I have a massive (household) shopping list. Where would you buy the following items?

[SunshineSpring]

I move back to the UK (yippee!) in 2 weeks. Ive not been to the UK in 5 years. Where would you buy the following items (medium sized city in the north). And what brand/item would you buy? I'm assuming I wont get finance, so will be cash/credit card transactions....

*King sized bed
*Childs single bed
*bedding for above

• 2 kids bikes - age 7 and 9, sold our beloved iala bikes but 2 new isla bikes are coming in rather £££ *wireless printer *cake tins, baking sheets, roasting tins (ovenware) *reusable shopping bags - this is such a no go out here, I'm actually prevented from taking reusable bags into some shops- you have to leave everything with security before you enter...

I will also need a car. What do you all drive? - not tiny. Ideally 5 doors. I had an Astra before. Didnt like it much, but that sort of thing.

Cheers! My to do list is so long, I fear I'm going to make some snap purchases that aren't fully researched, and will get it wrong.

Yes IKEA deliver

I think your best bet for most of it is ikea. You can look at the website and make a list, you might even be able to order it for pick up/delivery.
Most ikea stuff is cheap but still decent quality, you can then replace things you want to upgrade at your leisure and have more time to shop around etc.

HP printer as cheapest ink refills
Isla bikes on eBay or second hand
Baking equipment and kitchen basics homesense & TKmax
Double bed get ordering as they take time to arrive
Single bed same as above
John Lewis tried to of load a second hand bed on a mumsneter a while ago now

Try local bed shops

I'd get a mono laser printer, not an inkjet. The cartridge lasts far longer and you can probably pay for any photo printing for less than the cost of buying the paper to do it at home.

Wow what fun to start from scratch! Amazon for those high thread count sheets not too pricey. Most supermarkets do cooking ranges and Sainsbury’s not bad (I find Ikea too cheap in quality for proper bakeware). I’d also avoid Ikea for matresses and get them at Dreans it similiar. Dinnerware and cutlery also at supermarket, though you could check out TJ MAXX for brand name cutlery (also outlet malls for higher end stuff at a discount). Don’t forget internet food shopping here! Not a bag saver (oh those one item per bag packers) but a life and time saver if busy!

forgive me - but sad experience here - what state are your carpets in? I would at the very least have a serious steam clean - but you may need to replace them (if tenants destroyed bed I have serious doubts about your carpets or flooring)

You could probably get everything delivered from John Lewis, I'd do that for least hassle.

Yes Ikea can deliver, go online, choose pay and arrange delivery.
They charge for shopping bags in the uk. Contact your council for recycling bags/bins.
I find the bedding in NEXT the best quality for a mid range price and has lasted ages!
Printer etc, Amazon ebay etc, not worth the savings to shop about, or the hassle!
Do a massive online shop with Tesco’s or Ocado or Sainsburys, all of which are at the mid/high end they will have plenty of cookware etc and you can arrange this online up to 3 weeks before your home!
JL have wonderful customer services and longer guarantees that most retailers, however their prices are usually on the high side. They do, however, have a policy of price matching. So look online before you buy and the they will match the price and you get the item with better service and guarantee!
I’m sure you can pick up other stuff along the way. Many car dealerships have great offer on new cars at the mo so, good luck x

Join the islabikes second hand page on Facebook for bikes.
Dunelm is good for kids bedding or ikea as already mentioned. Their delivery is actually pretty good as they tell you a specific time slot and ( I think) you pick the day when you order. Not everything is available for online ordering though.
For printing, look at one that allows you to use the hp ink subscription - it's pretty reasonable and takes away hassle for cartridges etc when you end up printing loads for school homework.

just going to chuck Argos in here to the horror of other MNers

Carpets are on the list to be replaced, but I'm sure we can cope with them for 6 months. And all the paintwork.
I believe we have one single bed left....

Ikea if you want things priced well, or John Lewis for higher end.

I'd endorse that. Both sell good quality stuff. John Lewis will be less stressful though.

