General Chat

I bought my first flat when I was single and 24. Mum bought me a new bed, and I had a few items I'd bought for myself (pans, crockery etc.) but everything else was secondhand. I had my sister's old TV, a re-conditioned fridge and cooker, neighbour's wardrobe, curtains from a friend at work, and chairs and tables etc. from an old friend of the family who was moving. Most of the furniture was heavy and old-fashioned, but I didn't mind as it was so good to have my own place!

Places like Ikea have made 'buying new' more affordable, but I do think some people are too fussy.

A number of youngsters do seem to want brand new things when they start out. I've given up storing redundant rugs and curtains to pass on to ours! They did ask for various items when we were clearing my parents house, but we had nowhere to store them, and couldn't afford to pay for warehouse space :-0 At least the items were sold at auction so someone benefited

We did have a brand new bed (wedding present) fridge and dining table/chairs (ditto) when we started out, but every other piece of furniture was hand me downs from family or their friends. I think the sideboard had been passed around to at least one other couple before it reached us :-D

i got giving lots of things when i moved in, and iv slowly renewed everything, but thts part the fun struggling n seeign the changes x

Married in 1956 and lived in an unfurnished 2nd floor flat with some new furniture that came out of my savings and we even BOUGHT a bed and a dining table from my husband's granny.Had a wringer that clipped on to the sink.No fridge but bought food daily.shared a bathroom with downstairs flat.
Lived on one wage and saved mine towards deposit on house.1958 went house hunting and bought a 3 bed new semi for £1950 which we could only get a mortgage of £1600 as in those days they only counted husbands income ....and it was only two and a half times the annual main salary....no 100% loans!
You enjoyed and appreciated every new thing you got.The world is so materialistic these days.
Must say though,if I have anything I am replacing,I ask my grandchildren first if they need it and they have been grateful for a number of things.I had a lovely corner suite that I bought in 1979 and it's now in it's 3rd home with daughter's youngest son and partner.Just replaced a fridge,but none of them wanted my still pristine old one...but my friend had it for an extra in her barn.

when we got our first house we moved in on christmas day
we didnt have any chairs
so we used two deck chairs till we could afford some real chairs
and the cooker was given to us by noah
i am sure it came out of his arc
but we soon got sorted

We got married in 1997...but moved in and *lived in sin* in 1996...we were buying our own home and the mortgage was through the roof...both of us were doing 2 jobs to meet costs.

We had a sofa that we rescued from the tip and cut it down from being a 3 seater to a 2 seater as our living room was too small for anything bigger...we had a bed..donated by OH's parents...a coffee table...donated by my parents and various pans, plates and cutlery again all donated...NOTHING was new whatsoever..and despite both of us working full time we had to save for weeks to even be able to afford the paint to change the colour of the walls !!! ....granted we were also saving for our Las Vegas wedding at the same time so it wasn't ALL mortgage we were paying for..however...when I look back on those times...we didn't have a lot but were really happy...and I feel very proud that everything we have got we did for ourselves..and worked bl**dy hard for it too !!

Married in 1960 and we were in rented accommodation until 1961 when we bought our first bungalow. Nearly all our furniture was secondhand except a dressing table and wardrobe which we bought quite cheaply. We were lucky that a fridge came with the bungalow but I had my Mum's cooker as she bought a new one. didn't have a washing machine until about 1971. Bought a freezer on hp in 1970, paid one month, didn't like owing the money and paid it off.

Our children also started in their own homes with second hand furniture in the 80s/90s, but I think today it is very much a 'want it now' society because the children mostly know no different. There will be exceptions. Our Grandsons have gone into their own accommodation (well 3 of them have) and they have been grateful for anything offered to them in the way of crockery, cutlery, bed linen etc. The two that have their own place have gradually bought furniture as they can afford it, the other is in furnished rented.

I notice the same with my nephew and o.h's son and d.i.l.
At least my own lad isn't proud and has a secondhand sofa my friend gave me when she moved to Paris and I loaned it to my son, he got a secondhand futon for his mates to sleep on when they stay over altho he did buy a new bed and mattress. He has only recently been able to afford a new carpet, he had been managing with the old tatty one the previous tenant left. His cooker, microwave, 1st kettle and toaster were all secondhand from a relative and a friend of mine and his mate loaned him a washingmachine/drier that he has told him he doesn't want back. My friend also gave my lad a freezer. He's been very lucky to be given so much and altho he would like everything new he is prepared to get things as and when he can. His tv he bought for £50 including the stand, and his computer desk was in a charity shop.

I got him new duvet and some bedlinen and gave him some curtains and he bought a cheap pair for the lounge. All done on a shoestring as I did my first home, a rented house which I fully furnished with only a new bed and bedding and everything else pretty much secondhand then I replaced things as I could.

Maybe in this new economic climate people will have to wait for new stuff and start buying secondhand and being satisfied.

Lizx

In my opinion, if you get everything at once there is nothing to look forward to...........

When I first married we had a bed, two folding chairs as our "lounge suite" and a crate thingy as a coffee table.

Then we had lots of fun furnishing the house, bit by bit - much more exciting that getting it all in one go.

We didn't go into debt for any of it either, just saved for each thing.

WHEN WE MARRIED IN THE DARK AGES,,YEH THAT LONG AGO
WE RENTED A FLAT,OUR FURNITURE WAS
OLD SOFA
EVEN OLDER TABLE
TWO CHAIRS
HUGE UGLY SIDEBOARD
BED
MY WARDROBE THAT FELL APART WHEN MOVING I N
KITCHEN CUPBOARD FROM TIP
AND ONLY NEW THING A COOKER.
............
NOW MY FRIENDS DAUGHTER IS MOVING INTO HER SECOND HOUSE AND HAS TO HAVE EVERYTHING NEW,
OR SHE WONT MOVE IN