How much does it cost to furnish a house

[howdidthathappenn]

I’ve recently left my husband due to severe dv, I have two toddlers and have just been given a two bedroom council house, I will be starting from scratch and don’t have any savings, roughly how much will it cost to carpet, paint and furnish the entire house? Beds, sofa, white goods etc?

In my area, you could get a lot of the furniture and white goods for free or very cheap - you will want to look at furniture charities which often sell to people on low incomes for less than to the general public. Also there will often be local facebook groups where people give things away - on my local 'Free stuff in [location]' group I have donated a freezer, a dishwasher, etc. because it's often easier to get someone to collect them than it is to organise selling them. Toddler stuff in particular is handed around quite frequently because you only need it for a few years.

Check if you have anywhere like Reciprocity in Wallasey.
They sell paint and materials that are donated and you will get at least a 70% discount.

A lot of charity shops sell good secondhand furniture, dd has just bought a sofa and armchair for £270. They look almost new.
Charity shops will do deals and deliver if you're getting a lot of stuff.
Also checkout FB marketplace.

Write a list of essentials and concentrate on those first.

Good luck.

What happened to the furniture in the house you shared with your husband?

As for the rest of it, it can be done very cheaply from Facebook, E-bay, Freecycle and charity shops. The carpet might be a little more. Where I live people give away really nice useable pieces of furniture. You might need to organise a pick-up schedule on one particular day and hire a man and van but it would be worth your while.

Are you on UC ? Can you get any kind of grant or anything from the council or UC ?

In a similar situation I prioritised. Paint was not important, beds were. Agree with others - charity shops are great for furniture.

What happened to the furniture in the house you shared with your husband?

I am assuming op wouldn't feel safe collecting the furniture if her ex is violent.

It used to be that you can apply for a decorating grant towards carpets, paint etc.

Do you know what state the property will be in? I've seen everything from a complete dump that needs everything doing, to acceptable or even brand new basic paint and carpets while, may not be to your taste, are clean and safe so means you can live with it until you get settled in, work out your budget and do things when they eventually need replacing.

The house is a new build so it will be in lovely condition so no need for repairs, I don’t think I will need to paint straight away as I don’t know if you’re allowed on new builds, I don’t want any of the furniture from my old “home” as too many horrible memories attached to everything. I am on universal credit just now temporarily so I will inquire about grants as such. Thanks for the replies

Agree that charity shops are your best bet. Local Freecycle. Local Facebook 'community pages'. Where I live people sometimes actually ask for specific stuff (add a v quick explanation - you can usually go on them as 'Anonymous Member' if you need to, but people can still DM you). I've seen a lot of great things offered.
Good Luck.

Is There a women’s aid type charity local to you , maybe contact them . It might not be a bad idea to do their dv course when you’re settled to help you.

We have local fb groups aswell where people give away literally everything . Check to see if there’s any in your area.

I was told it's a year before you can decorate. When I got my new build. Hopefully yours is white at the moment which makes it feel fresh.

If it was me I would look at charity's. Maybe wonans aid may know of some. Also your local council. Free cycle. I have heard of pay weekly carpets.

@howdidthathappenn

Have a look at this serns to say you can get uoto 2500

https://www.imkaan.org.uk/flee-and-future-fund#:~:text=Who%20can%20apply%3F,to%20public%20funds%20(NRPF).

https://www.furnishingfutures.org/

Found this one to

Thousands. You may even have to replaster the walls or get hardboard down to straighten the floors. It’s cheaper if you DIY it all and get self adhesive flooring

Prioritise the essentials Bed, somewhere to sit.
Kettle crockery cutlery
Check FB marketplace regularly. I recently kitted out my lounge after a refurb and bought sideboard( oak furniture land) butchers block trolley, Oak furniture land coffee table, and 3 ikea Poang chairs, still in wrapping all for £200 delivered.
There will be local places selling( serviced) white goods etc in your area
BHF also deliver furniture etc

@TheLimeQuailOP has been given a council house. This will be already done.

What pp’s said about looking if you have furniture charities locally. We have one that helps people who have come from similar situations.
if you’re handy with an Allen key, then IKEA is good.
British Heart Foundation also do furniture, and some charities do white goods.
I hope you have a peaceful new life in your new house, Op. 💐

@howdidthathappenn

as @uncomfortablydumb60 mentioned BHF is very good for furniture.

They have an online shop which you can set to your local area