John Lewis do a basic range of beds as well and they are very good .

Ikea.or next as well for beds .

Ovenware amazon or Argos

I would not go to IKEA. I don't think they do standard bed sizes so you will be stuck going back there for matresses and bedding unless you change the bed.

Honestly my first thought was Sainsburys. My baking tins from there are the best I have ever had. Their bedding is great. Our wireless printers have come from there too - they have the usual big brand ones at very reasonable prices.

I would look at John Lewis for beds and matresses. They will deliver and you'll get good customer service.

Ikea Is usually crap quality and beds can be odd sizes.

John Lewis if you can afford it.
Amazon for printer- you could set up an account with an overseas credit card

Ikea is excellent quality for the price and they sell standard UK and continental sized beds.

I'd avoid IKEA too, if you can afford to. Building your own stuff is such a drag and there's so much flimsy particle board. John Lewis usually has decent stuff for a moderate price and their service is good. I love their bake ware, etc. If beds need to be built then they send out a team to do it.

Everyone sells euro size mattresses now so no need to go back to Ikea for replacement mattresses

Our bed is from Furniture Village but it did take a few weeks to deliver, which might not suit you.

We are very happy with our vw golf but bear in mind that the smaller A class Mercedes are much the same price! Our second car is a Hyundai, they’re good value but feel “cheap” to me in comparison to the golf, I’d avoid unless you are on a very tight budget.

Argos is also good for cheap cookware or lots of other stuff, and has the advantage that you can either pick stuff up or click and collect immediately. Don’t go for their cheapest stuff though, they’re good value but you definitely get what you pay for.

Ikea beds are great, go for high end mattresses, however, I wouldn't buy bedding from there, it's very cheap and nasty. John Lewis is great for bedding, cheaper bedding from supermarkets will be nasty poly cotton stuff. White Company bedding is so lovely but not cheap.

Lakeland is good for quality kitchen stuff, I would mix that up with some supermarket bits.

Good luck!

You need to prioritise. And take a little time.

Buying anything takes time, even with a decent budget you want good value and good quality, work out what you need, oven size, sofa length ,washing machine cycle time etc, so it is wise to research, look at reviews delivery time.

You won't need everything on your list immediately, so work out what you need to buy straight away- beds cooker etc, and the rest can be bought when you have the time.

You can get some cheap car hire while you search for a deal on a car, and do the research, things like kids bikes and cake tins can be put lower down in priority- you can live without these until you get the basics in place.

I would split your list into High, Medium and low priority and focus your time and energy on the high priority until you ge up and running.

I would take out which membership if you are likely to need much electronic/white good/ computing/household stuff. You used to get a month for £1.

Totally agree with Ikea delivery. John Lewis are more expensive and still use chip board.

I would also have the house professionally cleaned. Broken beds may not be all.

Welcome back!

I'd avoid IKEA too, if you can afford to. Building your own stuff is such a drag and there's so much flimsy particle board. We got unfinished pine beds, they look great and didn't take long to build at all. We enjoy building our own though. Bedding has been good quality too, two sets per bed have lasted two years so far and shouldn't need replacing for many more. All low end but not the very cheapest. Our mattresses are spring mattresses that were under £100 and they are super comfortable.

*King sized bed - ikea
*Childs single bed - ikea
*bedding for above - ikea for the convenience, primark for cheap and cheerful, or Debenhams for more mid range

• 2 kids bikes - age 7 and 9, sold our beloved iala bikes but 2 new isla bikes are coming in rather £££ - not Halfords. Evans are a bit better, or try your local independent bike shop who are generally the best bet as the staff are genuinely passionate about cycling *cake tins, baking sheets, roasting tins (ovenware) - Wilko, which does a lot of excellent value for money household stuff from bathmats to crockery to gardening *reusable shopping bags - this is such a no go out here, I'm actually prevented from taking reusable bags into some shops- you have to leave everything with security before you enter... - every big supermarket does them

I just bought a bed from dreams and they were marvellous.