Furnishing an Apartment on a Budget?

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

Hey guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone here had experience furnishing an apartment on a budget. August will be the first time I'll live in an apartment with furniture of my own, so I'm trying to think where I can find a cheap bed and mattress, table, chair, and maybe a couch. I'm thinking of flea markets/used goods stores, Craigslist and Facebook marketplace but I was wondering if anybody here had experience getting affordable furniture somewhere else.

Thanks!

[orange turtle]

1 hour ago, Carly Rae Jepsen said:

... I'm trying to think where I can find a cheap bed and mattress...

I know money is a problem (it is for me, too!) but want to say if at all possible, consider buying a good mattress (and if possible, new). You don't need a bed, really. If u want it raised, get a cheap bottom frame.

A good mattress has been my life saver. Grad school is tiring and you don't want to come home and go to a crappy bed.

If you are really on a budget, buy a used mattress and buy a good mattress topper.

Your body (and mind!) will thank you.

P.s., look and see if your school has a student forum to sell, buy, and / or trade stuff. Mine has a forum that allows students to post stuff (like housing request).

[MarineBluePsy]

If you buy used furniture I recommend paying to have it steam cleaned.  Around holidays stores always have sales on large items and generally have payment plans (credit requirements will vary) so keep your eyes peeled for those.  Sites like freecycle are also good ways to find items, but you need to pick them up.  Also there's no shame in telling loved ones that you need things and are on a tight budget.  They may not be able to do much, but even a small thing would be helpful. 

[moar_skool]

My first two years, I managed to rent places that were already furnished. It's not the cleanest or most ideal situation but it does save some money--especially if you're not sure how long you're staying in the area.

Since then, I've pretty much furnished my entire living space off of Facebook selling pages. The city I live in has specific selling pages for neighborhoods (not just the general marketplace option) so my boyfriend and I followed a whole bunch of those pages and collected furniture over time. Our best deals came from the wealthier neighborhood pages where people were just trying to move out quick and didn't care about the money as long as you could pick it up that day.

As mentioned above, you could also ask friends & family. My family doesn't live close so that wasn't an option for me, but it's a great resource if yours do!

[rising_star]

I would not go cheap on the mattress. In theory, you spend a third of your life in bed. Having a comfortable mattress which doesn't leave you in pain is a crucial investment in your success as a graduate student. My advice is not to look at the brands or names or whatever (google all the BS around mattress marketing to understand why) and instead give them a test in the store. Lay on each one you find somewhat comfortable for at least 10 minutes and in the positions you normally sleep in. If it isn't 100% comfortable, move on and try another. When you find one or two you love, then compare price and pick the affordable one. But, do NOT go cheap on the mattress.

[E-P]

If you get soft furniture (couches, chairs, bedding, etc.) second-hand (either online or from a store), be sure to find out why they're getting rid of it, AND check it for bed bugs.  I've head of people getting used furniture that either came from a bedbug-laden home itself, or was stored near someone else's and got infested.  So you can certainly do it (I got both of my couches used), but it's better to check the nooks and crannies than be sorry.

[orange turtle]

2 hours ago, rising_star said:

I would not go cheap on the mattress. In theory, you spend a third of your life in bed. Having a comfortable mattress which doesn't leave you in pain is a crucial investment in your success as a graduate student. My advice is not to look at the brands or names or whatever (google all the BS around mattress marketing to understand why) and instead give them a test in the store. Lay on each one you find somewhat comfortable for at least 10 minutes and in the positions you normally sleep in. If it isn't 100% comfortable, move on and try another. When you find one or two you love, then compare price and pick the affordable one. But, do NOT go cheap on the mattress.

Yep!!!

I knew I found the mattress I wanted when I got into one of the stores and while trying out one particular bed, I actually fell asleep in the middle of all these people. Bought it on the spot. 

Also, try and look for a store that has an exchange policy. Some stores allow you to exchange (within 30 days or something) if you find you don't like it as much as you thought.

But, yeah, wouldn't go with a cheap mattress if at all possible.

[lemma]

Is there an Ikea near you? We got a lot of our stuff there (even random stuff like a teapot), and got the remainder for a discount furniture chain. 

We wanted to buy second hand stuff, but the problem was that the demand for stuff posted on craigslist and so on was too high... and we would send so many messages but not actually get anything. We were seriously running out of time.

If you buy from chain stores like Ikea, be aware that they take weeks to deliver sometimes, so you have to plan ahead. You can survive without a bedframe for a few weeks if you have a mattress. 

I would also get a fridge and a microwave ASAP so you don't spend money eating out when you first move in. 

[bibliophile222]

A few years ago I happened upon Goodwill when they were having a 50% off sale on furniture. I got a kitchen table, coffee table, and TV cabinet for about 40 bucks. 

[iwearflowers]

I got a memory foam mattress on Amazon that feels much more expensive than it actually was. I've had it around 3 years, and it's held up very well. It's one that comes vacuum packed and rolled up into a relatively small box. It's called the Signature Sleep Memoir 12-Inch Memory Foam Mattress and is currently listed at $219 for a full. You can also get pretty cute sofas online for reasonable that are delivered flat-packed and require simple assembly. Everyone suggests Ikea, but you can also look at Amazon, Wayfair, Overstock, and Walmart. 

