So, you have your list, and now you need to start buying! Where are the best places to get your furniture on a budget?
Friends and family – people you know will often have items they are throwing away. Some you won’t want, and you will have to be pretty specific. But, if you have decided you need a square dining table, and someone has one – perfect! Sofas are more personal, of course. Beds – if they have a bedframe that you like, it will save you money and you can put the money towards a better mattress.
Charity shops – bear with me!! Some charity shops have great furniture donated to them. You can pick up wooden tables and chairs for next to nothing, and upcycle them, if required. If you are an arty person, upcycling is the way to go for budget furniture. Frenchic paint is great for smartening up pretty much anything.
Facebook Marketplace – cheaper and easier than Ebay. Everyone is always buying new things, and nowadays few people can be bothered to sell anything for even anywhere near the money they paid. You can often pick up really good quality furniture for a quarter of what its actually worth. Ask them to deliver for a few pounds, many people will. The beauty of Facebook Marketplace is that you can usually pop round and view it. If it’s the wrong colour, just say so and apologise for wasting their time. This way, you can check the cleanliness too!
High street stores – you can definitely buy your furniture on a budget from actual shops, brand new. Just make sure you know what you want, and do your research. Very often the same product can be on sale in several different places at different costs. You could decide that a sofa is the item you want to spend the most money on – that’s great! Save for it every month by budgeting your other spends; and then save money on the rest of the list of furniture by doing some of the above tips. Lots of large furniture retailers offer interest free credit. I would suggest that if you know you can afford the monthly payment, this is a good thing. If you do that for every single item, though, a £25 monthly payment can often turn into £500 monthly outgoings! So, only choose one item and don’t put anything else on interest free credit till that’s paid off.