5 TIPS FOR SHOPPING FOR YOUR NEW HOUSE

Whether you are moving out of your parent's home, joining campus, starting life after school or moving into a new house, starting up can be quite hectic and sometimes full of confusion. You may find yourself spending a lot of your money on things you don't need and at times on things you will never use. You may also find it very frustrating when you buy household items only to realize they are not compatible to the house design style you want or they are too big or to small or too many for your house.

Here are tips that will help you a lot to avoid this confusions, frustrations and the stress that may result,

• Start with the absolute minimum

When you are planning to set up a new house, be prepared to start with the absolute minimum. This should include the basics and necessaries. You may get a bed, a mattress, bed sheets, a pillow and a duvet or blankets, a table, two good chairs, simple curtains, a kitchen knife, one wooden spoon, two plates, two eating spoons and forks, two cups, a gas cooker.
This is barely enough for a comfortable house but it will encourage you to think outside the box and buy only what you need most first. Having little makes you realize what you need most and you what don't need at all before you can rush out shopping.

• Make a list of all the things you want because they are necessaries and those you want for decoration or luxury

Once you have moved into your new place, start making a list of all the things you realize you need. Make one list of necessaries and a different list of the things you want for decorations and for luxury. Making lists is good as it will help you focus on the necessaries first before you spend all your money on luxuries. This is also very helpful if you intend to obtain quality household items. This is because quality is often expensive and by making a list you know what to spend most of your money on and what can wait.

• Do your research

This may be through window shopping, magazines, newspapers, through friends and family or looking up on the internet. Find out how much things cost and where you can find something quality and that fits your taste. At this point you should interest yourself with colors, designs, brands, textures and fabrics. It is easier to find something you like when you know the item, color, material, quality etc of the item. Be sure you know what you are looking for before you set out to find it.

• Decide on the sizes and numbers you want

You need to figure out what is the minimum and maximum sizes of furniture you want before you can set out to buy or order them. You need to know the numbers, if its curtains, how many do you need?
Your choice will mainly be influenced by the size of your house and the design style you intend to use. This is why it is important to start with basics and understand your house well before you can make any decisions on sizes and before you can make any purchases.

• Decide on how the items are going to reach you

You decide to buy the items online and have them delivered to you, or you may opt to purchase them at the seller's business premises. Either way, there are serious considerations you need to make. If you decide to buy online, you have to ask yourself; am I buying from a trusted supplier? Am I sure the items will be of good quality at delivery? Am I sure what will be delivered will be very similar to what was advertised online? What are the terms of delivery? Is there an added cost for delivery? How stressful will it be for me to return the items if upon delivery I realize its not what I wanted?
If you decide to make the purchase at the seller's business premises, you have to ask yourself; how will the items reach to my house? Will i carry them myself or will I need to hire transport services? If you need to hire transport services, do you know where to find the services? How much will it cost to transport? how much time will it take to to purchase and have the goods in your house?