Home Furnishings on a Tight Budget

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?

  
 

 

 

Snow! Gah! Think spring-think about bikes for the kids! (or other larger items)

I can’t believe we actually have snow & ice here today in southeastern PA. I am sooooo sick of it.

A few weeks ago, I posted a deal I found on a new bike for Brian. He just turned two a few weeks ago and we got him a brand new bike. Guess how much it cost? It was free! Yessirrreeee, it was. It’s this one:

I purchased it with Pampers points and it was shipped right to my door. The irony being that for most of the Pampers, I didn’t pay for them either!

But, spring is here and there probably isn’t enough time to accumulate enough points for a free bike this year. Still there are other affordable options.

Toys R Us: Through this weekend, Toys R Us is having a bike trade in. Through Saturday, March 26, but you can take in a bike to trade in toward a new one. Save $20 on any bike priced $99.99 or below; save $30 on a bike from $99.99-$149.99; or save $50 on a bike $150 or more. Trade in a helmet to receive 25% off a new helmet, too. Details here. I wish I had heard about this before we bought the helmet, I would have traded in mine since I sold my own bike.

Goodwill: Sure, there can be some less than desirable merchandise there, but sometimes there are some great finds at Goodwill. It certainly doesn’t hurt to look. I recently went to the one on Concord Pike in Wilmington and found brand new, unopened packs of Pampers/Splashers swim diapers, for $3!

Freecycle: This is a great site where people list things they are giving away. You have to join a group to see what’s listed there, but there are over 8 million Freecyclers across the nation. They would rather give something away than throw it away. And if nothing else, you’re sure to be entertained as there are some odd posts on Freecycle. If you really were in a wheeling & dealing kind of mood, get a free bike from someone on Freecycle and trade it in at Toys R Us.

Craigslist: I have a love/hate relationship with craigslist. I found a great toddler bed on there at a great price as well as our double stroller. I also did well with selling our old stroller. But you have to weed through a ton of nonsense to get there. People don’t answer emails, they back out at the last minute, don’t show up…..sometimes saving money is hard work! 

Ask around! If you have an older child-ask their friends, cousins, nieces, nephews or someone else who is otherwise active with older school children…ask! “Hey, by any chance do you any bikes that you don’t want anymore?” That’s exactly how I got rid of our high chair and pack & play–someone just asked me if I knew anyone selling them. I said, “Sure, Me!” and the deal was done.

Except for the bike deal at Toys R Us, any of these options would be good for any larger outdoor toy, like the infamous cozy coupe, kid sized picnic tables, scooters and more.