Buying Furniture on a Budget
A home is simply not a home without great furniture. Everyone needs a place to eat, a place to sit, and a place to store their
belongings. Unfortunately, buying furniture can be an expensive task. If you are moving into your first apartment or house or are simply moving into a large space, you may suddenly need to buy a lot of furniture all at once, adding to the cost of moving. Luckily, furniture shopping can be done on a budget, as long as you have a little patience and know where to look.
Before you begin shopping, make a list of all the furniture you need. Make another list of all the furniture you want. Determine how much money you can spend in total and on each individual item. Then begin planning a shopping strategy.
There are two basic options for buying inexpensive furniture: you can buy cheap new furniture or you can buy used furniture. Cheap new furniture usually needs to be assembled after furniture. Therefore, the quality of the furniture is largely dependent upon the skill of the buyer. Additionally, cheap furniture is usually, well, cheap. It is not made out of high quality wood, and it may even consist of plywood. This type of furniture also tends to lack decorative detail. So, while cheap new furniture may be a convenient way to quickly furnish your home, you may not be able to achieve a long lasting style this way.
Buying used furniture is a great option. When people redecorate or Spring clean, they sometimes get rid of perfectly good furniture. People who are moving are also often in a hurry to get rid of their furniture and may even give it away for free to anyone who is willing to pick it up. If you are willing to put in a little time and effort, you can furnish your home with used items for next to nothing.
Used furniture can be found in a number of different places, including thrift stores, garage sales, and classifieds. Thrift stores and garage sales are great because you can inspect a number of different items at one time. Thrift stores also have the benefit of having a constant, reliable supply of furniture. Garage sales are a more viable option during the summer, when such sales are common and you can hit more than one at a time. Classifieds allow you to look for furniture without leaving your house, and this is appealing. Online classifieds, such as Craigslist.org, even have pictures sometimes. Be sure to check classifieds often and respond quickly; good deals will disappear quickly. Also mention your need of furniture to your friends and family; they might have some items that they were planning on getting rid of.
Some used furniture is high quality and has few signs of wear and tear. It is possible to find some absolutely amazing deals. However, some used furniture is poor quality and extremely worn; you need to inspect the furniture to make sure that it is worth taking home. Plan to spend some time looking for great deals on beautifully crafted, solid wood furniture rather than just grabbing the first inexpensive item you see.
There are certain items that you may not want to buy used. Sofas, mattresses, and other cloth items might seem a little less than sanitary when purchased used. Also, cloth furniture can suffer a lot of damage, so used items are not likely to last very long. If you do decide to buy these items used, check for tears and stains. Also consider getting a used sofa reupholstered.
If you decide to buy sofas and mattresses new, shop around for the best price. Furniture stores have sales very frequently, usually around holidays. Also look into payment plan options; you may be able to spread the payments out of several months.
The key to buying furniture on a budget is to use all your options. Shop around, peruse the classifieds, and keep your eyes open for garage sales. Plan to spend a month or two looking for the perfect items.
