Setting up a home 1st time

DD265

OH and I are moving in together hopefully at the end of next month - just waiting for the application to be confirmed.

We're renting unfurnished. I am moving out of my parents, have things like a bed, wardrobes, shelving. OH is renting furnished so doesn't really have anything home wise and as he shares with his brother I think the brother will end up keeping the (minimal) pots/pans etc.

I know that I can beg/borrow/freecycle/charity shop quite a few things. But I'm wondering whether there are some things where I should buy decent quality to begin with - e.g. Mom keeps saying her Tefal pan with the red spot is better than any other she's ever had, lasts longest and I can confirm that it still looks like new after a couple of years.

Another thing I wonder about is towels although thankfully I can borrow some from my parents to begin with. Also got a toaster donated. I do have a dining table (no chairs, but we have computer chairs we can use to start with) and the flat has fridge freezer/microwave/oven/washer&dryer/dishwasher.

Cutlery we've got a cheap set from Argos and plates/glasses are coming from the supermarkets. We're thinking of looking at TK Maxx for the other non-electrical kitchen stuff like knives.

Any tips? Where can I get away with cheap and cheerful and where should I pay for better quality?

TiredTrophy

One really good kitchen knife
pillows

everything else secondhand / freecy...le
or just wait.

It is amazing how much stuff you do not need!
and it is so much easier to clean ....!
Enjoy your new home.

thriftwizard

Certainly pay for better quality with electrical/white goods, having researched them first. The savings over their lifetime, in both fuel usage & maintenance/replacement frequency, more than cancel out the extra initial cost. And yes, good knives are an investment in your time & sanity!

But with towels, household linens, saucepans etc, take a good look at car boot sales. It's astonishing what people part with, often for pennies, because it doesn't go with their new colour scheme, or they're moving to Spain, or just clearing out old Aunt Ethel's home.

rdone

I'd recommend ikea for plates... you can get 4 dinner plates, side dishes and bowls for £5 and they come in all different colours. I bought them over a year ago when I moved as temporary crockery but am still using them now. It's surprising what people give when you mention you're moving and are going "minimalist" for the time being!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Yes, mention to friends/colleagues that you're moving and many will happily offer excess kitchen/linen items.

I inherited a couple of old armchairs when I bought my house, but didn't have a settee or kitchen table/chairs for months after I moved in. I still don't have a coffee table (which my dad moans about like a right old man). So don't worry about stuff like that too much and keep an eye on car booties and charity shops for second hand quality items (you can always sand and repaint them to your taste, and are likely to last longer than modern flatpack stuff).

Pound shops can be hit and miss for quality. Had some good serving spoons, but poor picture hooks.

no1catman

Do you have a Heart Shop nearby?
Whenever, I'm near I like to have a browse. In Cardiff we have at least two - amazing sometimes how good what they have is.

MovingUp

Congratulations on the house move. Such an exciting time.


We found that once people new it was our first place lots of things were offered to you. In terms of new items I would just say a new mattress (although you say you have a bed) and some good quality knives.


You will soon find yourselves with so much stuff from other people you won't know what to do with it!

Ilona

I would say don't buy anything until you have been living in it a month. You will find that you can get away with a lot less that you originally thought. The only thing I would buy new is a bed, but as you already have one that will be fine. Forget the small items, muddle through for a while until you are a bit more organised.

Years ago it was the done thing to start a 'Bottom Drawer', years before the actual event. Relatives donated stuff to add to it, mostly second hand. You don't need to buy hardly anything new, plenty of car boot sales, charity shops etc. I skip dive and have found all kinds of good quality items, not to keep myself, but to pass them on to charity shops. There was a big bag of quality towels which I washed and took them to the Age UK shop.

Ilona

ilovemygarden

If blinds/curtains aren't supplied, as soon as you know the window sizes, keep a look out in charity shops, freecycle and car boot sales for curtains or large pieces of fabric to 'do' until you find something you like better.

DD265

Thanks all.

The flat does have blinds but they're like office ones and as we have large windows on the ground floor, I plan to get some sheer panels that can stay across during the day for a bit of privacy. I saw some in Primark for £3 if they're big enough (it's a converted mill so big windows) otherwise I know Ikea do some.

Mom has said I can take all of the towels from my bathroom and most of them are Christy so probably have another 10 years in them yet! We can borrow the vacuum as and when (luckily we aren't moving far away) and a couple of chairs to use at our dining table.

I will definitely take the suggestion of putting something up on Facebook.

GreyQueen

You can get some excellent stainless steel saucepans in the chazzers/ at the booters. Go for pans without non-stick coatings, with the possible exception of frying pans. Saucepans should last tens of years, 40-50 iyears or more is perfectly achieveable, but if you have non-stick coatings, they'll eventually get damaged and cause you to discard a pan.

My fave pan is a heavy-based 9 inch stainless steel pot, worth every penny of the £1 it cost me at a bootsale 15+ years ago and in weekly use.

As others said, a good quality knife or two, a decent manual can opener (I'm a Bran@ntia fan), a few wooden spoons. Silicone spatulas are fantastic, the ones from the £ shops are better than nothing, but the ones formed all of a piece with a metal tang embedded in the handle are superior (santa brought me on a couple of years back and it's in constant use).

Astonishingly-good stuff turns up secondhand for pennies on the pound and there are many generous souls who like to share their largesse with people jsut starting out, so buy minimally of new items and aim to acquire the rest of the items as you see them. Good luck in your new home!