Please chat to me about essentials for a new home and where to shop

[orchidyounot]

Getting keys at the end of the month, I’m a FTB so need to buy quite a bit. Just wondering what your new home essentials are/were? What did you buy first and what did you put on the back burner?
Been to IKEA And TK Maxx for a couple of kitchen bits and bobs but need to start looking for the essentials like furniture etc. Who knew sofa’s were absolutely extortionate??

Do you have a BHF furniture shop near you? They sell on secondhand furniture of all sorts really cheaply and will usually deliver too - sofas, tables etc. I’d start like that and then take your time to save up for better stuff. Ask around friends and family - you’ll be surprised what people want to pass on.

In terms of essentials - comfy bed, with the best mattress you can afford. Then something to sit on in the living room. Bookcases/shelves!

Homesense is amazing for pretty things at good prices

A decent bed is a must. Spend money on it, especially the mattress. You’ll probably be able to find a 0% interest deal for that. Once you’ve got that and a cooker, try second hand for everything else. The British Heart Foundation can be a treasure trove for furniture.

Sofa & bed are most important, also carpets/flooring

Other things you can ‘make do’ for a while: if money is tight try eBay/facebook for furniture as second hand furniture is v cheap compared to new. Avoid second hand soft furnishings as risk of moths is high

Ikea’s better quality furniture is good /durable and massively cheaper than elsewhere eg ektorp sofas hold up really well (mine is 10 yrs old, sisters is 15) - they have a 25 year guarante

Also, get a credit card with cash back/points: I have never spent as much in my life as when I had to furnish my home so you may as well get something back

We bought a new sofa and bed, the best quality we could afford at the time, and the rest of the furniture was either hand me downs from family or second hand.

We have gradually replaced the furniture over the years with stuff more to our taste. Furniture all got donated back to charity as the quality was fine.

Other bits, kitchenware etc, we had anyway, but again have gradually replaced. Pictures, cushions and decorative bits we have collected over the years from various holidays, days out, craft fairs etc as and when. We don’t really have a ‘style’, just buy what we like the look of and find a home for!