Need a table? A couch? If you have gone furniture shopping lately, you know just how much the price tag on home furnishings has gone up in the last few years.  Even on a tight budget you can furnish your house fairly inexpensively.  To be quite honest I have found more quality products used than brand new in the last few years. Part of this is because older furnishings can be made better.

Freecycle – I don’t know how many items I have gotten free on Freecycle. Sometimes they need a little fixing up but many times they are perfect the way they are.  I have gotten a few entertainment centers that way. As I needed a different size I have passed the old on to someone else. No knobs on the door? Home Depot  or Lowes has them fairly inexpensively. No glass in the door? Get some pretty fabric remnants to match your decor and tack it to the inside or get some plexiglass cut to size at Home Depot or Lowes. Just yesterday it so happened that there were two items I have been looking for and was able to get through Freecycle – a nice table that has shallow drawers and is brimming with character and an outdoor table. The  outside table is in good shape – just needs the rust sanded down and a can of spray paint taken to it.  Do I stick to plain old white or go bold? Hmmmm…

Family and friends – get the word out on what you are looking for. Swap for something they need, give a little money or maybe they just give it to you. I was headed to Freecycle to ask for a bread machine one time.  I posted it to my Facebook friends first and wouldn’t you know, a friend had one. I was willing to pay for it but she didn’t let me. (Thank you!)  My sister and brother-in-law were given a table and gave us their old – good but not the one they needed most- one.

Consignment/Thrift stores/yard sales – there are so many treasures to be found in these stores. You just have to be patient and hunt them down. If you get used furniture, pull up the cushions to make sure there is no animal hair stuck in the edges which is a tell-tale sign of pets and if it was in a smoking home you can tell by being near it – trust me! It doesn’t have to be your favorite color either! If it is the perfect style or comfortable, buy a couch cover for it.  You still get out WAY cheaper than brand new.  Rent a steam cleaner available at many stores and give it a good clean. I also let furniture sit out on my covered porch a few days to air out.

Trash picking – haha. Yeah really. Don’t tell my husband but we only do that if he is with me and can be the one to get it off the side of the road. We have only done this  once or twice and it wasn’t anything with cloth. 

Craigslist – I haven’t done this one

What have I gotten through Freecycle/thrifting/sales/friends and family?

2 entertainment centers – passed one to my brother – FREE and $25 for an oak one
2 arm chairs – FREE and $35
1 set kitchen chairs – FREE
2 kitchen tables – one bit the dust – FREE
1 kids’ table and 2 chairs – FREE
3 bookshelves – FREE (separate places and times)
1 bread maker – FREE
1 bed frame – FREE
1 bunk bed set – FREE
4 dressers – FREE, and $25 for one
2 couches – FREE
1 air hockey table – FREE
1 breakfast table and 4 chairs – $35
3 tvs – FREE, plus I won one when I was in highschool
1 ginormous unframed mirror (4 ft. x 7 ft.) – FREE
8 Hotwheel track sets – FREE
2 strollers – FREE
bikes and a scooter (kids’ sale) – $20.50
1 outdoor picnicky table – FREE
1 office chair – $2
Stereo – promotion through husband’s work – chose something useful
Digital camera – same as above

The list could probably go on but you get it.  

Notice that mattresses are NOT on that list. There are some things “you” (I) just don’t buy used.

You know what makes me the most proud? My kids! They are getting it. They are so use to the tight budget we utilize and how we debate and rationalize whether a purchase is worth it that they will exclaim over things that seem pricey to them. Some of them are laughable but it is still cool to see the wasy they attach value in dollar signs to things. Trust me, they still get to spend money on toys etc. sometimes. They are just learning how to be smarter about it.  My hope is they retain the lessons we are teaching.

So what are some amazing deals you have gotten? Smart ways to shop? Creative ways to get what you want without killing your budget?