If you are struggling financially, or thinking that you won’t manage as a result of completing your budget sheet, there is a lot of help and support available.

It is important to bear in mind before you move that you probably won’t be able to get everything you need right away.

It can be tempting to borrow money and get into debt to buy the things you need, but think carefully about how much it will cost you to borrow and how long it will take you to pay it back.

Buying furniture and electrical goods

When buying items for the first time, it is important to look at what you want versus what you actually need.

There are many companies who will sell to you without completing credit checks, but you should be aware of the actual cost to you to pay it back. A good starting point is to look at what the annual fixed repayment (APR) will be. All companies must legally tell you how much the APR will be.

You can work out how much you will be paying back and see if it is more worthwhile for you to save instead. Here is an example of how much it would cost you:

Based on provident loan – borrowing a £300 loan, repaid over 52 weeks will cost £10.80 per week, in total would cost £561.60, which would be an APR of 299.3%.

It doesn’t have to be new

It can be a very expensive time when you are starting out from scratch and it may be that you can start off with some items that are second hand.

The following companies specialise in good quality second hand furniture and other household items at a fraction of the cost of new items:

Raven House Trust - 01633 762999

Community Furniture Project - 01633 216855