Tips for new homeowner

DWhite

I completed on my house on Friday. I didn’t have space to store things before buying and moving such as saucepans etc so I’m doing it all now. I do have family helping with things such as beds, duvets etc
I went to Ikea today and bought a set of 3 basic saucepans for £7 as a temporary thing.

What would you find in charity shops/FB marketplace etc that you’d consider worth buying as a new homeowner? What is best invested in as new?
I’ve been gifted a dinner set of plates, I have plenty of mugs, I have an airfryer. The cooker is new and built in so that’s sorted. I’m being bought a fridge/freezer for Xmas (I’m very lucky!). I have a washing machine being delivered on Tuesday.
Things like furniture, bits and bobs etc are what I’ll be looking for.
I’m not prescious about things having to be new, but I want things that will be worth buying and not a waste of money

Linda32

Spend as much as you are willing to on bedding. You spend at least 8 hours a day using it, every day of the year.

If you do a lot of cooking, decent cooking pots.

Pay as much as you can for something to sit on.

Keep an eye on the pennies, best deals on broad band, electric, gas etc.

Exciting times :T :T :T

VfM4meplse

Congratulations, homeowner!

My advice: have a clear idea of what it is you are looking for (I tend to P'In stuff that I want) and be patient about finding it, things can turn up when you least expect it. Keep an eye on chazzers, Freecycle and Gumtree but buy only when you can afford it, and never on tic unless its 0% deal and you'rte sure you'll be able to cover the cost.

Also keep a measuring tape about yourself, you'll find this will come in very handy!

Callie22

Buy what you need as and when you need it - the problem with other people's suggestions is that they're made based on their life and lifestyle, which won't necessarily be the same as yours. Spend some time living in your home and work out what you need, and what will actually work in your space. You've probably got plenty of 'stuff' already so use what you've got, and then replace the stuff you use a lot with something that's a bit better quality once it dies. Personally I'd advise against going out and spending a fortune on lots of stuff now, as 1) you might not actually 'need' it and 2) new houses have a habit of being expensive and you'll probably end up wishing you'd saved your money. We ended up having to buy a new boiler just after we bought a house and that put quite a few other plans on hold for quite a while!

My only other advice is that ebay can be really good for curtains, you can get huge pairs of really good-quality ones for not much money if you're happy to buy second-hand. Often they're barely used and are just being sold because someone's changed their decor, so you can get real bargains.

elsien

It's probably the wrong time of year, but I got lots of things from the car boot. At a couple of quid for a side table/fireguard/lamp/ironing board etc it doesn't matter if they get replaced in due course.

Although having said that, some of it still has a place donkeys years later.

VfM4meplse

Callie22 wrote: »

My only other advice is that ebay can be really good for curtains, you can get huge pairs of really good-quality ones for not much money if you're happy to buy second-hand. Often they're barely used and are just being sold because someone's changed their decor, so you can get real bargains.

Now this is excellent advice! The thousands of pounds I wasted on buying the perfect made-to-measure curtains when I could have found cheaper and just as good is quite shocking.

It's not a mistake I repeated this time round.

tori.k

George Carlin Classic "Stuff"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryy_QgDXnX4

Congratulations on your new home personally I wouldn't rush to buy anything other than the essentials. live with the space for a while first.
Be precious with your space if its not essential to you or something you find beautiful then its just wasted energy and money as you have the housekeeping to maintain it.

PasturesNew

These "essentials" many speak of are unnecessary fripperies.... do not be fooled into believing you need these "essentials".

Remember, a table is the thin end of the wedge... if you buy a table, you need chairs. You need a tablecloth, then a "for best" tablecloth, then a differently coloured tablecloth, then a Xmas tablecloth.... then cutlery, then "for best" cutlery ... then placemats, then different placemats, then Xmas placemats..... then bowls, serving bowls, Xmas serving bowls, a large trifle bowl, glasses, flutes, tumblers ... then people want/expect to be fed because "you've got room for them" .....

And where are you going to store all that stuff? Now you need a cabinet, a sideboard .... and that "looks bare", so you need ornaments and bowls for the top ... and little protector mats.... then it needs dusting...

Do not buy that table.... instead, buy a bottle of wine, to take to the house of others, who have a table and "all that stuff" .... and simply say "Oh you've such a lovely table, here, have a bottle of wine.... shall I sit here?"

PasturesNew

My tip re kitchenware etc, too, is "rarely buy sets". If you see a nice plate/bowl/mug, 1-2 will suffice.... if you buy 1-2 and one breaks it's no big deal, buy a matching set of anything and you're stuck... can't throw out the rest of that set, but get angered by the missing piece.

Over the years, instead, build up an "interesting collection of individual bits and bobs that each, individually, bring joy to your heart"

bouicca21

The cost of decent new furniture is staggering. Concentrate on the items that are worth buying new - first priority a decent bed.

As suggested, live with your space for a while to see how it works. Then decide on your own personal style. Some people never get out of IKEA. Some people have excellent second hand furniture shops or auction houses nearby. Me, I relied on eBay.

Siebrie

Invest in a pot of paint in a colour that you like, a decent brush, and sandpaper. Anything wood can be painted, and if every item has the same colour (or colour range - this depends on your budget) it looks pulled together. Metal can be spraypainted.

Maybe you can accept secondhand for the time being, and work out from there what features you would like a new item to have? I have a little notebook where I keep track of my wishes. For instance, our water cooker was a wedding gift 11 years ago, it's plastic, and by now on its last legs. My booklet tells me that I want a new one to be stainless steel, have a sturdy filter, cordless, and that it should have a little ball indicating the water level.