Moving into a house with no furniture

[Autuum]

I'm about to move into a house on my own. It's fabulous and I can't wait.

Only problem is that I have no furniture apart from a bed due to previous circumstances, but I'm fortunate to have funds.

My plan is to live in my new house for a while and then decide what I really need - as I said I have funds. I don't want to buy anything prior to move as have haven't got a feel for the space yet.

House is in good condition, has heating etc, fully functioning kitchen etc. Will just be empty; devoid of furnishings. Was hoping current owners might want to offload some of theirs, but no.

Has anyone moved into a situation like this. Was it okay? Any tips?

Can you find a charity furniture store to purchase basics until you decide what you want? You can get decent furniture really cheap.

Is it just you? And you're happy to not entertain for a while?

I'd happily live camping style for a week or so, eg camping chairs, folding table.
But leaving things on the floor all the time gets old.
I'd make it a priority to get furniture asap but I need my home comforts

Ask friends and family if anyone is getting rid of anything you need. Have a look on FB marketplace and gumtree & get yourself atleast a small table and a couple of chairs, and a cheap sofa. You might even find some free. It will mean you can eat and watch tv, order things in slightly more comfort while you choose what you want.

Once your chosen items all have arrived, re list everything back.

Can you borrow some camping stuff for now?

Only similar when we've been renovating. For a time, we had a mattress on the floor, an electric fry pan to cook on, kettle and that was it. As a basic, I'd get a sofa/lounge chair or chairs of some sort. You could always eat off a stable table on your lap if needed.
You can get some bargains on nextdoor, marketplace etc, so it doesn't always need to be new furniture, even if you have 'the funds'!

If the kitchen already has white goods, then imo you can survive with a bed, window coverings, a tv plus stand, internet and a comfy chair.
I'd honestly choose a sofa because lead times are long on orders.
I wouldn't bother with second hand stuff unless you get things you would keep - it's just more things to dispose of later on!
You can get temp hanging rails for clothes from B&M

I remember buying my first house and only having a mattress, kitchen basics and a couple of garden chairs. I was too happy to have somewhere to live to worry about the furniture.
Slowly added bits by buying second hand.

I moved into my first flat with a bed, four dining chairs from old (childhood) next door neighbours, a table I spotted for sale in newsagents window (pre facebook) and two big cushions. Bought a sofa and chair from charity shop that lasted me 2 years and bought white goods on interest free credit. Took me a few weeks to buy bedroom furniture (had built in wardrobe) and other bits

When I moved into my first flat alone, the previous owners left me a shelving/ cupboard unit and 2 armchairs, and a friend happened to be updating her dining furniture and gave me a table and 4 chairs. I bought a bed and a mini TV. That did me fine for 3 years!

Edited to add: I already had a fridge, and I must have also bought a washing machine, but that was it. Depending on your stage in life, you don't need much.

Some of the charity shops have furniture sale rooms (British Heart Foundation usually) where you can pick up a sofa and dining table for not a lot.

My partner and I moved last time with virtually no furniture, and we furnished the house entirely from free and cheap stuff on Facebook market place - didn't spend much at all. (We did have a van to collect it). So yes it can be fine. If you have money you can also order stuff on Amazon to arrive very quickly

I may be moving on my own shortly and intend to purchase the white goods (fridge and washing machine) second hand after I move.

Most furniture isn't essential to survival - I think it's a good idea, and you will be fine.

A friend and I moved into a flat with no furniture years ago. There was a cooker and we bought a fridge very speedily (those first few days with no ice for G&Ts made that top priority) and got beds sorted pretty quickly (although I think mine was a mattress on the floor for quite a while) but we made do with a couple of director’s chairs for a few months until we found sofas we liked. They’re properly comfy and became our garden chairs once the sofas arrived so it was fine.

Yes we did this a couple of years ago - it was horrible - living without a sofa was horrendous, they are often made to order and that order takes a small lifetime to be fulfilled. We sat on camping chairs and a chair I bought off ebay.

First thing we bought was a bean-to-cup machine - I need coffee first thing - I know it sounds dramatic but I think you don't appreciate the basics in life until they are taken away.
Then we bought the sofa from Ikea as they could deliver immediately - everything else could wait.

I got most of my stuff from charity shops: chairs, bed, tables, lamps, mirrors, artworks, rugs, cushions, plant pots...

I also got a few things from places like IKEA and Argos.

For my first property I only spend money on a sofa and lamp from John Lewis and got the rest cheaply from a British Heart Foundation charity shop that specialised in furniture and electrical items.

Charity shops like British Heart Foundationhave everything you might need. You’d be surprised at what people give away. We moved in to our house with a bed and two wardrobes, deck chairs and kitchen table and chairs.

I b agree @Rocknrollstar . I was really surprised by the quality of the stuff in one of our local furniture stores.

Honestly there loads of stuff on FB marketplace. We have bought all sorts of stuff that is fantastic quality but inexpensive. For example two solid wood chests for £80, dresser and dining table for £150, 6 dining chairs for £40. Massive sofa for £200. It's my go to now.

Sometimes you have to keep looking but there is some excellent stuff if you are determined.

When I moved into my first place post separation from an ex I literally rocked up with the clothes I was wearing.

I had a mattress on the floor, an old chair that my Dad made...and not much else. I just had to knuckle down and save for everything and start from scratch.

That was just under 20 years ago. Today I own my 4 bed outright...you can do it...prioritise and look for what you need, not what you want.

https://emmaus.org.uk
British heart foundation.

both have excellent furniture shops

We did this before, we lived out of our moving boxes (clothes) until bought wardrobes
Our priority was curtains first of all
And had a sofa bed that doubled as bed and somewhere to sit and chill

We moved into our first home taking with us just our bedroom furniture from our respective parents' homes, so basically two single beds, a cheap/naff foam sofa, a bean bag and a couple of bed side tables and chests of drawers. Along with a couple of portable TVs and a couple of VCR video recorders and a stacking hi-fi system!

We bought a load of cheap stuff from Argos' basics range, i.e. clothes rails and kitchen essentials such as microwave, kettle, toaster and cheapest cutlery and crockery sets. Managed to borrow a couple of dining chairs and a folding dining table between our parents. That was it for the first year or two really. Lots of house but the barest of minimum of furniture and contents.

We spent those first years "doing up" the house. It wasn't a doer-upper but we wanted to fully redecorate, new carpets throughout, new curtains throughout etc. We didn't want it cluttered with furniture we'd constantly have to move and didn't want to buy furniture etc until we'd decided on colour schemes for walls and carpets. Having mostly empty rooms meant it was a lot easier to strip the walls and repaper/repaint, rip up carpets etc., and easier for carpet layers to fit the new as again no need to move lots of furniture around.

Amazing how little you actually "need" really.

Think I'd be tempted to buy garden table and chairs and use them until I has a chance to get proper furniture. When you have your furniture you can put your garden furniture in the garden.

I did this a few years ago when exH bought me out of our family home and I brought by myself - was so exciting! I did furnish it quickly and mostly made good choices. It’s absolutely worth buying second hand - I would have saved so much money if I’d done more of this, and felt less guilty when a piece wasn’t right in the end and I had to sell for a big loss. Also, use a cashback credit card for new stuff!