Living in rented accommodation we had a handful of tools for around the house – mostly to build all the furniture my IKEA obsession was responsible for bringing into the house, but anything further than that we didn’t need to worry about. The luxury of renting! When we bought our own house we had to vastly improve our tool collection, much to the disappointment of our bank balance – I want to spend my money on pretty things!

Here’s my essential tools you will need when you buy your first home:

// Now we actually own the walls, we can fix things to them like bookcases and heavy guitars, maximising our floor space – woohoo! For heavy stuff you’ll need to use wall plugs. We picked up a set of them with different sizes for pretty cheap, meaning we don’t have to think twice next time we want to hang something on the wall. Make sure you choose the right ones for what your walls are made of!

// Even if you’re not planning any renovations, you’ll need some simple tools. We were caught short a few months ago when we needed to turn the water off in the house – because it’s a fairly old house and hasn’t been particularly well looked after, the water taps wouldn’t budge just by using your hands. We had to get ourselves a hefty wrench and plyers to turn on and off that rusty old tap!

// There are so many different drills, oh my God! We had no clue what we were doing, so in the end we popped into ScrewFix and the guys there gave us some pretty solid advice. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t just try to sell us the most expensive one. He recommended a brushless drill which was pricer, but will last longer over time (read more about brushless drills, here!). A random customer gave us some advice when we were looking lost in front of the drills in another popular DIY store. He kindly told us to choose a Makita or a DeWalt over a ‘hobby drill’ and that the deals are often better at ScrewFix.

// No matter how nice your new place is, you’re likely to want to put your own stamp on it so if you’ve got any wallpaper to strip off buy yourself a wallpaper stripper or borrow one from a friend. I definitely wouldn’t bother hiring one as they’re so cheap to buy and they make the job like 100 times easier! Watch for the steam dripping out though – it can really burn if it gets you!

// Engelbert Strauss asked me to share their website with you guys and they have a wide range of tools, workwear and office supplies all in one place… plus their slogan is “enjoy work” which I am definitely a fan of – I’m a live to work kind of gal, not work to live! We were lucky that someone offered to help us pick out all our new tools and supplies and drove us round all the local DIY shops! If you can’t drive either, it’s really hard to manage all the big tools on your own! Instead you could pop over and have a look at the Engelbert Strauss tools from the comfort of your own sofa and get everything you need delivered to your door!

What would you recommend adding to my tool collection? Loves x xx

Not only did we upsize our home when we bought our first house, but we also moved from a partially furnished rented place to our completely empty new home. It’s safe to say not only were we a bit short of furniture when we eventually moved in, but we were also on a very tight budget after what will probably be the biggest purchase of our lives. Buying a house is expensive, yo. Over the last few months we’ve picked up some amazing tips so here’s my rundown on filling your house with furniture on a budget:

// If you’ve got the space, buy asap! I actually bought my own bed way back when I was living at my parents. My boyfriend was working for a home wares store that was closing down, so we managed to get an amazing discount. I needed a new bed in my room anyway, so I bought it myself and stored it in my old room while I was in rented accommodation. Major thanks to my Mum for her free storage! These crazy sales and discounts might not be available when you move, so if you can store furniture somewhere for free it’s definitely worth it.

// If you’re renting, pay for your own replacements. We had a great relationship with our landlord at our old house so whenever we had any problems they could often be solved with a quick text. Because space was an issue, if anything broke in the house we asked if we could just buy our own replacement with a view to taking it with us when we left. By the time we moved out we had bought our own sofa and dishwasher, so they were great things to have ready for our new place.

// Tell family and friends you’re looking for furniture. We’ve been offered a number of things since we moved in, from friends of friends who are upgrading and want to clear out their old pieces. Keep your eye on Facebook for people offloading tables, chairs and even full suites! Second hand furniture can be a little worse for wear, but makes a great up-cycling project or will be ideal as a stop gap until you can afford something super special.

// Keep an eye out on places like Gumtree, eBay and Freecycle. We arranged to collect an awesome sofa bed from a guy on Freecycle and I have a friend who owns a van so it literally cost us nothing! We popped to the guy’s apartment after work to take away his old sofa so he could have the new one delivered the following morning – I was surprised at how grateful he was to us even though he was giving us a great piece of furniture for free. We were lucky the sofa is in great condition, but if it’s a little grubby you could recover it for a fraction of the price or just layer up some throws and blankets to give it a super easy new look. Now we have seating for friends, too!

// Vintage, old and reclaimed are your friends. Check out your local area for charity shops and reclaimed yards to get some furniture on a budget. We have Poverty Aid in Leeds who often have amazing retro furniture pieces for a fraction of their real value.

// Flat pack furniture, baby! I know it lacks character, but head to your friendly Argos or IKEA and pick up some of their budget pieces. Generally if you opt for the white version of IKEA’s popular pieces they are a lot cheaper than more traditional oak and walnut colours. Whack on a coat of paint or head to Pinterest for some great furniture hacks to get your flat pack pieces looking super suave.

What are your favourite ways to buy furniture on a budget? Do you have a favourite piece that you got for a bargain price? How have you put your own stamp on a classic item? I’d love to see your DIYs and up-cycles! Loves x xx