When I furnished my first apartment, I bought the aforementioned mattress, a sofa from Walmart, and a couple of rugs. Everything else (bookshelves, side tables, bed frame, desk and chair) I got from Craigslist. Some of it was free, and the rest was priced pretty cheap.

I have bad allergies, so I was concerned about buying anything soft used. (I was also super paranoid about bed bugs.) I also moved in with just a mattress and folding chair and took my time to find the rest of the furnishings, which meant I was able to wait until I found the best deal. Don't feel pressured to have your place in perfect shape within a few days of moving. It's an adventure!

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

Thank you so much everybody for the advice. I was thinking of maybe asking my parents for one of their mattresses (all my siblings but one are off to college so they have a few) but now that I think about it, I should look into one that's decent, even if it's not super cheap.

I'll be on the lookout for furniture at the places y'all suggested (and will definitely look out for bed bugs or similar).

My place will have a stove and fridge fortunately, but a microwave is a must!

[PsychedSloth]

You could also consider furnishing companies like Cort.

[gnossienne n.3]

This depends on when you're moving, but very frequently there's an office in charge of offloading the stuff left behind by students from the previous year. My undergrad college held a few garage-type sales in the summer, and that was mostly stuff left by undergrads living in dorms. You can reach out to the graduate school and find out if there's something similar, or if they can put you in touch with people looking to get rid of their belongings before they move away. It's a good way to pick up things like microwaves, desks, lamps, etc. for cheap.

[juilletmercredi]

Mattress: I would STRONGLY suggest getting a new one, not used. You can get inexpensive but good new mattresses at Macy's and Sears. I highly recommend Sears; my husband and I got a great, comfortable queen-sized mattress + boxspring from them for ~$700. We still have it in our guest room! They do have cheaper models, but they tend to be more uncomfortable. (My first mattress + boxspring set was $250 from a mattress store in Manhattan; I think I lasted about 6 months before I broke down and bought a new one. I could feel the springs!)

Bed frame: I bought a metal bed frame from Amazon for $30. (I didn't want my mattress and boxspring on the floor. They last longer in a frame.)

I too thought about asking my parents to give me my old bedroom furniture including mattress, but when I looked into it it was cheaper for me to buy new stuff than it was for them to ship it to me (they are in Atlanta and I was in New York).

Other stuff: Mix of IKEA, Target, Wayfair, and Walmart. Target and Wayfair both have things that look nicer and quite frankly are sometimes better quality than IKEA and Walmart.

I would also recommend getting a new couch (bedbugs can live there, too) and you can get an inexpensive one from IKEA or Wayfair. Target sells nice accent chairs.

IKEAs in cities often contract with local delivery companies to get the delivery to you faster, but only if you order in person. So yeah, if you order online it may take weeks via UPS; if you go in person, often they will have same-day or next-day delivery for MUCH cheaper.

[PokePsych]

I'm an IKEA girl - minimalistic style is my thing. Maybe a Northern European thing as all I have done is lived in houses furnished with IKEA so they make me feel right at home (some houses here are even designed to fit IKEA well - no joke I got this from an architect in Oslo, Norway). I usually just get the bare minimum I need (bed, desk, something to hang my clothes) and then start collecting 'clutter' and other things just online on sale groups and craigslist. And IKEA does delivery - I'm lazy and I don't drive lol. 

But yeah - usually when people move out a lot more stuff will become available for a good price. I plan on waiting till the next year to get more 'things' that I may want

[Norse_Medievalist]

IKEA is a life saver. Especially for inexpensive bookshelves, tables, etc. I've also had to use a Habitat for Humanity Restore before. Good for tables. Chairs. Bed frames. TV stands. Dressers. All pretty cheap. Some of the stuff there isn't great but some of it is amazing. I got matching coffee tables for 20 bucks during a sale. Then got this huge solid wood entertainment cabinet for forty. It had the plugs in the back and everything.

Mattresses you want new. It's expensive but worth it. I typically try to get mattresses when sales are going on. Cheaper bed frames can come from anywhere. Amazon, Target, IKEA, etc.

[bibliophile222]

On 4/14/2018 at 8:57 AM, bibliophile222 said:

A few years ago I happened upon Goodwill when they were having a 50% off sale on furniture. I got a kitchen table, coffee table, and TV cabinet for about 40 bucks. 

I have another plug for Goodwill: I got a dresser from them a couple months ago for $25.

[p287]

I got a very cheap memory foam mattress on Amazon that is the best mattress I've ever had: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005A4ONQI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It comes rolled up and needs 1-2 days to fill out after you open it, so plan accordingly.

For other furniture, I had some luck with Ikea. I got a large desk + chair for under $100, brand new. We purchased our couch from a furniture liquidation store and have been happy with it. Target is also good for some stuff, especially linens.