting super cheap cleaning supplies from Home Bargains (honestly get them from here rather than the Supermarket you save SO much!) You can also get a 16 piece cutlery set for £1.79 and for student accommodation when stuff just happens to go missing a lot it feels a little less painful when you’ve paid less than two quid that’s for sure. They’re pretty good quality for the cost and I would recommend as I always just end up repurchasing them. However, if you want to stop others using your cutlery I would buy the most standout cutlery ever so if you see people using them, you know they’re yours. You can also buy a variety of foods from Home Bargains including Pot Noodles (welcome to university!) and they’re only 65p, as well as pasta pots which you chuck in the microwave for a few minutes and chuck over pasta, easy dinner. I’ve noticed from the times I’ve been in Home Bargains also sell pasta bake which is amazing to make on your first day and split into many portions, read more about my fresher’s tips here. I would advise buying branded food in Home Bargains as it is often a fraction of the cost. 

The main event: 

In university, if you’re not at lectures or out with your friends you’re usually in your bedroom, so you need to make it as nice as possible. Often the rooms are quite small especially in halls so it’s worth finding things which will take up as less room as possible. Home Bargains sell a great wash basket that folds up into a tiny disk when not being used and is only 79p! As well as this to make your room more homely you can purchase some fairy lights for £3.99 and they’re battery powered so easy to use and they just make it feel more comforting. As well as this putting pictures up of family and friends back home, often helps with the loneliness you can feel when you’ve moved away from home. Home Bargains also have some fab picture frames for 99p and they’re small so easy to put on your desk etc. The final item in the hall is this lovely candle, I am forever raving about the candles which you can get from Home Bargains for £2.99 you can get a HUGE one the size of the large Yankee Candle, which is mad! For £2.29 you can get a smaller stronger smelling candle and also it is more space effective, woo!