for those who still doesnt know, i've been married 3 months already. despite renting a place 3 months back, we have yet to move in and only after 3 months, d place is slowly looking like a home. but its definitely crazy, so crazy dat moving into a place so small (around 700sq) can still cost a fortune! and fyi, our place is still incomplete but we'd still live in it and make a home out of what we have.

our place is a 2 bedroom flat; one is the bedroom and d other is our closet (cum store). there's not much that you can put in but we have got almost all the necessities in place. with God's willing, we're moving in this weekend. just to share a lil experience of moving house (more like filling up a house) which has burned a hole in our pocket despite the no-frills purchases (we have yet to get ourselves a tv set!).

the place was previously rented out to a family (i think) who didnt do much to look after d place. when we got d keys, we hired a painter who did a slipshod job prolly because he was a (his) family friend but charged quite substantially. since it's a rented place, i decided not to make so much noise but i think when you hire a painter, someone should be supervising/monitoring the guy ("hey, u missed a spot!" kinda thing) because its not free, and no one should settle for a lousy job unless they get super big discounts.

then later over a weekend we hired professional cleaners to scrub d floors and all and because we were there supervising, they did a pleasant job with d place. this was also money, but i didnt mind this because i wasnt ready to deal with the windows and all those scrubbing not to mention the dust.

we later decided to take some leftover paint fr my father's house to paint the master bedroom. it looks warmer and cosier now - lets hope it is. this was of course FOC however it caused us husband and wife back pain, prolly we were exhausted from the wedding marathon. now looking at it i think it's worth the effort.

the first thing that i bought for the home was a washing machine and AC unit and i opted for a one year installment plan because there were other things that i had to purchase by cash. i think nowadays a lot of things are made possible with these installment schemes as long as it is managed wisely. reason we bought these first because we both sweat easily so the laundry piles up like crazy and i cant stand heat or i'd be mad (yeah, yeah..i sound crazy i know).

as for the bedroom, i've always wanted an iron bed so i know just exactly where to find one (coz i've been eyeing it for a while already) and at the same store we also got ourselves a simple dining table for 4 (which could be turned into a study table later) and some simple/practical chairs. not exactly a dream dining table but i like its simplicity.

then we decided that we cant move in until we buy a mattress. for me, a purchase is always (most of the time lar hehehe) an investment. scouting for (an affordable good) mattress was hell. i fell for a couple of newspaper ads that said they were giving crazy discounts only to be disappointed because they're all priced above 3k! so i started visiting local furniture stores near my place, and they happen to have the brand i have in mind with a price i could (finally) afford. thank God for that!

as for the sofa, initially i tot i didnt have the need to purchase one but since i'm gonna need a set anyway, i started going around looking for a fairly priced set only to be disappointed over and over and over again! can u imagine a stupid-never-heard-of-brand 3-seater sofa cost at least 2k? i went around to so many shops and furniture malls, only feeling like ripping off my head because i couldnt find one that i like which fits into my budget. why should i settle for something cekai/cokia but cost so much? so i went to one furniture maker which makes nice and fairly priced pieces (they were on sale) and got a set which i like and could afford (at the cost of our tv set - had to sacrifice something in the end). i got it delivered last weekend, fits nicely in my living room now.

on top of our purchases, we also got one hand-me-down appliance which is d refrigerator, which is courtesy of my MIL, it is in running condition despite the lack of shelves. this is good for now, because whatever i could get for free i might as well make use of it. besides that, i also got a wardrobe from a relative who was buying a bigger one, which is only 2years old and is in perfect condition and fits the room like a glove, except for the fact that the delivery and installation charges cost me a fortune (i really hope its worth it).

other stuffs i got for my house includes a side table which is a beauty but i got it for a very good price, a carpet i brought from my current bedroom (at father's house), some table lamps which i've kept, some overrun of stoneware from my father's kitchen, matching curtains and bedsheets from the raya sale among other things.

the wedding gifts were also helpful, i got quite a number of different appliances which is really handy not to mention some nice decorations to spice up the place a lil.

the next thing on my list is a tv set, yeah i know its not so expensive nowadays but i'd like to settle down and let my pocket rest a lil before i splurge on another item. once i get my hands on a tv, i'm gonna have to search for a nice tv console/cabinet and get astro installed which is gonna be quite substantial.

in a whole, i'd say i love most of the things i bought not because of the price/brand, but because i put so much effort in finding em, and also because i think they're practical and reasonable. one thing you should keep in mind when moving and buying things for your house is the budget because nothing good comes out from a burst budget so you gotta scout around to find the best deals in town before you make big purchases like furnitures and electrical appliances. i gotta thank my husband and father for being so patient while i was in search of these things!

i hope when i move again, it wont cost so much or i'd die!