Bought 1st house- on budget - what furniture is essential??

Twinkle_Mitchell

Hi all,
A friend of mine has just bought a new house and is moving into it without a scrap of furniture. She is on a major budget (the house was priced at the top of her range) so was wondering if you could help!
What furniture would you deem to be absolutely necessary? She wrote a list last night of essentials, but just cannot afford everything on it.
Any ideas about absolute essentials and also any hints and tips on where to buy (or acquire!) cheap (but not too tacky) furniture and home bits and bobs would be much appreciated.
Cheers, Twinkle

Heth_2

For me a bed would be the most essential piece of furniture. I'd get a cheap hangind rail as well to put my best clothes on.
After a bed i'd probably got for a table and a few chairs, then some floor cushions/sofa/bean bags.

For cheap places look at ads in the paper and charity furniturre shops. My husband got his sofa, and a wardrobe from the age concern one in mk, we have an oxfam one here in coventry which is good as well. Most stuff a bit old fashioned, but cheap and they deliver. Or try ikea/argos for cheap stuff.

nic82

A bed for me would be an absolute must.

Where is your friend living at the moment? If she is still living with her parents, could she not take her bed with her (even if it's just for a few months whilst she saves some more money to buy her own with and then she can give it back)?

Try FreeCycle too. People give away all sorts of furniture and other bits on there. The only rule is that you must "offer" something before you can start "taking". However, since your friend is moving out, this should be easy. If she has a declutter before she moves, I bet there is quite a lot of stuff she won't want/need in her new house. You can offer anything from a box of books to an old chair to a TV to a load of balls of wool.

Otherwise, Ebay is a great way of buying cheap kitchen items (though remember she'll have to pay postage costs). If she does have a declutter before she moves out, she could perhaps sell some of her stuff on Ebay rather than putting it all on FreeCycle. That way she is making a bit of money which will help her buy more of what she needs.

It will be worth asking the current owners of the house if they are planning on leaving anything behind. Your friend will probably have to pay for it, but probably won't be much. If the owner doesn't want it, it'll be easier for him/her to sell it at a really low price than having the hassle of moving it out of the house and then getting rid of it at a later date. I did this when I bought my 1st house and got a cooker for £15! Yep it was old fashioned, but it works perfectly fine.

Lastly, tell your friend to tell as many people as possible that she is moving out. It is amazing how many people offer you things, often for free. I ended up with a fridge and microwave this way.

Hope this helps!

black-saturn

Theres a list on some government website of what they consider to be essential items in a house. But I cant find it now

It was something like (for one person):
Oven,
dining chair,
table,
armchair,
television,
bed,
wardrobe,
saucepan,

I remember thinking it was wierd that a fridge wasnt on the list but a telly was

Slinky

I'd reckon a kettle, some plates, bowls, cups, knives, forks, spoons were all pretty essential as well unless you were planning on eating everything out of that saucepan with your hands.

We had to move to our current home leaving the previous one furnished so we could try and find a new buyer (first one dropped out at the last minute). We slept on an airbed for 3 months. It's amazing how comfortable they can be, although it's a bit of a struggle standing up in the morning.

black-saturn

I slept on the floor for about 3 months :eek:

I had absolutely nothing to my name when I moved in here and no money. Its surprising how little you can get by with.

K9cuddles

Another cheap place is auctions!!! I went to one on Tuesday and some stuff went sooo cheap!

rchddap1

When we moved into our house....we didn't have a sofa (waited a week or 2 for that)....we didn't have a bed (a month for that one)....we didn't have carpets (a month for that one too)

We did have .... a microwave / cooker, a fridge freezer, a kettle and a TV. We slept on the floor for the first month (ouch)

Definately check out freecycle...its a great group if you are desperately short of cash and need stuff like this. Usually you'll have to collect though. Seen TVs, Fridges, Freezers...all sorts crop up. Check out the small ads in the paper.

If you have a restricted budget put things in order of priority and then slowly work down the list. Over time you will get to the bottom of the list.

NervousYetFeisty

Like nic82 says - ask the owners. I'm thinking especially of cutains (which can cost a fortune and might not fit in the vendors' new house anyway) and any kitchen appliances.

plane_boy2000

When we sold our last house we had a few items that we didnt need in our new house and sold them to the buyer. He was pleased and so was I as it was less to move!

In my first place I bought most of my stuff from the local free adds paper - got a sofa for £50, and a bed for £10. the bed was suprisingly good, and whn I moved in with my other half I put it back in the paper and got £15 for it!

Bermuda_John

I spent 3 months here in Bermuda with just a blow up air bed and my girlfriend to keep me occupied.