To think it's impossible to furnish your house when you have little money?

[marry3456x]

I've just got the keys for my new home.
It's basically a shell..no carpets,no appliances no furniture.
It's my first place and I have nothing.
I currently receive ESA which is £202 a fortnight,I have no credit cards.
How on earth am I meant to do this?
It's 2 bedrooms..
Cooker,fridge,washing machine,carpets,kettle toaster,plates,cups,knife,forks
Wardrobe ,bed,dresser,tv,sofa ,blinds /curtains,vinyl floor,coffee table etc etc etc
Is this impossible?
I'm really stressed about it
It all needs decorating..everything
The doors,skirtings,ceiling are all a dirty magnolia /dirty stains on them.

Oh, and Durham freecycle is fab!

There were also loads of free sofas and tables etc of gumtree if you're not fussy about what it looks like (they mostly looked clean, just well worn sometimes )

When we moved into our first house we had things given to us , freecycle and ebay we bought nothing new as we couldnt afford it we still have some of the furniture 13 years later as they are nice and good quality one of them being a welsh dresser off ebay for £10 and a bed frame that was unused in a family members spare room for free they were glad to be rid of it if you look around you can get some lovely stuff

You're starting exactly the same as I did.
I was given a few bits just from family and work colleagues saying they were clearing stuff out.
One lady offered me a TV which I declined as I couldn't afford a TV licence, so those at work all chipped in and bought me one - possibly the kindest thing ever and I sobbed!
Thankfully I am in a much better place now, but I make sure I give back where I can. Accepting and asking for charity is nothing to be ashamed of, we never know when our luck will change

Try The Besom charity.OP. Good luck!

Depending on where you are, there are charities that exist for precisely these situations. I do some work with one and they are bloody brilliant.

Additionally, facebook has local giving pages where people are constantly passing on things that they don't need.

If you do have a small amount of money to spend, boot sales are brilliant for curtains and kitchen stuff. If you give a general idea where you live, someone might be able to refer you.

Many years ago my husband and I started out with an airbed (with a hole in it), and some plastic garden furniture to sit on that we had rescued from a skip. No lamps, no curtains, no carpets.... literally nothing....

Keep your chin up and your head high. Most of us have done Freecycle and charity at some point and there is no shame in it.

Nearly 30 years later I still own some of my skip finds.

Don't be too proud and definitely don't go into debt for anything.

If you live anywhere near Bedfordshire, Preen Community is amazing. I still have a mooch around there now.

Good luck in your new home!

Do ask on Facebook. There are normally people happy to give things away. I've done it lots.

You really don't need lots of furniture to begin with. I started off with an inflatable mattress and inflatable arm chair. Clothes rail instead of wardrobe and cardboard boxes turned on their sides for draws and bedside table. Then you can keep an eye out for bargains and replace one at a time.

With September round the corner, there will soon be cheap small appliances and kitchen items for the start of university rush.

Don't know if it's been mentioned upthread (sorry not read it all - in the middle of cooking) but British Heart Foundation have good as new furniture shops.

Maybe you should post what city or general area you live in, I think that many of us have secondhand furniture available that we were going to bring to a charity shop anyway. Maybe you have a friend or family member with a car who can pick it up with you?

try auction houses general sales rather than fine art sales this is often stuff from house clearances on Friday at the auction in glasgow

walnut bedroom suite 2 beds, triple and small wardrobe, dressing table and bedside cabinet £50
12 person royal albert dinner & tea set ie enough china for years for £20
4 edwardian mahogany dining chairs £20
modern dining table £10
3 seater red leather sofa plus matching armchair and footstool £35
total £135 plus commission at 24% is £167.40

you are expected to collect within a few days there are about 3-4 different auctions around newcastle gateshead,
boldon auctions has a general sale on august 22nd

I furnished my house mostly from charity shops and British heart Foundation and Freecycle. It's amazing what you can get for free

Near us there is a charity that will kit out the basics all second hand.

Often people sell 2nd hand for 2 prices. The I'll see what I can get for it price and the I just want this gone and can't be bothered to go to the tip price.

Join your local freecyle/acts of kindness etc

get onto your local councillor and council. Mine gives a set of white goods to people who meet certain conditions. Emmaus homeless charity have shops that can help with furniture. I have donated to them in the past. It's often tricky getting sofas or mattresses as second hand/ charity shops will only take them if they still have fire resistant tags on and obviously people pull them off, so maybe ask family and friends. You have reminded me of our first rented flat that we furnished from charity shops and family cast offs. It was lovely. I hope yours will be too.

Car boot salesman

Ten years ago I bought a 2nd hand larder fridge for £10 to stick in our garage for drinks. It was covered in mould and needed a good clean. But it's still going strong. You can pick up a 2nd hand fridge or fridge freezer very cheaply.

susannelinder thank you 😊 want to see my dinning room which is all eBay, auction and second hand for under £130

It takes a little while op but it’s very satisfying! Everyone has great advice. You’re not wrong that new furniture costs a bomb even from affordable shops, but just going out and buying all new doesn’t feel that ‘this is me’. Focus on the essentials and take your time for everything else. We are comfortably off , well off by many standards and looking around our kitchen living dining, only the coffee tables, a cheap kitchen trolley and an Ikea cabinet are new, the rest was second hand through a mix of budget and preference. So don’t get hung up on some idea that most people can go buy new. Most people don’t, and especially when it’s all needed at once.

Buy essentials, and the rest when you can, surely you realsied you couldnt afford to furnish ? We had my mums garden furniture as a dining table and chairs (cute bistro set) an old sofa covered in a huge throw and two wicker garden chairs, not matching. A bed from my brother . And side tables, cheaply from Ikea. We had a carpeted house, but I painted the bathroom floor. And we were both working.

When we moved into our first house we used garden furniture, not pretty but practical. Look at Freecycle, Gumtree etc and ask around. People often have something you're looking for. Our first dishwasher was a trip away from the tip, a neighbour said they were taking it to the tip we said we'd have it, he gave us a bottle of wine to save him the hassle.

Borrow a microwave, and see if anyone has an electric frying pan/steamer/toaster they will give you..

I’ve given away tons on Freecycle. A sofa, a king size bed, a fridge, a bookcase, lamps, vases, ornaments ... If I needed stuff like that it would be the first place I looked.
I’ve also seen on local Facebook groups people giving away stuff for free including TVs and things.

Oh yes we had a clothes rail too upstairs for a wardrobe, you can easily find frineds and family to give you plates, cutlery and the odd pan too.