First years don’t like to admit it, but they often struggle with homesickness. It is important that you feel at home, whether it’s in student accommodation or in a flat-share. Here is Radar’s five-step guide to creating a home away from home.
First years don’t like to admit it, but they often struggle with homesickness. Especially if getting home involves expensive flights or train tickets. It is important that you feel at home, whether it’s in student accommodation or in a flat-share with people you have never met before. Here is Radar’s five-step guide to creating a home away from home.
1) Packing the little things:
Packing the little things like photos of your friends from home or of the family pet are great additions to any living or work space. Having reminders of home can make the space feel more personal and yours. Displaying things like ticket stubs or taking a plant your grandmother got you can also make it feel homely. It's the little things that can turn any old room into your room, your personal space. Also, your yearbook (if you have one) is a great little item to have if you feel like reliving your high school days while stressing over the amount of assignments you have due in the next week.
2) Accumulating Items
This is a yearlong process, start off small and add little things as you go through the year. But, a word of advice, make sure when June rolls around you can fit it all into a car or a series of suitcases when you move out. Start with practicalities such as desk organizers, trinket holders and storage options and as the year progresses maybe add a rug or put some pictures on the wall if you can (double check your lease agreement) and just make your room yours. If you don't want to spend a lot of money as most students don't head to the Beach Boulevard retail park where you will be able to find an Aldi, an ASDA and a Home Bargains which have a selection of homewares that are not too expensive. You will also collect things from your first year at university and with your friends such as more pictures, tickets and other little trinkets.
3) Repurpose Junk
This was among one of my favorite things to do over the last year. Old containers, pasta sauce jars and ice cream boxes are great items you can repurpose. For example, a pasta jar can be used as decoration pieces such as a vase if you like buying flowers or it can be filled with fairy lights to create an additional light, and atmosphere, for your room. Old containers can also be repurposed so instead of holding earbuds or cotton wool balls it can become the new home of loose change (perfect for laundry services and busses) or a place to keep your keys and/or your bus ticket if it's not on your phone. This saves you rushing about first thing the next morning trying to find things that you need and forgetting something or misplacing it.
4) Keep It Clean
Keeping your room clean is an easy and underestimated way to making your new place feel like home. You should take pride in your space and the cleaner it is the more comfortable you'll feel and the more likely you are to treat it like home.
For more inspiration check out Youtuber’s such as Mr Kate
LaurDIY
and A Beautiful Mess