How cheap can you furnish an entire house?

[Siablue]

I am going to be moving into a new house soon and basically need everything. Does anyone have any tips on how to get things very cheap.

I am going to have a go at making as much as I can myself. I was planning on painting mismatched furniture and I have been given a sofa that I am going to have a go at recovering.

I have most of the things I need for DS’s bedroom as I bought them very cheap off Facebook market place.

I have had a look on gumtree but it is very disappointing in my area. I have been given quite a bit by family and friends.

Does anybody have advice on doing up a house on a budget? Has anyone else done it? What did you do first? What could you manage without?

Actually thinking about it it was 5k and 2k was the first ground rent

Have just realised that's probably not that cheap.. sorry

I got an amazing little hoover from Amazon for £25.. it was actually recommended to me on here! Think it was called vonhaus. Really thought it was too good to be true but it's great. Will try and find a link for you

VonHaus Stick Vacuum Cleaner 600W Corded - 2 in 1 Upright & Handheld Vac with Lightweight Design, HEPA Filtration, Crevice Tool & Upholstery Brush - Grey https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0746H6J2R/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_hXIRDbA123QQ2

What's your hoover budget? i spent £ 130 on a second one that has ended up may main one - miele C1. Have mostly hard floor so it's in its element.

Find those charity shops - our BHF had some lovely ones, today. Shelter also have some nice furniture stores nationally. There's a local forces store in Bishop Auckland that is full of perfectly serviceable wardrobes,

And if you're looking at small tens for a vacuum cleaner, invest in a good brush to do half the work. You'd get bored of charging it, though. A cheap plug in would work better. This one has lots of good reviews, for the money.
www.argos.co.uk/product/7244797

Car boot. Charity shops. Where about are you. I've got extra kitchen stuff and drawers I dont use.

Auction for chests of drawers table and chairs wardrobes etc also can often get a whole dinner service for a few pounds but vintage China is rarely suitable for microwave or. Dishwashers a part denby set went for £10 plus commission at local auction last Saturday

Our local tips have a charity shop attached, you can get stuff for very little money, dining tables for £10 wardrobes for £15, as well as things like glassware for 20pa time. Also ask friends and family you'd be amazed how much stuff people will give you especially if it means they don't have to take it to the charity shop/dump themselves!

Ebay & the British Heart Foundation are my best sources - BHF are also on Ebay. Sometimes I get lucky on Freecycle. I've furnished my 2 bedroom flat in the loveliest vintage/antique items over a little time for about £250 & I often pick up some fine original paintings in absolutely magnificent frames for £5 - £10. www.ebaystores.co.uk/British-Heart-Foundation-Shop

Local auctions can be absolutely amazing. Furniture sometimes goes really cheaply - cheaper than a lot of the charity shops. If I had to furnish a house for next to nothing, I'd try the auctions first.

Check out all the charity shops, because some are much cheaper than others.

Also, no one has mentioned this one yet - look in the classified ads in the local paper. There are still, astonishingly, people who put those old-fashioned line ads in (without photos) in the hopes of selling items, and sometimes they are seriously cheap - I guess it's people who just aren't online at all.

Also, along the same lines, look at the noticeboards in supermarkets, where people put up those handwritten cards - I often see useful-looking stuff on those. Again, I think it must be people who aren't online.

Also ask friends and family you'd be amazed how much stuff people will give you especially if it means they don't have to take it to the charity shop/dump themselves!

If you are stuck for a particular item, you could try an ad for it in a newsagent's window, I guess - with the idea of catching someone who wants something out of the way and hasn't got around to it. You'd be amazed how many people read those ads.

is there a community furnishing scheme near you? they have bargains with proceeds going to charity and if you are on benefits they can help you further with what you need.
otherwise i would keep an eye on freegle or freecycle try putting on a wanted ad
facebook ads can be good

We done ours for under 1000. Sofa was gumtree, rest was IKEA and Argos.

