New house, how to do things as cheap as possible? Any ideas welcome

[GreggsS]

I need to be more thrifty. Open to any ideas at all!

Just do without for a bit. It takes a while to realise what you actually want anyway.

Anything from utility providers, food, decor …
you name it

I'd say don't buy cheap to just make do - you end up buying twice .. go without until you can afford what you really want

Use comparison sites for utilities
Aldi , Lidl - batch cooking is the key

Enjoy your new home 💐

Sign up to a cash back site (I can DM a link to topcashback and get both of us a bonus if you dont already use one). I joined when we moved back to the UK, and got several hundred pounds in cashback from new insurance policies, new utilities and furniture purchases.

Join Olio and local facebook sites for stuff being given away free or cheaply. Anything from food to furniture.

If it’s an older place with gappy windows and doors then get foam strips for the gaps, and draught excluders for any big gaps. Check loft insulation and if it’s crap save up for replacing it, it will pay for itself very quickly.

Look into water saving options esp if on a meter

yy to cashback if you are buying a lot at once - use Moneysavingexpert site to compare options

Utilities, insurance use comparison sites and always check before letting it auto renew.

If you are ok at DIY Freecycle and online marketplaces like Shpock are great, our patio only cost us the price of the sand as the slabs all came from freecycle, as did the glass for our greenhouse (the wood was taken from the old shed that we took down), our laminate flooring was £15 from shpock as someone had changed their flooring and sold off the old one, we bought our conservatory secondhand for £150 (after foundations, walls, internal finish etc, total cost £2.5k). Olio is also good if people in your area use it.

Buy graded appliances, the dinks and dents are often on bits you don't see and you can save hundreds- but check them first so you know the damage isn't something that's going to bother you.

If you are in the area, Severn Trent give away products to reduce your water consumption on their website.

Roller blinds from somewhere like Blinds2go are cheaper than curtains. But charity shops often have lovely curtains very cheaply, you just have to make sure you carry the measurements just in case you spot some you like.
Charity furniture shops also have good bargains in tables, drawers, cupboards.
Homebase and B&M have offers on paint, painted walls are cheaper than wallpaper.

Look at EBay or charity furniture shops for furniture. You can often get good wardrobes, cupboards etc. My niece kitted her whole house from a local charity furniture store.

Don’t try to do everything at once.

Look at the sales for cheaper bedding etc.

You can paint almost anything. I painted the tiles of a 1970s kitchen (wall to ceiling orange and beige tiles!) And sanded and painted the cabinets. It made it very liveable for 6 years.
Lino for floors.
Facebook marketplace or local auction house for furniture. Upcycle with paint and glass top, cut to measure from local glass place.

Are you on Instagram? There’s a lovely lady I follow on there sharing how she’s a homeowner on a budget. Her username is something like my.frugal.fresh.start

Don’t do everything at once. choose the bed you want, save up, buy it. Then the sofa / dining table / etc. we had an empty / bare house and slowly built it up like this. same with painting rooms - just go slowly.

Agree with doing one room at a time. It's much better to have 1nice room then 3 half finished rooms.

Even if you aren't confident with DIY, give it go. ask friends and family for advice. You tube has a tutorial for most things.

If you need flooring, go to an independent carpet shop as they can be cheaper. We managed to get an off cut worth £400 for under £100.

If you need shelves, builders merchants may give you off cuts of wood for free/cheaply. They will cut the wood to size for you.

You can buy prints on line from places like eBay. Charity shops often have lots of photo frames, as well, if you wanted a quick and easy way to decorate.