Nice People Thread Part 9 - and so it continues

Nikkster

lostinrates wrote: »

I am pretty certain I can come up with a single bed in decent condition.....or there is that ikea bed I have which I think is horrid but its in amazing condition, has been slept in fewer than a dozen times...its a very small double.....

Thanks, lir.

I'm honestly not worrying about furniture at all at the moment. I'm doing what I can to progress the purchase, but most of my time and effort is elsewhere...

All I really need to be functional are the kitchen and bathroom. Once I've got a roof over my head, I'll work out the rest. That's not to say I won't be taking up anyone's kind offers... just that I don't yet know what I might have. And I still might not have anywhere to worry about furnishing!

Nikkster

PasturesNew wrote: »

You need to sit on a blow up mattress in the space for a week or two before you think about what you need/want/like.

Unless you're one of those magical visualising types...... I've just been measuring my wall as I'm sure there's a hidden 3' nothing space between here and where I store my stuff... and there is. and now it's bothering me as to what it is. Must be an old structural wall of some sort that's been hidden behind the swirly artex on the wall. I'll go tapping in a bit.... see how it all sounds.

I'm ok at visualising. Just don't have the mental space/ energy at the mo, and what I do find I should be applying to something else.

I'll work out what I need in the first couple of weeks, see how I can meet those needs with minimum expenditure. For the wants/ likes I plan to get what I really like even if it means waiting and saving

vivatifosi

Nikkster wrote: »

You two are cryptic aren't you?

At the risk of showing how ego-centric I am at the moment (pretty much off the chart). Were you both referring to me (or as viva's autocorrect might have thought milli )?

Assuming you were, thanks for the offers

Hopefully I'll be the proud adoptive owner of a heap of student furniture, otherwise I'll let you know. I won't be in desperate need of anything - I have an air mattress, and cushions to sit on the floor etc. It'll only be me, and I know that I'm happy to slum it for as long as it takes. I don't think I'll be having homeowner dinner parties/ g&t sessions for quite some time :rotfl:

Yep, we were talking about you Milli, I mean Nikks...

I was having a thought... The cheap plastic garden furniture makes a pretty comfy indoors table and chairs for dinner if you don't get any furniture left. Should be able to pick up really low price to use as a table and chairs and then can move out of doors until you can afford a better garden set.

When I got my first house I moved in with 2 paper lampshades, a bamboo blind (got put in the kitchen) 50m of white translucent fabric that had been used to dress a display where I worked (got turned into curtains for the rest of the house, a 20 year old sofa bed that I was given, crockery, cutlery, a towel bale, and a kettle. I also had the bedding from my single bed at home, plus I had a set of saucepans but no cooker until I was given one, about a month later.

Additionally, you can stretch your money by going to Tring Auctions (especially if it is cold) and to Emmaus, which has branches St Albans, Harpenden and Hemel. Especially if you make friends with someone with a van, or have a big hatchback.

hjd

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

No, Ifor Evans. Also catered Monday to Friday, and a tiny kitchen, and you were charged for the absolutely awful food at weird times of day (dinner at 6pm!)

OH was in Ramsey Hall, which was similarly grotty.

Our flatmate for several years was in halls in Gower Street, which were by far the cheapest of all UCL's halls, but were shared rooms, with bedsteads which dated from the time it had been used as a workhouse. I loved sharing a flat with her, but I'd have loathed sharing a room with her! But it was £32 a week, which was pretty cheap for WC1 and far cheaper than Ifor Evans or Ramsey.

My daughter was in Arthur Tattersall on Gower Street for her first year at UCL. Shared room was the big drawback, she had nothing in common with her room-mate. Price was considerably more than £32 per week, best part of £100 each for a shared room.
Has lived in N London since apart from 2 separate years in Finland. She was a student for her year out in Turku and accommodation there was fine, albeit in the area of the city known as the ghetto. No curtains provided with the room though, she had to get some. When you have travelled for 3 days with all your luggage to get there (she won't fly) you could do without too much hassle on arrival.
For the first year after graduating she lived in Helsinki. There it seems to be common to rent an unfurnished room, but luckily the previous occupant seemed happy to leave bed and mattress. Not official student accommodation though.
In September she starts her Masters degree, at UCL again, living in private accommodation this time.

michaels

Just took last Spanish student to airport, this one we won't miss so much but the 10 weeks of students have generally been fun and have been a decent earner.

silvercar

michaels wrote: »

Just took last Spanish student to airport, this one we won't miss so much but the 10 weeks of students have generally been fun and have been a decent earner.

Did your children find them fun? Did you lose quality time with your little ones to run round/ wash up/ laundry after the students?

PS Hope the earnings didn't effect your CB claim

michaels

I reckon they qualify under the rent-a-room releif and even if they didn't there were obviously a lot of expenses involved and of course any earnings were made by DW....

Very little work was required, they took themselves off in the morning and got themselves home, we just cooked extra portions of everything and apart from this last week they actually joined in as 'big sisters' to our DKs so a free baby sitting resource We would generally have preferred if they had taken us up more often on the offer to wash their clothes. The first ones came dressed for 'English Summer' and were generally too hot in July, the one this week had done 'hand luggage only' and I suspect was a bit cold and had to borrow a raincoat.

lostinrates

I'm having love affair with the kitchen today.

We had delicious pan bagnet for lunch, then a rosemary, lavender, honey and lemon cake, and strawberry shortcake (which I didn't eat, too sweet for me, but the herby cake was nice). Tonight i hope a really good chicken salad.....

So, seeing as I am eating stuff I am not meant to I am considering ditching the pills for tonight and having a glass of wine too....

zagubov

Nikkster wrote: »

I'm ok at visualising. Just don't have the mental space/ energy at the mo, and what I do find I should be applying to something else.

I'll work out what I need in the first couple of weeks, see how I can meet those needs with minimum expenditure. For the wants/ likes I plan to get what I really like even if it means waiting and saving

Check your supermarket for "for sale" cards. I got my B&O receiver and turntable for £65 from an ad I saw there.

It was a Safeway thirty years ago so GOK what it'd be now (the only other supermarket in your town was a Sainsbury's back then). I hope it's a better range now.:)

vivatifosi

zagubov wrote: »

Check your supermarket for "for sale" cards. I got my B&O receiver and turntable for £65 from an ad I saw there.

It was a Safeway thirty years ago so GOK what it'd be now (the only other supermarket in your town was a Sainsbury's back then). I hope it's a better range now.:)

That's really weird. 30 years ago I also bought a B&O receiver and turntable from an ad. Still have turntable in the loft somewhere, needs a new belt.