Last year was a doozy - Update w/pics 3/21/16 pg 6

[ayna]

What a relief, indeed, Brandi. Hope the money arrives in time for you to sort out something for Christmas.I know, that sounds a long time away: here in S E England I am listening to another burst of Fireworks and Fireworks Night (in remembrance of a certain Guido Fawkes' attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament) is not until 5th November!! When I was young (way back in the 'olden days') it was celebrated on that night only and was eagerly anticipated by every child as a festive break in the long evenings and the long wait for Christmas. Nowadays the firework 'parties' start in mid October and just go on and on.

Do let us know how you get on, won't you?

[lavenderbee]

Hope you do get the money soon. At least you can breath a little easier knowing soon you can really get into looking at places. That must such a huge relief for you.

[geekishly]

I meant to update sooner, but life's been crazy. I have an apartment now! Which obviously means I got my money. Well, some of it anyway. I don't really have any furniture to speak of. I need to make a third trip down to the SSA to get them to release the funds for me to get the things I need for my place.

Anyway, about to go to the eye doctors so I'll check in later.

[rcperryls]

So happy for you!!! I was thinking about you the other day and wondered how things were going for you. It is all up from here and hoping that life gets a lot less stressful for you.

Carole

[fccs]

It's SO good to hear from you. I've been thinking about you and hoping all is well. I'm happy you've finally got a place of your own. Even sparsely furnished, it's better than where you've been!

[geekishly]

Thanks ladies! The SSA says that they're disbursing the back pay today, so hopefully it will be in the bank tomorrow. Assuming it is, I'll be doing my furniture shopping sometime this week, depends on transportation. I shall have furniture soon.

[Squirrel]

Absolutely wonderful news to start my day with Brandi. I am so pleased for you and how lovely to have a place of your own now. Enjoy your furniture shopping too.

[fccs]

Even more good news! I hope when you get furniture and more settled, you'll be able to get back to your stitching, too. I'm really so happy for you!!

[richardandtracy]

A good place to get furniture for nothing is to see if there are any freecycle ads in your area. My wife & I have been married nearly 25 years, and so far have never bought a sofa or armchairs. Currently we have 3 sofas in the house and have worn out a further 2. We are slowly getting to the point where we might be able to afford our own choice.

The same thing happens with bookcases, shelving units, sideboards. Also look in skips, with a lick of paint you can often change total rubbish into something really nice. To give an example: in my first house the previous owner had left a really ratty chest of drawers from the 1950's, thinking they weren't even worth throwing out. I attacked the chest over a period of 3 weeks with several pieces of sandpaper and stained varnish. By coat 6 of varnish it was looking really expensive, and when I finished on coat 8 it looked as if it was a beautifully French Polished antique. We have it still. Total cost, 1 paint brush, small bottle of white spirit, 3 sheets of sandpaper and a tin of varnish.

In the last 11 years I've not bought a bookcase, but we have 190ft of bookshelves. It's all from pallets. With a wrecking bar you can dismantle a pallet, then with a second hand hand-plane and sandpaper you can smooth off the planks. Cut to size with a crosscut saw, and a screwdriver with a few screws, that's a book case sorted. You can stain, paint & varnish at will if you don't like the Scandinavian stripped pine look.

Other household goods, like vacuum cleaners, fridges and freezers are all thrown out at the local tip, not because they don't work, but because the owner is bored with them. Talk to the people at the tip, there is usually power & if you take time to be nice with them they'll often let you test the stuff to see if it works. A small note often helps (though I have never done this - I work exclusively cashless). Then, a good clean & many of the items look brand new.

So, can I suggest you forget, to a large extent, social security & grants. There is no need, for many household goods, to be dependant on anyone. It'll boost your self esteem and self reliance if you can point to many things in your flat and say 'That's my work' or 'I got that myself'. It takes time & effort, but almost no money.

Regards,

Richard.

[lavenderbee]

Hurray What a lovely surprise to see you on here & to know you are having some good luck now now you have your own home Brandi & can move on. I too have been thinking about you the last few days, wondering how you were.

