Home - Setting up with Furnishings

Whether you are renting a room or a whole house, the following is a list of the basics you need to run your home smoothly.

KITCHEN

Appliances:

• Fridge
• Kettle
• Microwave
• Coffee Plunger
• Toaster

Utensils:

• Baking dish
• Baking tray
• Bottle opener/can opener
• Bowls
• Cheese grater
• Chopping board
• Colander
• Cutlery
• Dinner set plates
• Dishrack
• Foil
• Food storage containers
• Freezer bags
• Fry pan – look for non-stick surfaces
• Glad wrap
• Glasses
• Knives
• Masher
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Mugs
• Paper towels
• Peeler
• Plug
• Saucepan set
• Spatula
• Tea towels
• Tongs
• Wok
• Wooden spoon

Extra:

• Lightbulbs
• Candles
• Matches

BATHROOM

• Bathmats
• Bin
• Plug
• Toilet paper
• Toilet brush
• Toilet plunger
• Towels
• Toothbrush / toothpaste holder
• Washing machine

BEDROOM/STUDY

• Bed
• Bedding / Doona & doona cover/sheets
• Chair
• Chest of drawers/wardrobe
• Desk
• Electric blankets
• Mattress and pillow protectors
• Pillows
• Underlay

LIVING ROOM

• Book cases
• Computer laptop
• Couches
• Dining table and chairs
• Fan
• Heater
• Iron
• Lamps
• Pin board for putting shopping lists, bills and other reminders
• Side and/or coffee tables
• TV/VCR/DVD  stand

LAUNDRY

• Buckets (for soaking clothes)
• Dry rack / clothes pegs
• Napisan or Fiesta (for soaking hard stains)
• Spot remover – for applying to stains
• Washing Powder
• Wool wash

EQUIPMENT

Cleaning:

• Bleach
• Dish scrubber
• Dishwashing powder
• Dustpan and broom
• Gloves
• Kitchen cleaning cream (such as Ajax or Jif)
• Mop / bucket
• Scourer
• Sponges
• Vacuum cleaner
• Washing powder
• Window cleaner (such as Spray n' Wipe)

Medicine cabinet – First Aid Kit:

• Bandages
• Bands Aids
• Cotton balls
• Cotton buds
• Dettol
• Panadol (bathroom medicine cabinets)
• Scissors
• Tea tree oil
• Tweezers

Tools:

• Fuses
• Hammer
• Nails
• Screwdriver
• Screws
• Spanner
• Wrench

Quicktips:

• Look for direct factory outlets, such as Sunbeam.  Often these are in the outer suburbs but you can save up to 50% off on electrical goods.
• 2nd hand shop/op shops often sell cheap household goods and appliances.
• The Reject Shop or $5 shops offer cheap household goods such as glasses, crockery and cutlery.
• Community boards at your local supermarket have people selling items for cheap.
• Department stores such as Harris Scarfe, Target, Ikea, Myer sell starter kits with basic items such as cutlery, crockery, saucepans, and bedding.
• Officeworks, St Johns or Red Cross sell First Aid kits.
• Look on the internet, websites such as Monash Marketplace, Monads, Trading Post or Ebay are great places to start.
• Look around your community, many people post signs for garage sales over the weekend.  You could pick up a great bargain.
• Ask your friends and family members who may know of people who are cleaning out their houses who would be more than happy to give you their old cutlery, crockery and furniture. 
• Panasales often up to 50% discount on discontinued lines of electrical goods.
• Rubberbands from mail and wooden clothes pegs are very handy for sealing open plastic packets of rice or pasta.
• Old plastic take away containers can be reused for storing leftovers or storing things such as nails or screws.
• Forget spending money on useless appliances like popcorn machines, hotdog machines, pancake makers, sandwich presses.  Keep it simple! All those items can be made with saucepans or frypans.  You’ll be amazed what you can make with just a few utensils and saucepans.
• When you are running halfway with a food item, or items such as toilet paper, add them to your shopping list and make sure you purchase them!  That way you’ll never run out.