Setting up a new home

Cerisa

i'm soon setting up my first home - has anyone got any tips? Financial, practical etc

clutton_2

AFter the first year you will find that your bills will ALWAYS come to at last 50% more than you budget for in week one.......

penguingirl

Cerisa wrote: »

i'm soon setting up my first home - has anyone got any tips? Financial, practical etc

Get a dishwasher!

Seriously though, if you know you're not going to be there that long don't spend an absalute fortune on furniture- we rented a flat for a year and just bought pretty cheap stuff (argos bedroom stuff, tesco sofas etc.). Now we've bought a house we've quite happily given half the stuff away (because it doesn't go with our house) and because it didn't cost much we weren't bothered. We're now treating ourselves

Good luck!

clutton_2

have you tried www.freecycle.co.uk - you can use other peoples' "don't want this any more" for free.......

one couple locally furnished their entire house with free stuff.... very green and almost free (you pay to collect)

poppysarah

Do not move into a new empty place and then ask on freecycle for everything from pots and pans to beds and wardrobes.



Plan. Save. Work hard.

clutton_2

""Do not move into a new empty place and then ask on freecycle for everything from pots and pans to beds and wardrobes.""

Why not ? its re-cycling at its best......

greenface

dont get into debt . If you dont need it save up for it.
best advice my F.I.L gave me

peterdee_2

It might be an idea to invest in a house alarm for peace of mind in your first home, and maybe take out insurance too.

g_attrill

Don't do a spending splurge on credit cards - only buy everything at first which is completely essential, then figure out what you need over the following months (or years!), then you can buy carefully and avoid rash purchases which you then find out are unsuitable or you don't like.

Cerisa

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the kind replies. I'm mortally afraid of using our credit cards so that won't happen. Insurance in particular is a fab idea.

Clutton: Thanks for the tip! I ahve used freecycle before, but it's good to be reminded og it. Surely it's bad etiquette on freecycle to ask for an entire house's contents lol? I am slowly stocking up on bits and pieces - I particularly took advantage of the Ikea sale.

Penguingirl: I would love a dishwasher! realistically tho I may have to stock to handwashing. That's a good tip, I do have a bad tendency to think everything has to be perfect instantly and it is a waste of money!

honeyD

One thing I didnt think of when we got our first place a year ago - You will get a water bill pretty darn quick so budget for it.
I found it was best to get all the little bits before I even had a place. For years I got plate sets, cutlery etc for christmas lol. Bit boring at the time but such a help when we got our place. We had a couple big things though like washing machine and frigde freezer.
Take it easy, not everything has to be the absolute best. It can be something that is "ok for now" until you can afford better, though there are some bargains to be had if you look in the right places. We have a furniture place that helps people on low income buy second hand furniture for cheaper and we got our sofa and armchair there for £99 and they are still just as good a year on. We have 1 picture on the wall in the living room as Im so fussy and want the perfect pictures lol so I wait and wait and will find something else eventually! Everything is gradual, you can upgrade later on down the line and add your own personal touches to things as time goes by.
Just remember you bills and things will be a lot higher than you initially thought. This was a bit of an eye opener for me but I budget to make sure I have everything covered.
Good luck! :j