"Chat to fellow guardians about volunteering opportunities near you."

6 November 2019 | Making a space a home | Back to Blog

Settling in tips from Dot Dot Dot guardians

Once you’ve secured your new home, it’s helpful to get some friendly advice to help you settle in. Luckily our guardians are on hand with some tips to get you started so you can make the most of your new home and surroundings! From where to find paint and furniture to helping out in your local community, these hacks will make moving in a doddle.

Decorating your space

  • There’s a large Wilko in Stratford that sells paint cheap on bank holidays!
  • British Heart Foundation. Great for furniture and it’s the same delivery price regardless of how much you buy.
  • Register to Freecycle, where you’ll find a wealth of free stuff in your area. You can spruce up your space and keep perfectly good furniture out of landfill at the same time!

Keeping in touch

  • Communicate with your Relationship Coordinator – they are there to help and answer those questions you might find silly, but are very important!
  • Keep in touch with other guardians via WhatsApp groups – it’s great to be able to help each other out with questions, fixing things and meet up for drinks.

Getting involved

  • Get to know your neighbours – be sure to introduce yourself when you move in.
  • Chat to fellow guardians about volunteering opportunities near you. There are so many projects going on in my area that I never knew were there.
  • Be open-minded and you’ll be surprised by who you will meet and the experiences you will have! I learnt how to mend clothes after chatting to another guardian – it’s great to share knowledge and skills with the people around you.
  • Be as involved with your housemates as possible! It makes your living situation so much more fun and enjoyable.
  • Introduce yourself to other guardians and find out their skills. I have a large 4×4 and would happily help people move at no cost. I’m sure other people would lend a helping hand too.
    Be helpful in the neighbourhood and you’ll receive a lot of warmth in return!

Check out our available properties or take our quiz to find out if property guardianship with Dot Dot Dot is right for you.