“Back to Res Season”: Student Raids Home Kitchen Before Returning to Campus

“Back to Res Season”: Student Raids Home Kitchen Before Returning to Campus

  • A university student's TikTok video shows her gathering essential groceries and toiletries from her family home before heading back to her university residence
  • The clip highlights the financial challenges many South African students face, with necessities often being a luxury on limited student budgets
  • Mzansi netizens shared their own experiences of 'shopping' at home, with many reminiscing about their parents' support during their study years
A woman's video on raiding her home cupboards before leaving for uni goes viral.
A woman posted a video of how it was that time again when one has to raid their home cupboards for items they could use when they go back to living in their uni residences. Images: @revonia_moetji
Source: TikTok

Content creator @revonia_moetji, known for sharing beauty tips and university life content, documented her pre-residence preparation in a video captioned:

"Back to Res season! Pack with me."

For many South African students, residence life comes with financial challenges. Limited access to affordable food, necessities, and tight budgets often means waiting for allowances or NSFAS payments.

Some students rely on their families' support to bridge the gap between payment cycles.

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Watch the video below.

South African res culture

The practice of taking supplies from home has become a familiar ritual for many students.

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From food items to toiletries, these essentials help students manage their living costs while staying in university accommodation, where nearby shops often charge premium prices.

Mzansi relates to res life

The online community shared their experiences:

@joy admitted:

"The problem is there is nothing at home I am the one buying the groceries but I always take mom's sleepwear 😅😅"

@LindokuhleMoloi shared:

"Lool totally miss this, my mom would even give me a 5kg braai pack and vegetables because Funza Lushaka usually started giving allowances from March ❤️May our parents live long…"

@day.1sy remembered:

"Ohhh this reminds me of when I moved out of my mom's place 😭😭. 1 cup, 1 plate, 2 small pots 😂😂"

@Lenetbk reflected:

"I used to do this and thought everyone did until I realised that other people don't like it they'd rather their kids buy everything, sad cos this allows one to bring a piece of home with them."

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“I was here always”: Gent celebrating son’s birthday on side of road moves SA

@Buhlebendalo simply stated:

"Shopping at home before leaving 😌❤️"

3 other student life stories

  • A student's viral video revealed the stark contrast between res life and home conditions, sharing his experience with a broken pit toilet after returning from campus.
  • A Wits student's TikTok captured attention by showing his dramatic lifestyle switch from Johannesburg's urban life to chopping wood in rural KZN.
  • An inspiring doctor's and recent graduate's journey from walking to township schools to driving to work shows how dedication and hard work can transform dreams into reality.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Nerissa Naidoo avatar

Nerissa Naidoo (Editor) Nerissa Naidoo is a versatile writer and editor with expertise across platforms. Currently a human interest writer at Briefly News, she began her career contributing to Morning Lazziness and later specialized in professional documents at Featherpen.org. As a TUW ghostwriter, she focused on non-fiction, while her editorial roles at National Today and Entail.ai honed her skills in content accuracy and expert-driven editing. You can reach her at nerissa.naidoo@briefly.co.za