Furnishing on a budget: what you actually need

It is tempting to buy everything before you arrive. Most students end up with gadgets they never use and gaps they did not expect. Here is how to work out what you really need, what is already provided and how to buy second-hand safely.

Find out what is already provided

• Check your accommodation's room description first. Unite Students, for example, lists a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, fridge-freezer, oven and hob, microwave, vacuum cleaner and wifi as included in its flats.
• Unite advises not bringing a toaster, kettle or microwave because these are standard in its flats, and Prospects warns against bringing duplicate appliances or furniture.
• Prospects suggests checking whether bedding is provided, so you only bring your own if it is not supplied.
• Check the rules: Prospects says some items may be prohibited for fire safety reasons.

The genuine essentials

• Bedroom: duvet, pillows, two sets of covers and sheets, and a mattress protector (Unite's list).
• Bathroom: towels, a bath mat, toiletries, toilet roll, a toilet brush and a small bin.
• Kitchen: one frying pan, one or two saucepans, a baking tray, a chopping board, a sharp knife, a colander, cutlery, plates, bowls, mugs, food containers and tea towels.
• Study: laptop, chargers, headphones and a good desk lamp. Prospects suggests skipping a printer because universities usually have printing in libraries.
• Before buying kitchen items, agree with flatmates in your group chat who brings what, as Prospects suggests (Unite suggests connecting with flatmates through its app), so you do not end up with five frying pans.

A worked example: spending a set budget wisely

• Imagine you have a starting budget of 1,000 units of your local currency (adjust to your situation). Split it into three tiers before you spend anything.
• Tier 1, about 60%: sleep and hygiene items you use every day (bedding, mattress protector, towels). Buy these new for hygiene.
• Tier 2, about 30%: cooking basics and a desk lamp. Buy mid-range, second-hand or as a shared flat purchase.
• Tier 3, about 10%: decoration and extras. Buy only after two weeks of living there, when you know what you are missing.
• Prospects notes that cleaning supplies, groceries, laundry supplies and seasonal items such as fans or extra blankets are easy to buy once you arrive.

Buying second-hand safely

• Good sources include university swap shops, charity shops and graduating students selling their things in June. Check items in person before paying (see the Contracts module lesson on second-hand marketplaces).
• In the UK, upholstered furniture such as sofas, beds, cushions and mattresses must meet fire safety rules. Pembrokeshire Trading Standards says to look for a permanent label, ideally stitched in, and for mattresses a BS 7177 label.
• Trading Standards warns that furniture without verifiable labelling may not comply, so be cautious about unlabelled sofas and mattresses.
• Avoid second-hand electrical items with damaged cables or plugs, and never buy cheap counterfeit chargers: London Fire Brigade warns against them.
• Wash fabric items such as cushion covers and curtains before use.

Common mistakes

• Buying a full 'student starter pack' without checking what the flat already has.
• Bringing bulky furniture or decorations that do not fit the room or the rules (Prospects).
• Buying cheap bedding that wears out by the second term: spend on what you use every night.
• Forgetting contents insurance and serial numbers for expensive devices, which Prospects recommends recording.