£400 Pounds to furnish a flat

vicki_b

hi id go for the white goods first as painting and decorations can be added little things at a time!Emmaus is really good, from what i can gather they get people fresh out of prison to revamp the furniture then sell it on cheaply to the public. my local council(york) also has a community furniture store which has really good second hand and new furniture and appliances and they usually throw in the delivery free. just ask your local housing office

Smiley_Mum

Came across this link that may be of interest.

http://www.frn.org.uk/need.asp

Isn't there a local Home Start project or something similar, you can usually get furniture there also, electrical items etc which have been checked/tested etc.

There should be somewhere you could get paint for gratis also, there are usually paint recycling places too. Not sure where you could get info though.

Good Luck with the new start.

HugoSP

Where are you in the country?

There are some really kind people on this forum who may be happy to donate stuff they don't need. I know my wife keeps asking me to get rid of furniture. My mum died a few years ago and we have some really nice antique furniture. Unfortunately we also have some other modern bits that are hanging around, possibly to use in another property, but we don't yet know.

adouglasmhor

SVDP can sometimes help - you don't need to be RC, Salvation army can help too, Freecycle is good as others have said

Peartree

I think if you ask around, you'd be amazed how much stuff people will give you, especially if you can beg or borrow a van. It is actually really difficult to get rid of items when you replace them. There is a six week waiting list for our local hospice furniture shop to pick up items - which isn't ideal if you've got an old double bed on your hands! If you put the word out I think you'll get a good response from people who'll be grateful that someone will take furniture/appliances off their hands and give them a good home. Because most charities won't take electrical goods and because Freecycle isn't very active in my area, I recently had to take a still working Sony TV to the tip. I asked around everyone I knew and no-one wanted it. Might be worth a trip to your local tip or 'recycling centre' and making friends with some of the staff.

I work in a University and we have a weekly newsletter where staff advertise things they are trying to get rid of - often free to take away - if you have any friends who work in big organisations it is worth asking them if they can keep their eyes open for you. For household items, DIY and so on, investigate your local pound shops.

Still, even if you have to start with a minimum of items, I'm sure having your own place again will be so wonderful you won't mind! All the very best.