Before you go furniture shopping online, these tips might be useful. I have written these, 1 year after doing my first ever furniture haul, and these are what I wish I knew, before I furnished my first place. I had moved into an empty 3 bed house, with no furniture of my own, and that pushed me to make some rushed purchases and mistakes. But what’s adulting, without learning from your mistakes?
Living room
A typical set up of a living room is having furniture pointing at your tv (Just like Joey from FRIENDS would like it). The only furniture I had was a single white desk chair, so I needed to start from scratch.
TV
Unless you know whom, you’re buying the electrical goods from, and have seen it in function for a prolonged amount of time, don’t buy it second hand. I’ve never bought an electrical item from a charity shop, and I’m not going to recommend it.
TV License
If you have a laptop/phone/tablet, as long as you’re not watching live or recorded programmes on any TV channel, you don’t need a TV license for all the other services (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video etc). So, do you really need a tv, as quickly as you’re trying to push it? The university life has taught me, I can live on the bare minimum and still make it. So, a laptop screen or phone screen is perfectly fine to deal with, rather than making a mistake purchase.
My work gave me a relocation allowance and I used it all on furniture. I chose to purchase a TV and license before fully understanding that license T&Cs. I could have lived with my laptop and saved myself a lot of money. So, my take home here is don’t rush.
Sofa
Did you know to get a brand new sofa it takes months?! Literally months. When I needed a sofa, I needed it yesterday. So, I stopped a search for a new sofa very quickly. If you look with a clear mind, charity shops can have little hidden gems, and I did find a few. However, by then I wasn’t so willing to part with money, and my front door wasn’t so welcoming to the size of anything. So, I settled with 2 bean bags, since I live alone.
Make sure you consider how things will get into your house, because sofas are big, and you don’t want them to come flat packed. In my situation I delayed the purchase, then reviewed my situation. I have 1 consistent visitor for a few hours twice a month. We don’t need a lavish sofa, and I haven’t found my forever home. So, it felt unnecessary to invest a lot. My moral here, realistically review your situation and purchase based on that need, not your hypothetical fantasies.
When I moved to my new place, I made sure to look for a place which already had a sofa provided, so then I had the option to host more people. That is a hypothetical fantasy, as I don’t like hosting. However, now I have a sofa, that I didn’t buy nor have to carry with me when I move.
Tables
This is any kind of table dining, coffee table, TV stand etc. Charity shops again are a good place for this, however, where I found a good quality bargain was Facebook marketplace. Give it a look, and sometimes people are willing to deliver to you, which saves you money and time too. My coffee table and TV stand were a package deal, for £50, and I couldn’t be any happier with my purchase.
Pic of coffee table
If you don’t want to build your own furniture, I would recommend charity shops and Facebook marketplace. Life is too short to be hassled by planks of wood.
Kitchen
Crockery
Pots and pans are a must, and you want to make sure you get good quality. As an adult, you will more likely cook than take out, if you know what’s good for your bank account. I have tried and tested shop brands, and I haven’t been a fan. A place I have trusted for affordable crockery was Wilko. Not their own value brand, but their own special brand. I love my pots and they are lush.
You can always try to look for deals on top brands. However, you won’t always find that in cheaper shops. I did find a Tefal pan on discount. Thanks to my Tesco Clubcard, I got it for just over £10. A shop sale is also a good place to look. So, if you have time to wait, wait it out, ride the wave, and buy at a discount.
Fridge
My fridge is an electrical item, so I bought that brand new (after finding out my previous landlords fully integrated kitchen doesn’t contain a fridge). Make sure to let it sit for a few hours after moving it, before turning it on, to let the fluid inside settle. Buy it from a source, that can give you a good guarantee or insurance policy. Fridges are expensive, you don’t want to be spending £250+ every 2-3 years. Get it insured.
Also, as an avid meal prepper, I have realised that I need a lot of freezer space. Your average fridge does not come with a lot of freezer space. I have been suffering with this dilemma for a while now, and I still haven’t come to a good solution yet, that doesn’t require me buying another freezer. I am open to suggestions. DM me your solutions.
Bedroom
Bedroom furniture is hit and miss. If you are not loaded or in your forever home, you do not need a specific design for your room. You need a bed, wardrobe and drawers. I made that mistake when I got my new place. I was looking for a certain type of bed, and spent a lot of money and time building it. I could have gone to the charity shop and bought a bed that worked well. I wouldn’t have needed to assemble it from nothing or spent as much money as I did on my bed frame. I made the same mistake with my wardrobe.
By the time I came to purchase a chest of drawers, I had learnt my lesson. I bought it from charity shop, who delivered to my house, pre-assembled. That’s growth ladies and gentlemen.
Curtains
I bought my nightmare house curtains at Argos. My windows were such weird sizes, that I thought I couldn’t go to a charity shop. For my new place, there was a charity shop 2 minutes’ walk away. I bought 4 curtains for my 4 windows, and 3 of them were fine. For my last window, I managed to use one of my old curtains. The charity shop curtains were £10 for the 4. I was paying £12 per packet for my old place, and I needed 4 packets. I was not happy.
Bathroom
Bathroom furniture, such as a shower curtain, or toilet roll holder etc, should not have a lot of money spent on them. I say no more than £10 on a shower curtain and rod. No more than £10 on any of the holding furniture. I have never seen them be sold in a charity shop, but cheaper stores such as Wilko or B&M bargains are always worthwhile. They will need assembly, but it’s not complicated, unlike a bed.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the stores mentioned, I am purely reviewing my experience.
Moral of my story:
- Don’t rush– You will make questionable decisions, plus discounts always come up in the future
- Realistically review your situation– If you don’t normally host events, and attract people to your space, generally, you will not host a single event in your current place. Don’t buy that expensive furniture, no one will see it.
- Life is too short to be hassled by planks of wood– Or metal or anything that needs assembly.
- Get insured– Do I need to say more?
- If you’re not in your forever home, you don’t need a specific design– Get what works and doesn’t break the bank. You have better things to do with your time and money.
- Charity shops are amazing– They are so handy, and I reckon it’s worth checking them first before going further up high street for furniture.
- Don’t get electricals from charity shops– You don’t know what they might be like or if they will work, and it’s quite hard to return things from charity shops.
- Facebook marketplace is a good shout– Normally, the sellers are friendly and very willing to make sure you get what you’re paying for. Just check on them first before giving them your money.
