Kitting out a new flat!

natpski

Hello All

I am just about to buy a new flat but I don't have any furniture or white goods to my name.

What I was wondering was has anyone found it possible to do bulk deals with big stores like John Lewis or Currys etc?

Looking at the figures, it's going to work out very expensive to get the flat all kitted out so every little bit helps at the moment!!

What are your thoughts?

rosewhite

Do you have a local freecycle service? There are often white goods and furniture advertised on ours and you could perhaps replace as and when you can afford to an item at a time.

Alternatively what about white goods from somewhere like Makro

butterfriends

not heard of a high street chain doing bulk deals on various items like that, maybe a local independent retailer would?

pity you just missed out on tesco and sainsburys, i think, furniture clearance sales - there were some great bargains to be had still a nice looking sofa on tesco but not much else, and not as cheap as some of the things were http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.204-4200.aspx

for white goods you might be surprised what you can pick up second hand or reconditioned. the clearance listings on the argos website have some really good deals - again you're just a bit too late though, best deals to be had just after the new catalogues come out

for wood furniture, not sure i can recommend them because i haven't taken delivery of my furniture yet, but oakfurnitureland have very good prices - i recently ordered a desk and a bookcase, they're coming on monday and i've got my fingers crossed that they're as good as they look

good luck! it's so exciting setting up your first home

[Deleted User]

currys/comet will usually do a deal,but dependant on taking out extended cover,which you can always cancel after the 1st month,john lewis are "never knowingly undersold",so might be scope there if you research prices,other than that some places will offer 10% discount for a week if you open and use a store card,just make sure you pay it off on the 1st statement.Think ikea have a sale atm if you are near one.
good luck in your new home !

jenniewb

Think that many Ikeas around the UK seem to have their sales on at the moment. Go to the "bargain" department near the till in all the stores I've been to and see whats there first, could save you a few ££ also check the website, plan whatever you can as this store is a mindfield- children in Ikea, lovely as they are should be banned- its just so dangerous, they run around like maniacs in all the stores I've been to- all times of the day too (midnight included !!!) not a nice shopping experience but cheap!

Hanoverian

Hi there,

Furniture wise Ikea seems a good bet, the quality of their stuff isn’t bad and it seems to be good value for money, they have got a sale on at the moment, but its isolated items from a range rather than whole ranges, they also have local store offers, worth checking out.

For “white goods” I checked out Dixons and the bigger supermarkets out, but found the best deal where from Boots appliance sales website (same as Next) and another company called Hughes. The forum won’t let me post links to them but if you take the gaps out:

www. bootskitchenappliances .com

www. pricerunner.hughesdirect .co.uk

Hughes are cheaper per item, but charge £25 delivery + £18 per additional item, where as boots are a straight £19.99 regardless of how many items, so it can be swings and roundabouts. I found the comparison site

www. testfreaks .co.uk

was really helpful, giving reviews and also telling you what the prices are in the highstreet shops and on the web.

Be very careful of Dixons/Currys etc “if you see it cheaper we’ll match it” most of them either exclude internet transactions or only match against a small list of 10 or so retailers. In general boots/Hughes were £50+ cheaper.

Good luck and let me know if you find any good deals or sales, I’m holding off buying in the hope of saving in the Easter Sales.

H

Hanoverian

While I remember, Hughes do a lease agreement..works out as only a few £££s per month, there's a link to it on the Hughes website...

H

Cara_xx

Hi, I am moving within the next two weeks and find the British Heart Foundation furniture shop is usually very good (they may have a store locator online) - there are always lots of sofas and white kitchen goods in there - check the quality before you buy them though!!

I also nabbed myself a solid Pine corner shelving unit off ebay for 99p yesterday - I am picking it up on Saturday, but have already paid by Paypal, as I would feel awkward giving the woman a pound for a solid pine piece of furniture in person!

ukchriss

when my sister split from my ex last year she walked out with 2 kids + one suitcase
so had to kit a 3 bed council house out.
My parents bought her carpets for the whole house for under £800 and i helped her get everything including paint second hand bit by bit out of the local papers and from freecycle. It took us about a month and £950.

Since then gradually shes bought new bits as and when she could, so it can be done

Claire_Bear

Last August I moved from a fully furnished student house into a completely empty normal house. Because I was skint, I managed to furnish the entire house for roughly £35. I used freecycle and was offered a lovely solid pine double bed and a sofa, received a few hand-me-down pieces of furniture from relatives and bought some stuff off ebay. Bceuase a lot of the stuff I got from ebay was bulky and heavy it was collection only, which is why the prices were so low. I bought a sofa for £6.50, a fridge freezer in brilliant condition for £20, a desk for £2.20 and a reclining leather computer chair for 99p. Charity shops are also a good place to get furniture and things from, like Cara said the BHF has furniture showrooms, as does the YMCA in our town. Also maybe worth looking in the classifieds of your local paper for white goods?

wssla00

I used BHF for a lot of things (the charity shop) which gave some great bargains- my coffee tables were a fiver! Really good for things like dining tables and the like!