Bargains On The Web: I Furnished My Flat Online.& Saved Myself a Packet

So Olivia, 27, a property PR, decided to use what spare time she did have to look on the internet for everything she needed to make her new two-bedroom flat a comfortable home.

By buying online she saved herself a bundle of cash - and she could arrange for everything she bought to be delivered to her flat in Fulham, South West London, in just two days.

Olivia said: "I had to furnish the flat completely, I had nothing. And, as I had a tenant moving in with me, I wanted to move in straightaway. Once I'd exchanged contracts, I had only a month until the completion date but was able to go online, buy what I needed and arrange for everything to be delivered in two days."

She started by creating a "sample board" - where a room is created in miniature - to work out exactly what she needed to buy. Samples of her fabrics, paints, furniture and other items were stuck to the board in the form of magazine pictures, tiny pieces of fabric and swirls of paint. She then set about researching how and where she could buy each item. "I knew what I wanted, and I also knew I could get it cheaper online," she said. For example, she bought TWO sofas - a three-seater and a two-seater - for a total at the time of pounds 536 from www.sofasofa.com.

Olivia did masses of research on the internet, in magazines and by dashing into shops to inspect items. She also used the Kelkoo website (www.kelkoo.co.uk) to compare prices of a particular item. "It's a great site for electrical goods. It pulls in all the prices for an item from other sites, even obscure ones. I was saving about pounds 30 a product."

Other goods such as wardrobes and bedside cabinets came from Ikea (www.ikea.com) which does not sell online.

But Olivia checked out prices and availability online first, before visiting the store, where she had to queue as normal.

Booking over two weeks in advance, she found most websites gave her a choice of delivery dates - and all deliveries were free. As a safety check, Olivia made sure the sites had good security for credit card payments, and a policy for returning faulty items.

Using her good organisational skills meant the project went like clockwork - apart from one table which was delivered late and faulty.

Olivia admitted: "I took a risk it would all be all right on the day - but buying online allowed me to be in control of ever thing- including deliveries."

'Buying online put me in control of everything'

OLIVIA'S TIPS FOR INTERNET SHOPPING

1 RESEARCH, research, research. There are some really good bargains to be found. Forward planning is the key.

2 If in doubt, visit the shop and see the product so you know exactly what you are buying.

3 Only use reputable sites giving credit card payment security such as internet money transfer business PayPal.

4 Be prepared to wait in for your goods. Some delivery times are specific - others may require you to wait in all morning.

5 Enjoy the fact you are saving yourself a slog round the high street - and saving money!

Source: Sunday Mirror