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.

Where are you based? I know a couple of furniture places near me in Manchester that have clearance furniture in stock and deliver but it depends where you are.

Friend of mine furnished a 3 bed house from freecycle when she left her DH. As PP said you can ask for stuff too. Good luck x

I'm not too far from Manchester!

When I did this- eXDP went to work - I got a man with a van in and took the things I needed! He found out when he got home from work and could do FA! 🤷‍♀️

Do you know someone with a van?

Put an add on Freecycle as they’re always getting rid of sofas and beds etc.

They might not be the best condition but they’ll do for now.

I’d say a bed and cooker/microwave are your main priorities as you can sit on your bed in the evenings for the meantime.

Then it’s things like bedding, a towel and cutlery which you may have to buy new.

The rest you can get bits at a time and just keep a look out/put wanted adds on Freecycle, gumtree and Facebook marketplace.
Just be careful that it’s not your ex trying to find out where you live.

Good luck OP!

Amazing! thanks so much everyone. So many great ideas

Argos is a good option

I also left my ex when he was at work and took minimal as he would kick off. I bought mainly IKEA as could have delivered and sofas etc available straight away. I got some bits from my local freecycle.

I put it all on my credit card / a loan as it was counted in my debts when we did the financial settlement so he had to pay half in a way and I didn't see the point in getting the cheapest possible. So I got all brand new and he was left with the old stuff

British Heart Foundation have excellent second hand furniture shops.

What area are you in? People may know local resources.

You should have a local community furniture project. Ours has all sorts of furniture and will deliver a van full of stuff for about a tenner.

Just to clarify the tenner is just the delivery charge, but the furniture is cheap.

Our local freecycle page has lots of household items.

I wasn't escaping abuse but I did need to kit out my flat on the cheap. The first few nights I slept on an airbed and used garden chairs instead of a sofa!

Most of my stuff came cheap and cheerful from IKEA. They even deliver these days and it's pretty quick. If you're near Manchester the Warrington and Oldham stores shouldn't be too far from you. Kitchen things were mostly from Tesco and Asda and some of them have lasted since then (11 years).

Freecycle. Put a request on

There is a Bulky Bobs in Oldham if that helps - they have all kinds of refurbished furniture very cheaply and deliver

I have found that charity shop chains are most of the times more expensive than Ikea, so it may be worth making a big order and pay for the delivery.

I think the key with buying second hand is to wait until the right stuff becomes available and then offer to pick up as soon as possible (forget the “I will get someone to help me in a couple of weeks”).

If I were you, I would buy a bed frame from market place, a decent mattress from ikea and the rest of the stuff as it comes along in Facebook market place.

Another vote for the British Heart Foundation. Besides lots of good secondhand stuff they stock new beds and mattresses. They will deliver free of charge, but the timing depends on the availability of their driver.

One of my DC had to furnish a flat quickly and they delivered within a couple of days. The driver was prepared to pick up an item from a friend en route and stick it in the van but would like a donation (didn't need it in the end), but that was a private arrangement, so I wouldn't expect it.

I asked the manager about bedbugs and he said that they are very aware of the risks, heat treat everything and also keep a wary eye out. He said he hadn't heard of problems at all.

If you're on FB market place always have decent stuff going locally and further out.

Your local Freebay site on Facebook

Definitely charity shops etc. We just had free next day delivery with Marks Electrical, brilliant service. Good luck, hope it all goes well

Salvation Army (who may well deliver in my experience), also Facebook

Local auction is where I buy my furniture it’s much much cheaper than the charity shops.

Where are you? We’ve all got things you could have to get you started and then you can replace with new as your go?

Try your local Next Door as there's always stuff being given away in mine. Also Marketplace and even Gumtree.

I use trade secret and delivery is in days: trade-secret.co.uk