Challenge: Part 1 of 4 in Furnishing and decorating your place for as little as possible

I’m moving! The credit crunch is finally working to my advantage. It is definitely a renter’s market at the time and by moving I’m making a huge savings in rent - £2400 per year! Council tax is also less, which adds around another £360 to my annual savings. You might think I’m sacrificing space for this deal, but I’ve been very lucky. By moving just slightly out of the posh area I’ve been in the last few years, I found a place three times as big as my old one, and with a lovely back garden!

Too good to be true? Well, yes, there’s a hitch. It’s unfurnished. All I’ve managed to accumulate in my adult life is … uh-um, a dog, heaps of books, handbags, dresses and shoes, a teen glued to a PC, and some very, very precious wine glasses. That’s about it, I think…

So what do I do? My family lives overseas, which means no leftover stuff from mum and aunties this time over…

Some of you have already tweeted me some good advice:@rachwarwick, @mattwilliams, @beckyportsmouth and @planbstudio all swear by Freecycle as a great source of free stuff. @beckyportsmouth also had a great idea - set up a Facebook page with a list of what you need and get your friends and family to contribute or sell stuff to you for cheap. @love_little suggested having a look at what people toss out, hunt in junk yards and antique places.

I’m going to try all of that (well, maybe I’ll give the junk yards a miss..). Getting the keys to the place this weekend so stay tuned for a video tour and my facebook page. In the meantime, if you’ve got any advice, have a great blog for furniture or design tips I should follow, catch me on twitter or leave me a comment - much appreciated.