Leaving marriage - Need to furnish new home quickly - help!

[Moonah]

Quick background - I'm quietly planning on leaving an abusive marriage. I've got all my stuff organised - solicitor, paperwork, etc. And I've finally found a flat to rent and I can have the keys next week!

H will definitely make it difficult for me to take furniture etc from the marital home, and it's a battle I don't have the energy for. I want to just go quietly and then let solicitor deal with him.

So I'm starting from scratch. Looking at for example sofas online, the lead time for delivery is weeks or months. I need stuff next week. Any ideas?? I've had no luck on Gumtree nor on Facebook or eBay. Any clearance or refurbished websites that you know of?

I need a bed, sofa, dining table & chairs, washing machine, as well as kitchen stuff - pots, pans etc.

Local charity shops? We have 2 or 3 locally that docus almost exclusively on furniture.

Also, if you download the Olio app you can put a wanted post on there and see if anyone has any stuff theyre giving away. It wont be top notch, but will tide you over.

Charity shops?

Ikea? Cheap and get it all under one roof?

Also if a flat has had somebody else living in it can you negotiate to see if you can buy some of their stuff that’s already in situ?

local auction house my daughter and her partner run one always got furniture in and because they do house clearances they get electric white goods and wardrobes tables and chairs etc, and also things like cutlery crockery and for a small charge can arrange delivery

Ikea, Argos, Dunelm, Wilko, British Heart Foundation, any other big charity shops - if you can get to any of those places you can furnish a place relatively cheaply in a day. Good luck.

Where are you based op? Because I have a double bed and kitchen stuff that I’ve been too lazy to sort out getting rid of and would happily send your way if you’re not the other end of the country!

British Heart Foundation
Its where all my unwanted stuff goes

Look on Freecycle - there are always loads of sofas and chairs on our local page.

Do you have a local friendship group, ours have lots of free stuff given away. What part of the country are you in. Do you have money to buy things yourself.

Charity shops. Whilst you look, go to Argos and get a blow up camping bed and a cheap deck chair. Within 10 days of moving in you will be sorted. (What we’ve just done with an emergency house move and zero furniture or white goods).
then breathe, and go looking for what furniture you really want and fits your new home. Good luck.

To add - you can post "wanted" ads on Freecycle as well.

Could you make do with an inflatable sofa or a beanbag in the very short term? Just so you're not sitting on the floor.

Wishing you all the best of luck x

Go look in your local auctions and keep looking on Facebook marketplace

I'm surprised you've had no luck on FB etc. I was looking for an item of furniture on there last night and there was quite a big selection.

The thing is, it wasn't to my taste, so i didn't get any, but I can afford to wait. If you need something almost immediately, perhaps you just need to bag whatever you can, even if it's the wrong size/shape/colour/fabric for now. If it's cheap, then just get it! Where ever you move to, it's probably not going to be your forever home, so you don't need to look for forever furniture.

Im the meantime, I'd also second charity shops -- BHF, Oxfam, Emmaus for example. I was in a large Oxfam a few days ago and couldn't believe how cheap some of the good solid wooden furniture was! Do you have any friends who could ask anon on your behalf on any neighbourhood groups? Our neighbourhood whatsapp is a rich source of recycling stuff.

I hope it all goes as smoothly for you as the circumstances permit. Good luck in your new home and new life :)

We had to do something similar recently. John Lewis for their delivery within 7 days stuff - their everyday range is actually pretty reasonable. Wayfair for a cheap sofa and chair, and then a couple of beanbags. Mattresses we got from Amazon - the ones that arrive rolled up, fine on the floor until you can afford a bed frame. Kitchen stuff we did a big shop from Ikea to cover all the basics. AO are brilliant for getting white goods delivered quickly. And I was lucky and managed to get a few things free through Facebook. Just get the absolute minimum you need and the rest later when time and money allow.

Well done and good luck - it will be fabulous when you are there and you won't care if you don't have everything you need.

I did the same. Got a few bits in the clearance sale at Next online and the rest from IKEA. The sofa from IKEA was a flat pack and is really comfy. Good luck.

Do you have trusted friends who could check their neighbourhood Facebook pages, lots of people give away stuff to get rid of it quickly. Good luck OP. Hoping you get sorted soon x

Salvation army often have furniture in their shops. I have bought some really good quality items from them.

If you want second hand then go onto Facebook and search for local groups. There will be LOADS and you can find a man and van to collect/delivery for you aswell. If you want me and need a short delivery date, then I found very were very quick with delivery of some sofas and when mine broke I got a dury sofa delivered within 4 days and it's lasted brilliantly even two years on. You can 10-20% off your first credit order as well.

Emmaus are great for reasonably priced second hand furniture

emmaus.org.uk/your-local-emmaus/?region=all

Local auction - cheap as chips and you can buy everything for a home in one place.

BTW I volunteer with a charity which does house clearance and supports women setting up homes after abuse or who have otherwise had to re-establish. We're backed by the local authority to do you a package of everything you need from £60 upwards, repayable over time. Worth looking for something similar in your area?

Local Facebook group?

Try the 'nextdoor' app.
It's just for local neighbourhood. I often see people posting who are clearing houses and asking if people want pots and pans etc.
Might just be worth putting a post on there to ask

Local Facebook groups are much better than marketplace in my experience. Search for the new area and nearby towns, join them all and browse fb every time you pick up your phone. Being on a lot and quick is the key.

As you don't mention DC, if it's just you I think the advice from a pp to just get a blow up bed and a chair then do it gradually is good.

Wishing you happiness in your new life.