As Richard said things can be done up but if you need something quickly & cheaply there are probably places near you which sell unwanted items. We have around here 3 places where people donate their unwanted furniture & other household items, including electrical goods which are all tested & have a warranty for 3 months. They are sold at a reasonable price & they deliver but of course that is extra. authorised by our local council. DH & I have bought a few pieces from them, including a recliner chair I got for £40. plus £10 delivery but the man decided to make a discount & I got chair plus delivery for £30.

Wishing you good luck in your new home & hope this will be start of a good life for you.

Take care.

[ayna]

Brandi, That is wonderful news, I'm so pleased for you.

As for furnishing your apartment. if you have anything like a 'community' shop/store I really would suggest that you have a look; that and freecycle have kept our daughter's family (she has 5 children and her other half rarely worked (due to ill health mainly but that is another story) going for many years with some nice pieces donated by people who no longer wanted them. I never went to the shop itself and I'm sure that they also had some stuff which was, perhaps, less than desirable, but I know that much of the stock was in good condition.

Anyway, that's enough advice! Will you be able to get your stitching gear out again, soon - you used to post such lovely things, it would be nice for us to be able to view your work again? Where is your apartment, is it near anyone you know or have you got to carve out a whole new circle of friends etc? Do keep us informed somehow.

Best wishes , Ann

[Fizzbw]

Oh Brandi that's so such brilliant news, I'm so happy for you, I hope it means we will see more of you now? I really hope so. Onwards and upwards and all that.

I really hope you get your furniture sorted out well, like the others we've had some good bargains via freecycle or charity shops. Just the other day I got 3 m by 1.5m of a really good twill type fabric, for about £3 and I've made a cover for the foot rest of my recliner, I'm still working on it, but it's going to look lovely and mean I can have the dogs up to sit on me. Will make arm covers as well. It's a way of making a tired chair look so much better.

Big hugs

Niki xxx

[rcperryls]

One more thought about furniture. I used to volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store in our area. Each store is managed seperately and I know that we had some amazing furniture which people would donate, especially if they were moving or downsizing. No delivery service, though I think some of the stores do provide that for a small fee. Also would get the furniture which the real estate and/or apartment management companies would use to furnish model apartments and homes once the models were no longer needed. Practically new but being resold at amazing prices. If you have one near you or other resale stores they would be worth checking out. I know that my first few apartments relied heavily on resale (or as some stores like to call themselves - gently used) furniture stores.

Carole

[Serinde]

How wonderful to have you back here -- and in your own place, finally!!

I can't add anything to the good advice from everyone else, but I hope you settle in soon.

[LadyS]

What great news!!! It's great to hear from you!

[Carole]

That's great news. It must be wonderful to finally have your own place. Have fun with getting some furniture and getting it all how you want it

[geekishly]

Thanks everyone for the advice. But I'd been eyeing some specific pieces at IKEA for quite some time, so that's where I wound up getting most of my furniture. I did look at resale shops for other items and even got some pieces at them. But I'm really pleased with my purchases. It was a big and exciting thing to be able to afford to buy new furniture and get the pieces I really loved instead of simply getting what was available and in good condition at resale. Besides, the resale shops around here often aren't much cheaper than retail. Either that or I just have expensive taste in secondhand furniture.

I'm still unpacking. Not because I have a lot to unpack, but because I've had so little energy lately, that I do one box and I'm wiped out and ready for a nap. But my goal is to be done by Friday! Which means I'll have pics to post this weekend. And then I can be around more.

[Serinde]

Sounds like you are settling in finally. Good for you! And there is a lot of sense in buying the best you can afford and in a style you really like -- you'll have this furniture for a very long time, I hope. (We bought a bed and side tables at IKEA in the late 1980s. Still going strong and looking good.)

[geekishly]

That was exactly my thought in buying new. I want furniture that I won't have to replace for a very long time, and this was going to be my only chance to do so without having to do so on credit.

[rcperryls]

WOW!! I am so glad that your ordeal of the last few years is over! Looking forward to seeing your pics and to having you back with us. Take your time settling in. Enjoy making your new apt a comfortable and cozy home!

Carole