Furniture makes a home, but what if our shopping list is bigger than our budget?
So we’ve got the keys… but what’s behind the door? Not a great deal? Does our new nest still need to be feathered?
Whatever we need to make it home – beds, fridge, sofa, maybe even carpets – there are ways to get what we need without forking out a packet.
Free is the best price of all, so the best place to start the search may be websites like Freegle and Freecycle.
Local Facebook pages are also a great place to grab a freebie – someone else’s clutter could be our finishing touch. And second-hand doesn’t have to be second rate. Charities like Sue Ryder and BHF have a wide range of pre-loved furniture on sale for a fraction of what it would cost new.
BEDDING IN
Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace are ideal for searching for what we need. We might have to collect the items, so if we don’t have a car (or a big enough car) it’s time to start calling in favours from friends and family who have transport.
A bed can also be a big outlay when we’ve just moved into a new place. If we can’t stretch to a cheap or second-hand one there may be a grant we can access. The same goes for carpets and we should ask what’s available if our place is uncarpeted.
Our local council might be able to help us get essentials like a bed. To check if our council has a Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS), visit the End Furniture Poverty. All we have to do is put in our local authority name and it will tell us what is available in our area.
Some charities give out small grants for household essentials like beds. Partner charities working with grantmaker, Glasspool, can sometimes access money for this, so check this list to see if any are local and might be able to help. But we should approach our council first to see if they can help before seeking a grant.
GET PLUGGED IN
Electricals like a fridge, washing machine and TV can also be costly. But we should remember these are also essentials. Councils or charities might be able to help, and it’s worth speaking to our landlord, if we have one.
If we’re looking to buy, we might be worried about picking up something second-hand that doesn’t work when we get it home and plug it in. Reuse Network is a good place to look for electricals for this reason. Their teams can repair and safety-check electricals, so we could get our hands on an appliance that’s just been given a clean bill of health.
For new stuff, Fair For You sells the things we need for our home and offers ethical credit. We can compare different repayment schedules and prices before we buy. Think £10 a week for a washing machine, for example.
LOOKING GOOD!
Once we’ve sorted the essentials it’s time for the fun stuff – making the place look like home. Social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram can help us find the design ideas we love. Maybe an old dresser just needs a fresh coat of paint.
Often they can be recreated cheaply – or even for free by repurposing things we already have. The point is to find the look that suit our personality. That’ll help our new place feel like home in no time.
Photo: Fast stock / Shutterstock
