FINANCE
Nifty and thrifty On top of your deposit and legal expenses, first time buyers may face the additional problem of having to furnish a home from scratch. Kay Hill looks at ways you can cut costs on furniture and furnishings
EXPERT COMMENT Try to invest in at least one goodquality item of furniture in each room and you will instantly lift the overall look and feel of your space. Don’t be afraid to go secondhand to do this; you can find some great pieces online or in charity shops
If you are moving from furnished rented accommodation or from living with parents, then you might find that you have relatively little in the way of furniture – so how do you furnish all that empty space when you’ve just spent every penny on getting the keys? The first thing to remember is that you don’t have to get everything perfect right away – prioritise the essentials, like a fridge, a bed and a sofa, and make do and mend elsewhere. If you have moved into a new home, you will usually find that flooring and major appliances are included, which makes life easier.
NOTHING’S CHEAPER THAN FREE! Firstly, make the most of what you already have. Think about updating tired childhood furniture with a coat of paint (the Frenchic range is easy to use and works wonders) or buying a new throw for your old student sofa bed. Look for free giveaways. It’s surprising what people are willing to donate; a quick look on Facebook Marketplace, with the search word “free” and a distance of 5km, revealed 15 free sofas, a couple of double beds, a handful of wardrobes, bookshelves and coffee tables, a dining room table and two pianos! You might have to factor in the
cost of van hire, but you could probably rent a self-drive for the weekend and furnish your home for free. Most towns have recycling/free stuff groups on Facebook you can join, plus check out Freegle and the “freebies” section on Gumtree.
which can be brought back to life with some new upholstery or a lick of paint. If a piece has great bones and fits your space, you can make it look beautiful again. If quality flooring isn’t in your budget just now, avoid the temptation to just pop
PRE-LOVED BARGAINS
something cheap down to see you
Charity shops that sell home goods not only have bargain prices, but also sometimes offer free or cheap delivery. Look out for Emmaus (which also sells bargain white goods), British Heart Foundation and the British Red Cross. Secondhand shops are a mixed bag – the kind which is piled high with stacked up random furniture is likely to be cheap and cheerful, but the swish retro places are best avoided if you’re on a budget. Auction houses used to be scary to the uninitiated, but a surprising bonus of Covid has been that auctions have moved online, so you don’t have to worry about scratching your nose and buying an antique four-poster by mistake. The Saleroom (thesaleroom.com) gives an overview of local auctions and explains the process, including the fact that the buyer pays fees as well as the seller. For example, if you bought a sofa for £100, you would pay a “buyer’s premium” on top, often around 20%, plus VAT on the premium, so you would actually
option and can often be found at
through – area rugs can be a great reasonable prices online, allowing you to save for flooring that’s right for you. Artwork can be expensive; if you have large walls to fill, mirrors are a good lower-priced option, as is scouting out young unknown artists at art fairs. Once you have a good foundation, it’s all in the styling. Accessories can be used to personalise and brighten your space, and don’t forget plants! Check out supermarkets for low-cost plants and accessories.
Georgina Fraser, MD, Jeffreys Interiors of Edinburgh
108 First Time Buyer August/September 2021
FTB 108-109 Finance August-September21.indd 108
13/07/2021 17:56
