Reddit mentions of Orka 17-Inch Silicone Barbecue Mitt, Red

if you're canning or just cooking, I'd recommend a pair of these oven mitts. They are long and durable and can get wet. And by get wet, I mean when I was canning and had to pour boiling water into my jars then quickly seal them to get the vacuum seal, I just used these to grab everything easily instead of using the silly old canning tools. They worked great (I made twelve jars of pickles and even though it was my first time ever doing this, I managed to get a good seal on all twelve jars!)

Also:

Cooking utensils: We really like our Calphalon spoons/turners/etc. They work really well and are pretty comfortable and durable, but they can't handle the really thick stuff (had to use our metal spoon (carefully) when we made a gallon or two of kasha)

Cutlery: did you say something about breaking the bank? Well ignoring that rule, Cutco knives are actually really really good. The edges stay sharp forever. (Mine are still just as great as when I got them five years ago; never been sharpened. My parents have a set from when they got married 30 years ago and they are still extremely usable.) They do actually honor their replacement guarantee forever - some of my mom's steak knives broke as did her scissors after like 15 years, and they sent brand new replacements no questions asked, and they are also dishwasher safe and not made of wood. Consider getting a few of these - maybe the petite carver and the trimmer knives if you only want a couple. I do almost everything with just those two. (full disclosure - I did have my Cutco salesman stint for a year or so, but half the reason why I did it was so I could buy the full set of knives at a big discount for myself; I hardly sold anything otherwise)

For the stand mixer, be sure you don't get a lower-end mixer that might not do everything you want later on, just because it is cheaper now. Get the lower-end mixer because you have no need for a more powerful one anyway. BB&B 20% coupons come in really handy for these!

That being said, if you're going into school, and your kitchen isn't that big, it might not be worth it yet for you to take up that much counter space - consider getting a handheld mixer for the time being too, unless you're going to be using it a ton.

If you're doing a lot of chopping sorts of cooking, a Cuisenart food processor is amazing.

Let me know if you are thinking about a blender - I know too much about those too.