FTBs with no furniture etc, how much have/did you budget?

Callie22

Old_Git wrote: »

dont forget the bedding as well as the bed .

And cheap though it may be, think twice about getting a bed from IKEA. They're odd European sizes which means that the only place you can get bedding to fit properly (i.e. wide enough duvets, bottom sheets, duvet covers etc) is IKEA. It's a real pain when you can't take advantage of cheap bedding in the high-street sales.

soba

We were given a second-hand bed and bedding and a third-hand fridge. We had a deckchair and one armchair and curtains that didn't match at our duel-aspect windows. All of this cost us nothing which meant we had time to save for the things we really wanted.
Some people don't like used stuff but for us it meant moving in straight away and that was more important to us than having new things around us.

getmore4less

transport is the biggest problem

access to a decent estate/big boot car or van can help

Plenty of cheap/free stuff out there.

Charity shops have got expensive for decent stuff but have the advantage most deliver.

Check if you have a auction local, modern stuff and the brown stuff no one wants.

Be on the lookout for top end mattress in a sale or clearance.
Good ones last years longer and are much more comfortable.

If you know people with elderly relatives then they can be a good source of stuff, clearing houses is a big problem for people dealing with estates.

If you want a one stop shop/look then Ikea is quite good if you like the stuff.

Anatidaephobia

Make a list of what you think you need/want then scale it down and prioritise the few items you actually need from the start. Make use of Freecycle, Gumtree, ebay, charity shops, etc.

When we moved into our first home, we both brought all the furniture from our bedrooms at our parents houses which meant that we were able to furnish the master bedroom and the spare bedroom straight away. The first thing we bought was a fridge freezer in Curry's sale. We were generously gifted a washing machine, microwave, kettle and toaster from various relatives as house warming presents.

The only other thing we bought at the start was a sofa, a small table for £5 and a couple of lamps for a fiver each as well. For months, we just had Freeview with a tiny TV from home on the £5 table, and no other furniture in the living room except for the sofa.

I'm glad we took it slow and built up our home over time rather than rushing into buying everything and spending a fortune over a very short space of time.

Missus_Hyde

Many moons ago, when we got married, my mother bought me a Belling cooker from a neighbour who was emigrating.

It cost £15 and lasted for thirty years!! It broke my heart when it finally went to the great electrical heaven in the sky and I had to get rid of it.

I've never found another that I've liked so much, or was so reliable.:grinheart

ManuelG

Started with an empty house, the January sales, and ebay. Had a cooker, a walk-in wardrobe and... that was it.

Decided I wanted a new sofa regardless, never factored in delivery time (lying on a floor now in a sleeping bag, the delivery of said sofa probably deserves its own thread!) also found Argos decent value for beds/mattresses etc. and got the odd flat pack bedside cabinet for a tenner (cheaper than second hand in the house clearance place down the road!). Got a nice kitchen table and many chairs off ebay, also have a solid oak coffee table that is currently being wasted as the TV stand.

Still need/want a dishwasher, a bigger bookcase (should have taken note of measurements, the Argos baby bookcase really is baby!) an armchair (that'll have to be second hand, but would be nice if the AWOL sofa turns up so I can get clear in my head how much space I really have) and a few sundries.

The basics (bar the sofa!) are there, though. Of course there are things I'd *like* but... I set a budget, and I have to keep to it!

Anatidaephobia

ManuelG wrote: »

Decided I wanted a new sofa regardless, never factored in delivery time (lying on a floor now in a sleeping bag, the delivery of said sofa probably deserves its own thread!)

We went shopping for a sofa six weeks before we needed it; ended up the only place we found one we liked was Ikea. They delivered it the following morning! That sofa sat in our hallway for weeks before we'd finished redecorating and were ready for it in the living room.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

GoldenShadow wrote: »

Just wondering how much those of you who lived with family or were in furnished accommodation put aside to furnish your first house.

Did you have a fund of X to do it, buy the basics and save up over time for more etc. I know it could be how long is a piece of string, some things included etc, but was wondering if anyone had a vague idea.

So, where did you move ie. 2 bed flat, 3 bed house, and what kind of budget to furnish the place immediately/long term?

Zero.

Nada.

Zilch.

In my day, mortgages were so expensive at 17% interest that we all lived with hand-me-downs, family generosity, or make-do affairs.

One of my friends had a cardboard box for a table and milk crates for chairs for the first 3 years in his new flat.... With no TV as they couldn't afford the license and no phone line either. And that was in the 1990's, when prices were at their historical cheapest compared to incomes.

There is simply no need for expensive furniture. Go to ebay, freecycle, gumtree, etc and you can furnish a house with stuff that will do for next to nothing.

You should be focused on maximising your mortgage to buy the biggest/best house possible rather than wasting money on frivolous tat on the inside that will only wear out or break anyway.

CKhalvashi

A lot of the things in my house cost few £'s from charity shops. Over the years we've spent huge amounts on furniture and statues, but it doesn't need to be expensive.

Maybe budget £3-500 for the essentials, and work up from there according to your budget.

getmore4less

When going new there is a saying buy cheap buy twice.

For some things this will be ok, the lifetime of a kettle costing £5 or £50 will not be proportional

I know a few people that consider Ikea stuff as disposable.

When it comes to the big white goods, washer, dryer, dishwasher, fridge, freezer it can be worth researching and looking for quality and then wait for the deals.

Start with the free stuff and wait for the deals.

Like the idea of taking your stuff from home with you(parents probably happy to get the room back), why buy a new mattress, take what you have been sleeping on.


As with most things time is your enemy, want it now expect to pay more.