Can you give me advice for buying furniture for the first time?
by
Stephenbravo
+1
My fiance and I recently graduated college with no debt. We're moving to the west coast next month to start work.My employer is putting us in temporary housing for two weeks upon our arrival. During this time we plan on vigorously apartment hunting, signing a lease as soon as possible, and then furnishing the apartment with the basics while we can still live in temp housing. That being said, neither of us have ever had to furnish an apartment completely from scratch before.I'm not comfortable using Craigslist in a brand new neighborhood and we don't have any friends/family in the area that we could inherit from, so we plan on buying new. That being said:What are things to look for when buying new furniture?What's the best way to pay for it?Any scams/pitfalls to be wary of?Which furniture stores are the best bang for their buck?Besides the bed, which pieces of furniture are most essential?Which pieces of furniture should we not be cheap about?Thanks for your insight PF. Not sure where else I could ask these questions.Edit: I'm not looking for people to tell me to buy from Craigslist instead, I'm looking for advice when buying new furniture. We're not looking for furniture that is going to last us for the rest of our lives at this because we'll outgrow it eventually.
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
We are big Dave Ramsey fans, so great job on no debt! We followed his recommendation for asking about an additional discount when paying for furniture with cash. Basically, if you're not financing the furniture, there's a chance they'll give you 10% off or so. We have also used this same ask at Lowe's when buying appliances, and we usually get another 10% off. It never hurts to ask! And though it's not heirloom quality, IKEA does have a good selection of furniture that has held up well for us over the years. Good luck!
Hi ! The number one thing not to scrimp on is a good mattress !!! Sleeping on a cheap mattress will lead to not getting a good night's sleep and a bad back , buy quality in this area . Start with basics like sofa , some shelves...If you have a counter that you can eat at just get some bar stools and skip a dining table , unless you plan on entertaining a lot . You can even skip dressers if you have decent sized closets , not to put a shelf unit in there in stead of having a dresser . Ikea has inexpensive furniture , just know it won't last forever . I prefer to buy pieces I like that will go together over a set , you can express your personality better ! Also don't waste your money on settling for something , make sure you like it !
Here are some furniture buying tips that I hope will help you! I would only purchase the basics to begin with and then fill in over time. If you can pay cash for the basics that is the best way rather than have credit card debt hanging over your head. That said, some furniture stores have a credit line that will offer no interest for a certain amount of time. If you know that you can pay for the furniture in that amount of time go for it--but be aware that if you don't pay for the furniture in the time alloted you will be charged ALL of the interest for the time period.
https://www.thespruce.com/guide-to-buying-furniture-1391267
https://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/furniture-guide/furniture-shopping-guidelines-to-shop-intelligently
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/12-tips-for-buying-high-quality-low-priced-furniture
You need a table and chairs pots dishes sheets couch coffee table but that you could do with out try Salvation Army or if you have a savers or tag sales