September 2004 Student Living – A Staple Diet

Many students will be looking forward to their first taste of university life and the freedom from their parents that it will bring. However, for all their worldly wisdom, for most teenagers it will be the first time that they have been ‘home alone’ and had to fend for themselves.

Whilst there is the relief that comes from having finally cut the apron strings, university life can also have its downside – washing, cleaning and cooking for yourself! A tight budget and a roller coaster lifestyle of meeting new people, attending lectures and socialising in the student union can leave a new student with little time to look after themselves properly.

Following a survey of students’ eating habits, one retailer has realised that when it comes to student cooking, the rules are keep it cheap, quick and simple! A student’s average budget is £28 per week – which after beer comes down to around £10 a week – leaving little left over for haute cuisine.

However, with necessity as their new mother of invention, ever resourceful, the average student can rustle up the most creative meals with four essential items – the kettle, toaster, microwave oven and sandwich maker – and according to Staples, the student supplies retailer, the shopping list needn’t break the bank.

Here is the top 10 of student food essentials – and some of the bizarre dishes students create with them, as compiled by Staples:

1.) Loaf of bread – quite simply it goes with anything and everything. From simple toast to weird combination toasties such as mince & gravy, peach and cheese, mashed potato and all day breakfast – sausage, eggs, bacon, tomato and mushroom
2.) Pot Noodle – anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Also makes great sandwiches and can have things added such as cold bacon or chopped up spring onion
3.) Doner kebabs – a meal without the supermarket, well at least for the first few weeks of a new loan cheque
4.) Philadelphia cheese – with various combinations of Monster Munch, peanut butter, processed cheese slices, Marmite
5.) Baked beans – extra special if with sausage, topped with Worcester sauce and cheese or on top of budget cheese and tomato pizzas with chilli sauce – or the classic, on toast
6.) Pasta – add tins of soup for sauces, soft cheese, chilli sauce and even served in a giant Yorkshire pudding
7.) Soup – be it packet or tinned, it can be eaten hot or even cold, drunk from a pint glass
8.) Potatoes – real or packet, mash or chips, the humble staple diet becomes an essential for students. The jacket version is not so popular though
9.) All the sauces – HP, Heinz tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy and salad cream. Stock up early and they will last a semester. An absolute must to turn bland into edible
10.) Kit-Kats & Mars Bars – deep-fried mmm…

“Keep the shopping list simple and at least invest some of your initial loan money in a kettle, toaster and sandwich maker,” says Marketing Manager at Staples, Donna Chappelle. “These items are no longer an expensive purchase and will prove priceless when you start to run short of money!”

Staples has an exceptionally priced ‘Essential Student Survival Kit’ that includes a kettle, toaster and sandwich maker for £23.97 (or £8.99 each).
 

Student Security

As of 15 September, 358,229 UK undergraduates (1) will be preparing to leave home for college or university this autumn. Whilst independence and the challenge of getting to know new people and a new town or city will bring excitement to those planning the step up into Higher Education; disturbingly around one in three of those undergraduates will become a victim of crime while away at university (2).

Today’s students tend to have lots of high value goods - 66% own a laptop or PC, approximately 85% own a mobile phone and many have their own TV, DVD, video, car and stereo (2).

So it’s no surprise that students are typically targets for burglary, car crime and personal theft of bags, credit cards and wallets. However, whilst more students are becoming switched on about protecting their car or their computer, according to one retailer, fraudulent use of student’s credit cards and credit card details could be on the rise (3).

According to Staples, the UK’s leading supplier of stationery supplies, students are less aware of the risks attached to not properly filing or destroying credit card or bank statements, and the threat of theft is not always from strangers but also from new housemates.

“Being careless about discarding important documents, receipts and credit card statements can pose a bigger security risk than most students imagine, especially when sharing halls or living in a large student house,” says Marketing Executive for Staples, Katy Rogers. “And whilst traditionally arguments have flared up over stealing someone else’s tea bags, it could soon become common for students to have disputes over mystery credit card purchases.”

She continues: “Ensuring that you are careful with the post and investing in a key-locked filing system is one way of keeping sensitive documents away from potential thieves. The other is to invest in a cheap shredder.”

Once very much the domain of large financial corporates, the shredder, is fast becoming a popular accessory with domestic consumers and during August and September shredder sales at Staples topped 33,000 units.

“With the amount of bills, bank statements and literature that come through the average student letter box, a shredder seems more than a sound investment,” says Katy. “Aside from making it easier to open the front door, the shredder is one sure fire way (or the only way) of protecting your finances whilst at uni.”

“It also allows you to destroy those letters from the girl or boy you ‘left behind’ while you’re out meeting new friends!”

Shredder machines start at £9.99 at Staples stores across the UK.

Note to Editors:
(1) 2004 applicant statistics - UCAS.
(2) Statistics according to the Home Office www.good2bsecure.co.uk website.
(3) According to APACS Fraud Prevention Card Watch Report (www.cardwatch.org.uk) fraudulent possession of a credit card, where the card is not present and non-receipt mail cost £110million in 2002 a rise of 15% compared with £97million in 2001. Their advice “discard receipts carefully – shredding if possible and check statements for unknown purchases.”