Things you wish you'd spent less / more on?

Associate
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A little of an odd thread but as I'm preparing to buy my first home I'm starting the dreaded process of realising all the additional things I'll need to purchase and I thought I'd ask the wise of OCUK what items they wish they had spent less or more on?

I'm in need of lots, fridge freezer, washing machine, new bed and mattress, sofas, dining room furniture, TV. And inevitably every one of those range tremendously in price. So just wondering when you moved into your first home what did which bits do you look back and say 'I really should have spent more / less' on X.

Thanks

UL,
 
Soldato
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Buying cheap on anything will annoy you in the long run as none of it will last quite as long as you planned but as above concentrate on getting your bed sorted.

I wish I'd spent more in our bedroom as it's all starting to annoy me 3 yrs later.
 
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Thanks, weirdly mattress and bed where bottom of my list :0 any recommendations on bed frames / matress (in the past I just had the cheaper ikea ones).
 
Soldato
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We were happy with a cheap bed & mattress to begin with. We eventually wanted to spend to get something that would last many many years, but in the short term, we got a very budget bed frame & mattress, £150 delivered.

It lasted 2 years before the mattress started to feel a bit bad, at which time we could afford our nice mattress and bed.
 
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Go somewhere to try them out as everyone is different, dreams, dunelm etc. For larger beds you can get a matress of two halves so if you like the bed softer than your parntner you can each have a bit to suit you. Just dont get a cheap divan base as they will break.
 
Soldato
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Relatively cheap Beko white good will be fine and should last years, bottom of the list against what you have on their IMO. Same goes for TV, I just find them uninteresting and high end features trickle down into mid range sets the following year. The cost of OLED is dropping quickly and you'll get a much better viewing experience with a mid range set and a decent 5.1/ATMOS setup (IMO).

So:
Bed and Mattress
Dining Furniture
Sofas
White Goods/TV

The reason I put Dining furniture above sofas is that sofas wear out and styles change very quickly but a decent solid oak/pine/other wood dining table and chairs will be timeless and last decades.
 
Soldato
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Paint/wallpaper. If you're redecorating when you move in.
Good quality paint and paint brushes+rollers will give a much better finish and it's the sort of thing that you notice every time you go into the room if you've not done it properly and it's quite a lot of effort to put right once you've got all your furniture and stuff in the room.
 
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So in my case the house has been totally reburbished, but I would like to change a few bits.

So we're saying:
Sort out the bedroom with a decent hardwood bed and mattress.
Sort out dining room
Sort out living room sofas
Sort out the essentials in the kichen (fridge freezer and washing machine).


Thanks
 
Soldato
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I don’t think you can ever spend too much on a mattress. Definitely don’t skimp on that!

A fridge/freezer doesn’t have to be anything fancy. All the appliances that are on show in our lichen are from Neff, the rest are unbranded, including the fridge freezer.

Buy things gradually and you’ll understand what you need in the house. I wouldn’t rush to buy the first dining furniture set that you see so you can have it when you move in for example.

Sofas take an age to come, so measure up as soon as you get the keys and get one ordered. I found all the warehouse type sofa stores absolutely awful.
 
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Research, Research and Research. I have purchased a number of items over the years because they were in a sale or cheap or on offer only to get home and regret purchasing the item in question. So, now I tend to spend a bit more time and effort researching what I need before committing to a purchase.

I would also echo what other people have said. Buy cheap by twice and get a decent bed. Invest in a decent dining room table and it will last you years. Dont skimp on furniture although do try and check out 2nd hand stores as they sometimes get good quality stock at good prices. Cheap white goods are a plus. I have a two year old Beko washing machine and had a phone call to tell me the warranty had expired and it would be £75 a year to renew it. I can replace it brand new for £180 so if it lasts another two years i`m good.
 
Soldato
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So in my case the house has been totally reburbished, but I would like to change a few bits.

So we're saying:
Sort out the bedroom with a decent hardwood bed and mattress.
Sort out dining room
Sort out living room sofas
Sort out the essentials in the kichen (fridge freezer and washing machine).


Thanks

I wouldn’t say that was the priority order in terms of what to purchase first, just priority of where I’d spend any extra cash if I had it.

As someone mentioned above you really want to think about things like Sofas and Dining tables before pulling the trigger.

Cheap white goods are very similar, the only thing I would say is a must would be a delay timer on the washing machine and decent drum capacity. Spin speed isn’t that important, the faster you spin the drier your stuff is but the more creased it is too.
 
Caporegime
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I spent close to £2k on a washing machine, first home so bought pretty much top of the range everything.

I think it's best to just buy middle if the range. Like £600-£900 on a machine will get you a top one as well just missing a couple of things or can't wash as much at the same time.

Same for TV spend around £1000 to £1500. No need to spend £2k+.

You want value for money purchases. My sofas cost £3500 and its two love seats and a three seater so enough seating for 5-9 people depending on if skinny or not.

Everything I bought was excessive and I'd say you can probably get similar stuff for half the money.
 
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I would follow the advice of buying the best bed/mattress you can afford.
Regarding kitchen appliances, I wouldn't mind beko or similar, as you can get pretty much most desirable options, without spending twice the money.
TVs is another matter. I wouldn't go for the very best, but a mid-range TV is a good option. And would rather get a good well-known brand than a bigger screen from one of those cheap brands. Both my Sony TV's are nearly 10 years old now and still performing as day one.
 
Associate
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I got a mattress of the shop floor from dreams and saved a nice amount .Plus you can get extra discounts price on it if you buy a bed .

For white goods go shop around homebase b&q etc you can pick up the X display units rather cheap . I got a bosh oven and hob combo for the price of a cheap oven.

If this is a short tearm property don't go ovetkill on everything. I did on my flat and could have saved a lot of money as I sold it after 2 years.
 
Soldato
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I was cheap on my double bed frame though it seemed a bargain at the time being £100 and metal framed. It was just not quite up to the job but after propping up the middle with some wood and more recently adding a plywood base for a foam mattress it has been fine for the last 17 years :)

Yeah mattress is a good one to spend time on getting a decent pocket sprung or foam if you want to try that route. More layers on the foam ones seems a good investment as they can feel warmer than a more traditional mattress.

I bought a full set of kitchen appliances 2nd hand but they were high quality and lasted years. My microwave is almost 20 years old now but is going strong and seems to heat better than the cheap ones at work (it's probably twice the weight too). I've replaced the table motor once which was a simple cheap swap. When one at work went I assumed the same but no it's not normally user serviceable item unless you cut out the bottom panel! Meant to be disposable I assume.

Also TV and Av amp as I was using them continuosly I spent £1200-1500 on each but both last 15 years. British hand made 5.1 speakers £1500 and still going strong. The amp was still fine but no HDMI. The plasma TV was fine but it was also bulky and less efficient only recently beaten by affordable OLED/QLED. Sold it to a young couple for £50.

Carpets for me was not the cheapest but not too much as they get worn in high use rooms. Don't do what one of my neighbours did and rent a large house with persian carpets to students! They were quickly ruined. I actually only have one carpeted room left now anyway. Much prefer hard with a large mat/rug that can easily be replaced.
 
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