5 ways to buy nice furniture on a budget

Whether it’s an upgrade here and there or a full-on brand new apartment or house you’re looking to furnish, buying new furniture can be a daunting (and expensive) task. With so many shopping options available these days, it can be easy to get sucked into a spending hole — but you don’t have to. Check out some of these suggestions for smart and easy ways to save some cash and still furnish your new abode exactly as you envision.

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5 ways to buy furniture on the cheap

1. Buy used

We all know Craigslist and eBay as old standbys for finding used goods, but those aren’t your only options. AptDeco, for example, handles pick up and delivery of buying and selling used furniture, andKrrb helps locals find gently used items near them, while Chairish offers pieces that design-lovers will go crazy for. (Note that the hard-to-find goods at Chairish are a bit more expensive than what you’d find on some of the other places mentioned, but they’re definitely cheaper than you’d find in an actual antique store.) Also consider yard and estate sales for pieces.

2. Shop at the right time

If you have enough stuff to hold you over for a short time, consider holding off on buying new furniture until you can time it with spectacular sales. The holidays obviously offer savings opportunities (think of outside-the-box holidays, as well, like Memorial and Independence Day), but since new furniture designs tend to debut in the spring, experts recommend February as a good time to go furniture shopping, as store owners try to clear out their showrooms to make room for the new products.

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3. Be smart about using cards

While we’d never advocate for frivolous spending on credit cards (in fact, check out this piece about why store credit cards tend to be the worst), if you’re smart about it, opening a store card to purchase all of your furniture at once and receiving a big ole’ discount is actually a great idea, as long as you can pay off your card immediately and not use it again. (Bonus points if you can combine using a store credit card discount with a big sale.)

4. Think simple

If you can stand it, consider going for smaller, more neutral large items (like chairs and couches), since these tend to cost less, and use additional accessories (like artwork, throw pillows and lamps) to spice up the overall look with accent colors.

5. Never purchase without haggling

Even if asking for a discount isn’t your favorite thing, consider the fact that brushing up on your haggling skills could save you tons of cash, depending on how much furniture you’ll be buying. If you’re buying multiple items, ask if there’s a discount for that. Ask if there’s wiggle room with the delivery fee or if the price that’s listed is the absolute lowest they can go. Even if you love the piece and will buy it no matter what, at least you’ll have done your due diligence in trying to get the piece for less.

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