With exams almost over, I’ve started packing up my room ready to move out, and I’ve realised which items I’m glad I brought. So here are some recommendations for things to bring that aren’t on the halls packing list or you may have simply not thought of:
Pins
My now quite empty pin board – you definitely don’t want it to look like this all year
You’re going to want to stick things on your pinboard to liven the place up and make your room feel a bit more homely. I ended up having to buy more pins because I ran out, but I’m glad I had some from day one, so I could feel like the space was mine.
Stapler
You’ll quickly learn that the automatic staplers at uni have a habit of not working on the day you have an assignment due that requires a hard copy, so having my own stapler has saved me a couple of times this year.
Fan
Okay, so I didn’t have one of these, because at the start of the year there was a nationwide shortage. So if you’re moving into a hall without fans (I think the new Grafton Hall has ceiling fans in each room) look into buying one soon-ish in case there’s another shortage this summer!
Airer
Sock airer – you can probably get something like this from Daiso
There are some things you can’t / don’t want to risk tumble drying, so an airer can be handy to have around. I picked one up from the Warehouse cheap, and also took a sock airer from home. Alternatively, some string & pegs could work too.
Flask / Insulated Cup
This is really just a laziness thing. But imagine you’re all settled in for the night, studying (or more likely, cosy in bed watching Netflix 🤷♂️) but then you want a hot drink? Well, if you’ve already been and boiled the kettle earlier on, you have no need to get up!
Likewise, an insulated water bottle, so you can have cold water all the time, is very handy – especially for those halls without personal fridges.
Power Board
I don’t know about the other halls, but Huia only has two plugs in each room, so I am very glad I brought my power board. With the amount of technology you end up bringing, you’re going to need some extra sockets.
Concertina File
This was something I didn’t bring at first but quickly got, because while my room has plenty of draws and cupboards, there was no good way to keep books and documents organised. My high school was virtually paperless, so I was kinda surprised how much paper I collected after just a few weeks of uni. Also, living away from home, you’ll probably have to keep hold of various paperwork for bank accounts, doctors, immigration and whatnot that may have previously just stayed in a filing cabinet at your parents’ house. So when I noticed one of my friends had a box file, I realised that would be perfect and now I’ve got one so everything is (somewhat) organised.
Hopefully this has been somewhat helpful for you, I better get back to the packing 👋