If you have a daughter who's at university, and you plan to go shopping for gift hampers for her, the tips here should make selecting the best one easier.

Make sure it has some student-friendly staples

Whilst the hamper should definitely include several treats, you should also consider picking one that has a number of student-friendly staple items that you know your daughter uses or consumes regularly when she's at university. This might include some good-quality coffee, a large packet of fancy pasta, some colourful notebooks and a bottle of scented body wash.

The reason for this is that, if you get a hamper that has a few things that she normally has to buy herself each week, she'll then have a little more of her own money to spend during the period when she's using up the staple items you've provided. This might then enable her to afford, for example, a night out with her friends or some nice new clothes.

When deciding what staples to put in, it's important to consider the distance your hamper will spend in transit after you post it and to ensure that the staples you include will survive its journey. For example, if your daughter is at a university that's across the country, it might be better to put some powdered hot chocolate sachets in her hamper, instead of a box of chocolates, as there's a chance that the latter could melt if the hamper is left anywhere warm when it's in transit.

Include some things that she cannot afford to buy herself with her student budget

In addition to the aforementioned staples, you should also make sure the hamper has several items that you know for certain she cannot afford to buy herself with her modest student budget. These are the items that will help her to feel less deprived when, for example, she's stressed about essay deadlines and feels like she can't afford to get herself any special treats that would boost her mood.

For example, if you know she loves skincare products but is currently using items from very inexpensive skincare brands, you could have a hamper sent to her that has a high-end face cleanser or a luxury body moisturiser in it. Likewise, if she loves painting her nails but only does so with the cheapest nail polishes when she's at university, it might be nice to include a set of high-end nail polishes in the hamper. Look into gift hampers for her to find what you're looking for.

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