Inexpensive FurnitureInexpensive Furniture: finding a good deal The great thing about inexpensive furniture is that it is, well, inexpensive. Notice I am not using the word cheap. Cheap implies badly made. But there is a lot of inexpensive furniture that is well made. A good piece of furniture that doesn't cost very much is a good deal. There are lots of places to find inexpensive furniture. Let's start with furniture stores that have sales several times a year. Unless you have a piece of furniture right now, you should wait until a store has a sale. Many people don't want to buy second-hand furniture and want their furniture new; that means buying furniture at the expensive end of the price spectrum. But you don't have to pay the full price if you wait for a sale. Some stores have sales during holidays, knowing people are off from work and therefore might be out shopping. These sales can be anywhere from 15% to 50% and usually everything in the store will be on sale. You get a much better deal usually at Discount furniture stores. These stores are full of "cast-off" furniture that other furniture stores could not sell. That does not mean the furniture is bad or cheap, it just means that the furniture didn't sell at the other stores or other locations. The furniture these stores have might be exactly what you are looking for, so don't think all the furniture at these stores is lousy looking or oddly shaped. The savings at these stores are considerable and I recommend you definitely visit a couple discount furniture stores to see if you find what you need. There are also on-line stores that offer huge discounts. I am not talking about a local furniture store that has a web-site. I am talking about on-line only stores. They offer significant discounts if you are comfortable with not touching or sitting on or opening/closing whatever furniture you are buying. The stores always offer you a picture, so you will certainly see the furniture you are purchasing. For me, the key to a good couch is comfort. I would never buy a couch on-line because I can't sit on the couch and see if it is comfortable. Second hand furniture stores offer inexpensive furniture, but it's inexpensive because it is used. None of the furniture in these stores is in bad shape. You won't find knobs missing off dressers or couches that sag when you sit on them. But the furniture has been used and therefore might be nicked up a bit. I bought a trundle bed for my daughter at a second hand furniture store and that worked out great = she loved it! One thing to consider when shopping a second hand store is that you might get more than you were hoping for = I went in to buy Katie a nice bed, but, because the price was right, I was able to get her a trundle bed (a pull out bed is under the main bed) so her friends had a bed to sleep on when they slept over. Katie really, really liked the trundle bed. If you are looking to just put some furniture in a room, like a room off the basement in case some of your son's buddies are spending the night (in other words, you don't need real good furniture, just serviceable furniture), you might try yard sales. Some people will sell their furniture at a yard sale. Most yard sale furniture is in pretty tough shape; don't plan on getting good furniture at a yard sale unless you get lucky. But yard sale furniture is very inexpensive = couches for $50, a queen size bed for $40, or a computer desk for $20. And I have bought each of those, for those prices, at yard sales recently. Good, inexpensive furniture is definitely available if you are willing to put in a little effort to find it. When purchasing furniture for a home or apartment, my many years of experience in the decorating business have taught me a very important lesson. Besides choosing pieces of furniture for comfort and style, inexpensive furniture is a good choice. The difference between inexpensive furniture and designer furniture is simply that it is mass produced, not less functional or less comfortable or is of less quality. It is just less expensive! To furnish your home with a chic look, use simple, inexpensive furniture from places like Rooms To Go or online discount furniture stores where you can get perfectly acceptable-looking roomfuls at affordable prices. Then you can spend money on significant pieces of art or antiques of beauty that will stand out and hold their value forever. For instance, no one will know or notice if you paid a small sum for the cocktail table when sitting on it is a drop-dead gorgeous piece of jade in the shape of a bird. You can purchase an entire seven-piece living room set at Rooms To Go for just over one thousand dollars, and for under thirteen hundred dollars this can include a sleeper sofa in the seven pieces. Queen-size bedroom packages of five pieces can be bought for under nine hundred dollars and five-piece dining room sets are available for under six hundred dollars. After purchasing the basics, you are then free, and probably more financially able, to go ahead and buy the items that the inexpensive furniture has allowed you. By this I mean, buy the Chinese wedding basket or the antique sideboard or the original oil painting. These are the things that will actually decorate your home and they will also hold their value and never go out of style. Whether you purchase the most high-end furniture or inexpensive furniture, no new furniture is an investment in the future. It will not hold its value, as do antiques or fine quality decorative items that should be the signature pieces in your home. Inexpensive furniture looks fine; it holds up well and can be quite stylish without breaking your budget. It can allow you to pick and choose the standout pieces that will never lose their value, and as a matter of fact will actually become more valuable over the years. Inexpensive furniture can also be replaced if you decide to choose a different style for your home in years to come. So, my advice is to buy the basics from inexpensive furniture stores, like Rooms To Go, or Kelley Furniture online which offers free shipping, or J. C. Penney who offers discounted furniture. Once you have chosen the major pieces for the rooms, you are ready to place the really important accent pieces that will make the decor come together and individualize your rooms. I advise people to use neutral colors in both furniture and walls so that the hues of the room will be picked up by the rugs, pillows, curtains, etc. These things can be easily replaced to change the look of the room without a huge expenditure or having to replace the furniture. Those of us on a budget are always pleased to find inexpensive furniture that is also attractive and stylish. This furniture can be found everywhere from estate and yard sales, major furniture retailers like IKEA and Eurway, discount furniture outlets, big box retailers, to online resources such as eBay and craigslist. If you're even a little bit handy, you can save a whole lot of money by restoring or even building your own furniture. A new coat of paint, can give an old piece of furniture you have a new look while spending next to nothing. You can make a great looking bed by putting foam on top of wood panels with spray glue and covering that with fabric that complements your bed linens. Then mount it on the wall above the bed, creating the look of an expensive custom headboard without having to spend hundreds of dollars on it. An ottoman can be brought back to life with a colorful slipcover and used as a coffee table - just put an inexpensive tray on top for stability and style. Simple bookshelves from the local discount store can become a storage solution for not just books, but dishes, kitchen equipment, or your media collection. With a little bit of imagination and originality, you can furnish all the rooms in your home for very little money. You want affordable and quality furniture that is not too expensive. Most Americans dream of owning beautiful furniture that they did not have to spend an arm and a leg on. If you have a little time on your hands, it is possible to build your own furniture using household objects. You can use blocks of wood to build wall shelves. Just use paint to make them into your favorite colors. You can also pick up some used file cabinets and use it as a nightstand, dresser, or a desk. You can find plenty of materials from the hardware store to make your own beds, desks, and other furniture. If that doesn't appeal to you, you can find inexpensive furniture in many places. For instance Craigslist has used furniture at inexpensive prices. Some furniture you can even find for free. It is used, so be sure you like what you see in the pictures before you buy it. Ikea is also a great place to find inexpensive sweedish furniture. They have comfortable beds and couches. They have furniture for your bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen, and even your garage. There are many more websites you can find inexpensive furniture from. However, if you do not want to buy furniture online, there are many options available. There are many discount furniture shops around. Look around for them in your area. |