As I mentioned in a recent post, I decided to move out of home recently and am renting from a friend who recently purchased his own place in an area that I wanted to live. I am getting the room incredibly cheap and it includes all utilities and internet.
However after paying my rent a month in advance, I then had to buy furniture. I just had to buy furniture for my room so I did not think it would cost that much money.
Here is what I did and how you can also save money when furnishing a new house or room.
1. Identify what you need upfront and what you can stagger
You do not need to buy absolutely everything you need at the start. For me I really only needed a bed at the start and everything else I could stagger over a few months. I did make a list of everything I needed though in case the opportunity arose to buy them for a decent price.
2. Work out what you already own that you can recycle
The room I was moving into did not have air conditioning and I really can't handle particularly hot days. I was going to go buy a pedestal fan from the local store however found a really old, dusty and grimy one lying in my dad's shed that he said he was never going to use and that I should just throw out.
A bit of elbow grease, some mineral terps and an hour later I had saved some money as well as having the satisfaction of having saved the environment from one more piece of unused electronic equipment.
3. Work out what you can buy from charity stores
Now there is no way known that I would buy something like a bed or a mattress from a charity store however I have been hunting for a leather waste paper basket for my room. It doesn't take me long - every time I pass one I pop inside to see what they have. I have not yet found one that I like but you have the dual advantages of donating to charity and getting what you want for cheap. This can also apply to bedside tables and other small furniture items.
4. Your bed is likely to be the biggest expense in your room: find a cheap online store to buy it from
I could not believe how much beds and mattresses cost from regular stores. The prices were truly staggering. I had almost resigned myself to buying one of those overpriced pieces of furniture (my mattress is NOT something that I would ever compromise on - I'm just too fussy) when someone referred me to this great online store - Tommy Swiss.
Their prices were stunning and their products were great. I bought a double bed and a double mattress for a combined total cost that was less than
$600. The build quality is really good on the bed (note that you need to assemble it) and the mattress is surprisingly good given that it cost less than $300. If you want a cheap mattress that actually feels good (I've been sleeping on it for over a month now) then you can't go beyond this place.
I didn't order any of their other furniture but cannot recommend these guys highly enough for a bed and mattress.
5. IKEA can be overpriced for what it is but there are some great deals for decent quality stuff...
I am not an IKEA fanboy. In fact I think most of their products are over priced and over rated. I went there looking for ideas (which I could then pick up from online or charity stores) but I found some really good shelving units as well as a bed side table and desk that all fit perfectly into my room.
If you shop at IKEA you need to make sure that you do not pay too much (know your prices) and also that you check the quality. I got a big shelving unit (for my cupboard), a bedside table and a small desk for a combined cost of ~$200. The quality was decent but not amazing and I was pretty happy with it.
If you have any suggestions...
Then please post them below. A lot of people get sucked into buying over-priced stuff when they really could furnish their rooms and houses for cheaper especially if they are looking to do so on a tight budget.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Should I move out of home?
Should I rent or buy?
Donating to charity - save tax and benefit society at the same time
Personal Development: All Posts
However after paying my rent a month in advance, I then had to buy furniture. I just had to buy furniture for my room so I did not think it would cost that much money.
I went online to check out all those furniture stores that advertise on TV all the time and was amazed at how much furniture actually costs.I wanted decent quality stuff but was definitely not happy paying the prices that they were asking for so I decided to try and get everything that I wanted, including the quality that I wanted, for a reasonably cheap price.
Here is what I did and how you can also save money when furnishing a new house or room.
1. Identify what you need upfront and what you can stagger
You do not need to buy absolutely everything you need at the start. For me I really only needed a bed at the start and everything else I could stagger over a few months. I did make a list of everything I needed though in case the opportunity arose to buy them for a decent price.
2. Work out what you already own that you can recycle
The room I was moving into did not have air conditioning and I really can't handle particularly hot days. I was going to go buy a pedestal fan from the local store however found a really old, dusty and grimy one lying in my dad's shed that he said he was never going to use and that I should just throw out.
A bit of elbow grease, some mineral terps and an hour later I had saved some money as well as having the satisfaction of having saved the environment from one more piece of unused electronic equipment.
3. Work out what you can buy from charity stores
Now there is no way known that I would buy something like a bed or a mattress from a charity store however I have been hunting for a leather waste paper basket for my room. It doesn't take me long - every time I pass one I pop inside to see what they have. I have not yet found one that I like but you have the dual advantages of donating to charity and getting what you want for cheap. This can also apply to bedside tables and other small furniture items.
4. Your bed is likely to be the biggest expense in your room: find a cheap online store to buy it from
I could not believe how much beds and mattresses cost from regular stores. The prices were truly staggering. I had almost resigned myself to buying one of those overpriced pieces of furniture (my mattress is NOT something that I would ever compromise on - I'm just too fussy) when someone referred me to this great online store - Tommy Swiss.
Their prices were stunning and their products were great. I bought a double bed and a double mattress for a combined total cost that was less than
$600. The build quality is really good on the bed (note that you need to assemble it) and the mattress is surprisingly good given that it cost less than $300. If you want a cheap mattress that actually feels good (I've been sleeping on it for over a month now) then you can't go beyond this place.
I didn't order any of their other furniture but cannot recommend these guys highly enough for a bed and mattress.
5. IKEA can be overpriced for what it is but there are some great deals for decent quality stuff...
I am not an IKEA fanboy. In fact I think most of their products are over priced and over rated. I went there looking for ideas (which I could then pick up from online or charity stores) but I found some really good shelving units as well as a bed side table and desk that all fit perfectly into my room.
If you shop at IKEA you need to make sure that you do not pay too much (know your prices) and also that you check the quality. I got a big shelving unit (for my cupboard), a bedside table and a small desk for a combined cost of ~$200. The quality was decent but not amazing and I was pretty happy with it.
If you have any suggestions...
Then please post them below. A lot of people get sucked into buying over-priced stuff when they really could furnish their rooms and houses for cheaper especially if they are looking to do so on a tight budget.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Should I move out of home?
Should I rent or buy?
Donating to charity - save tax and benefit society at the same time
Personal Development: All Posts
It is a well executed post. I like the idea of making budget of furniture most. It is a helpful informative post. Thanks for sharing this great information. furniture store
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