I give you this: ten budget-friendly items, each comfortably under €10, that tend to make the everyday rhythm of student life a little smoother, a little calmer, and sometimes – hard to believe though it is – as though you were actually how a normal human should. No more frozen pizzas!
1. A reusable water bottle
Most people underestimate the extent to which their day is shaped by hydration. I also cannot believe the number of people who go around buying a new plastic water bottle from the grocery store every day. A light, leak-proof bottle becomes the quiet, reliable best friend that sits in your bag during lectures, library sessions, and bike rides. A best friend who will never let you down.
You don’t have to get anything fancy or insulating (though they are nice). A cheap, plastic water bottle from Action or another grocery store will probably set you back €8-10, and if you take care of it, you’ll never have to buy another one ever again.
2. A simple desk organiser
Messy desk, messy brain. A small pen jar or organiser isn’t glamorous, but it stops your desktop from becoming a treasure hunt. When your coloured pens and highlighters aren’t buried under stacks of paper, everything feels magically more manageable.
3. A planner
Phones are great until you’re juggling deadlines, labs, experiments, meetings, and projects. I’ve found that having a physical planner where you write down exactly what you need to do during the dates that you need to do them helps you remember enormously – somewhere to drop your brain before it spills over the edges. Does this mean that I use a physical planner? Nope.
4. A spare charging cable
There’s a special kind of panic reserved for when your phone hits that 1% right before a lab, excursion or any other activity where you’ll be focusing for a while. A reliable €5 cable that always stays in your bag can be pretty life-saving, a sort of insurance for your entire academic life.
6. General hygiene kit
Personal hygiene is, unfortunately, underrated. Don’t be one of those people who jump straight into their lunch after a long period of touching their pencil and chair, and who knows what else. Of course, going to the bathroom to wash your hands is always possible if you’re on campus, but do you ever get that annoying sensation of being on public transport and somehow feeling as though your hands are extremely dirty from sweat or grime? A small hygiene kit with some hand wipes and disinfection spray has saved my sanity more times than I can count.
7. A decent lunchbox
Not the bulky kind that your parents packed for you as a kid – just a small, metal/plastic container that can fit a sandwich or two. Or – you know – actual lunch, instead of succumbing to cafeteria food or takeout from the grocery store.
7. A basic extension cord
Study rooms are a puzzle of limited sockets and unlimited devices. I groan internally whenever we’re in a big room and we realise that only one socket works. An extension cord quietly solves half the problems you didn’t realise were completely solvable.
8. A study lamp
Ever felt as though the main light in your room was too bright? I’ve always liked studying in the dim light of a candle, as it makes it all seem really cool, but a medium-sized study lamp from IKEA or similar works wonders as well. Just make sure the light it emits is orange/yellow instead of white.
9. Earplugs that work
Flatmates hosting predrinks? Someone coughing with suspicious commitment in the library? Annoying kids that seem to think it’s funny to light up fireworks at 3 A.M? Earplugs make these all ~magically~ disappear.
10. Cable dongles/converters
If you ever need to present something that’s not in one of the campus rooms, a dongle becomes really useful. You can also usually attach a USB stick on there to carry… well, whatever it is you need to carry on a USB stick, be it code or back-ups or otherwise.
So why these tiny things?
Because student life isn’t really about the dramatic purchases, no. It’s a lot more about the small habits that keep you going. A €7 lamp or €3 organiser isn’t going to change your life, but they might give you ten fewer things to worry about. Sometimes, that’s really all you need.