Judging by the free pages on our local Facebook page it sounds like you can do it for free.
"Wanted: double bed with new mattress, must deliver as I have no transport" etc.
I'm not suggesting you put entitled begging posts on Facebook, but there are plenty of kind folk who are giving away things they no longer need,so you could pick up the basics if you aren't too fussy.

I would never have thought of local auctions but I will have a look. I now potentially have a bed.
I have
Sofa
Possibly bed
Mirror
Toy storage unit
Laundry basket
Towels

Will get:
Pan
Wooden
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Plates and cups
Toaster and kettle
Mattress topper
Hoover
Bin

Is there anything glaring obvious I am missing?

I will look for wardrobes and chests of draws but they are not absolutely essential to move in. I might get a nice sofa throw and some cushions.

I haven’t got a cot for DS but he is sleeping in with me at the moment and will probably do the same until we get used to the new house and then he will be big enough for a bed.

Keep scouring Facebook marketplace, it's amazing the things people put on there free or really cheap. I just got a Ikea Leivek bed for free - I wanted one but couldn't really justify spending close to £200, then up popped one for free and the condition is perfect. Also just got a gorgeous rug that is still for sale on Laredoute for close to £300, paid £15 and again, really good condition. Oh and got a huge mid century sideboard for free. Sadly for us, local BHF is hugely expensive, no sofas when we looked under £200 and some of them were pretty grubby!!
Don't know where you are but if South Coast, I've got a nice head board that will be going on Facebook for free.

OP I have had several Ikea Oddvar stools (£8) - they are useful as coffee tables, extra chairs, emergency bedside tables.

I also got their clothes rail Mulig (£7), in fact several, and am still using them and they will be able to be disassembled and put away when we're (finally) finished doing work. They're great for getting you in and clothes up and accessible while you wait to see something you love and want forever.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/mulig-clothes-rack-white-60179434/

In fact Ikea is absolutely brilliant for all kinds of clever, cheap things. Glassware, pots, pans, kitchen equipment, storage solutions, cheap throws and cushions.

i LOVE ikea!

eBay, FB marketplace, Freecycle and Gumtree.

We bought our first home last year after years of renting and we have managed to buy certain things cheaply using the above websites. FB marketplace can have some amazing bargains but you have to be quick.

You can sign up to Freecycle in areas nearby that are very well off. They tend to have more free fridges, cookers and sofas etc than less well off areas. All you need is to be able to fix a day to collect a handful of things and then get a cheapish man with a van, if you can't collect in your own car.
You can always advertise as wanting an item too on Freecycle (again, not just in your own area but in nearby wealthy areas. Then people might offer to drop off for you.

Look out on Freecycle for left over paint in neutral colours or offcuts of carpet or tiles that could do the floor in a box room or loo.

Try auction rooms too.

Some things I'd insist on buying new - bed mattresses and bedding from IKEA probably.

Also try here for cheap kitchen sets:

www.argos.co.uk/list/shop-student-essentials-tableware-and-kitchenware?tag=ar:events:student-essentials:closing:header:kitchen

If you scroll, you see combination sets! Again you don’t have to be a student to buy their student bundles!

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My DD just moved into an unfurnished, small flat - she and her DP mentioned it at work and were amazed at the offers of free or very cheap furniture colleagues or friends of colleagues were very keen to donate/get rid of.

I love those Odvar stools it would be fun to paint them as well. The student essentials pack looks good as well.

I have got loads of Facebook marketplace mostly for DS. They have lovely baby stuff and it is quite cheap.

It is a lot easier than I thought to furnish a house. When I get in I really want to make it nice so I will try and paint some of the furniture but for now I am just going to make sure I have basic stuff.

Charity shops,we have some amazing pieces of solid wood furniture that we got from charity shops and 4 years later they're still going strong and the most expensive was about £25 and it would have cost us a couple of hundred pounds new.

Places like Wilko,B&M,Homebargains,Tk Maxx,Home Sense and Primark are all good for things like throws,ornaments,vases,cushions,bedding sets,duvets,pillows,lights and lamps.

Poundland believe it or not sell some nice frames for pictures,ornaments and vases now and again,soap dishes and soap dispensers.