TV/DVD & Take Aways

Uni isn't all about going out. At the end of the day, going out all the time is impossible. We only have a limited amount of money, so it's always a nice idea to stay in once or twice a week without doing uni work or going clubbing etc.
Why not get a few friends together and go round someone eles's place. At the end of the day, it gets you out of your room and it's a free way to hang out with mates.
One way I decided to pass the time was to cook. I already liked cooking, so at times this didn't seem like a chore. However making cakes is my passions. So whenever I had time on my hands but didn't want to see friends and be on my own, I would either watch a film in my room or make cakes. My flat mates actually made cakes together. Although they didn't really end up eating them, they just wanted to have fun making them. You could always aim to make something new every week. Not only is this passing the time but it's a useful skill to have. Although in my first year, my fellow peers didn't seem to struggle with cooking, I know in some years people come to uni without knowing how to cook. By learning to cook something different every week, this really benefits you and you can even save money from take aways and getting bored with eating the same thing. It might even be a good idea to buy a cheap cook book.
A top recipe I would recommend is the traditional 'roast dinner'. If you particularly like cooking, you could cook it for your friend like I did. I would get the stuff and divide the cost between the number of people I was cooking for. It would come to under £5 for dinner and a dessert. However it could be more expensive but it just depends where you shop. I personally like Asda and I feel when I go to Tesco's, I some how come out with less shopping for more money. However, you could all just do one part of the cooking each e.g. one person cook the meat while another cooks the vegetables. That way you are having a nice meal and spending time together in not only just eating the meal but also preparing it.

Other ideas for staying in could be to watch films. You can either rent them out from www.odeon.co.uk , where they get sent to you address and you send them back free. Or you could pop to Asda and pick up some cheap DVD's to buy. They always have good deals, with top DVDs at as low as £5. Alternatively, you could just borrow some off a friend. They are bound to have a DVD you haven't seen before or one that you love but just don't own yourself. But obviously, just remember to return it when you are finished.

You could always just watch the TV. TV guilds are available online to see what's on, on what days. A few of my friends always met up on a Saturday night to what Doctor Who together but you could do this with anything. I used to go around a friends every few weeks to watch Skins together. Other good programmes to what are the game shows e.g. Golden Balls and Deal or no deal. Alternatively, you always have the soaps. Most people like at least one soap or another. I personally enjoy watching Hollyoaks. So after dinner (or during it) I would watch it.

Recommendations for movies would be the action films or horrors. Most people don't like watching horrors alone. So this is a great way to drag your friends around. As mentioned earlier, you could use an Internet rental programme or use your local rental store. I think Blockbuster is a really good one. Not only do they do rentals, they also sell ex rental DVDs for a cheap price. Some are as little as £3 each. For rentals, you could just divide the cost between the number of people watching it. This could be as little as 50p each. You could then order in some food and watch it.

Once you get to uni, take aways are always putting menus through your door. The delivery is normally free, so you might as well take advantage of this offer. Alternatively go to www.thebigeat.com and type in your location and local take aways will be shown, with their menus. In some cases you can even order and pay online.
Whatever you choose to do in your spare time at home, remember it has to be something you enjoy.