Furnishing an Apartment... IKEA? Amazon? Somewhere Else?

[SDSorority]

Hi all! We are furnishing a year-long rental townhome. We aren't going to be in this place for longer than that as it's looking right now, so we don't need SUPER high quality things. We are literally looking for just the basics- bed/mattress, 2 desks with chairs, kitchen table and chairs, sofa, tv stand/small tv. Any suggestions as to where to find this type of stuff on a budget?

 

[Alesia]

Consignment shops

 

[kymom99]

wayfair. Free delivery.

 

[Artygal90]

IKEA is an affordable, easy one-stop shop, if you have one close-ish to you. All of the furniture I've ever gotten from there, while not heirloom quality, is pretty durable. If your store is more than an hour or two away it will turn into a big headache if you forget a flat-pack box at the warehouse! If you are okay with putting in some legwork and taking longer to get everything, you can usually find gently used IKEA furniture on Craigslist for about half off or so, pre-assembled.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Try cort furniture rental, we got returns for a great price... or they offer 3 rooms 1500... queen bedroom set and mattress, livingroom and kitchen tv included. Go to there website.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

100% Facebook Market Place and Craiglist

 

[barkley]

FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, RELATIVES.....

i don't know a single person who doesn't have household furnishings, appliances and the like that they would KILL to have someone offer to pickup and take off their hands.

it never fails-i go to a get together and someone talks of having to put out $$$ to furnish a vacation place, college apartment...and there's an out-cry of 'o.m.g. i wish you had told me i would have given you.......'

EMBRACE THE DECLUTTERING TREND-let people know and they will be thrilled to get rid of stuff.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I always find ikea oddly expensive. Costco had the best prices on mattresses that I could find when I was looking. Walmart at times has cheap furniture that would fit the bill- end tables and such.

Garage sales and 2nd hand stores are great, but I wouldn’t get a bed or mattress from there. Also if you go that way, make sure to check for bed bugs, you’d be surprised what they can cling to... you don’t want that in your home.

I’m not sure if you have Jysk in the States? They have some good deals too. Or try target maybe?

 

[TCRAIG]

Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity stores - except for the mattress! That I would buy new.

 

[pklein09]

I would buy soft goods new, i.e. mattress/boxspring and upholstered furniture. Anything that can be easily cleaned, i.e. case goods, I would buy used at thrift stores, consignment shops, yard sales, etc. I'm an auction girl, but it sounds like you can't wait for a good auction to come along. My house is mostly auction finds with the exception of my sofas, upholstered chairs, and mattresses.

Best of luck and happy shopping!

 

[Hikergirl]

Big Lots

 

[barkley]

the college dorm ads are already starting to come out so you might check out bed, bath and beyond-if you sign up for their emails you will likely in the near future get the 20% off entire purchase coupon. they are a good source for desk chairs and smaller furniture. walmart tends to get college apartment stuff in july and august-inexpensive furniture and deals on small tv's. if your rental is anywhere near any colleges call the local furniture stores and ask when their mattress sales will be (ours have slamming deals when each new quarter starts on the less expensive mattresses b/c of the students who want to swap out the ones the dorms provide).

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yard sales!!

 

[jen73]

if you have nextdoor.com that is a great place to look. We have been looking for apartment items for our sons in the fall and we have bought decently inexpensive items.

 

[amcnj]

One relative furnished a one bedroom apartment from Ikea. I think the total was around $3200. Queen mattress and frame, chest of drawers, night stand, computer table, tv table unit with glass shelves, sofa bed, two end tables, kitchen table and four kitchen chairs. I think I remembered everything. Other items (floor lamps, glasses, dishes, silverware, small appliances, brooms, mops, vacuum, fans) were all from Walmart for another $250-300. They are still using the items almost three years later. It sounds like you are looking for one year of use only, and then disposing of them?

Another purchased some long term items from Habitat for Humanity stores. Things were very reasonable, but of course you have no control over what items they might have at the time you need them.

 

[LovesTimone]

Check - the warehouse stores for mattresses, and bed frame... I would buy something comfortable... Sleeping comfortably is really important for daily life.

Look for estate sales... Our friends furnish their vacation rental houses with stuff from estate sales, all the time.... She just bought a living room set - couch ( pull out bed style), love seat, and 2 chairs for 600.00 they are name brand, super heavy and look like no-one every sat on them ...and were in the formal living room that no-one ever used. Last week she bought a table and 8 chairs, and a buffet... all matching for 200.00 again name brand, like new...She constantly buy dishes, glasses, small appliances at these sales... they have a warehouse were she store all this stuff, so they have it when they need it...

Thrift stores, Garage Sales, for small items... lamps, end tables,

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Couch, mattress and bedding would all have to be brand new to avoid bed bugs. Other than that go to flea markets and garage/estate sales

 

[JasonMouse]

Ikea has lowered their shipping rate, so it's now a good deal to get shipped large items you can't fit in your car. Surprisingly Walmart and Target have decent items like lamps and small furniture.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Use Facebook Yard Sale sites. I sold a set of lamps this weekend. When the man came to get them, he told me that he and his wife were from out of town and were helping their young adult son get settled in an apartment and his wife was buying everything he needed off Facebook Yard Sale sites.

 

[RangerPooh]

Are you sure it will only be one year? Or is there the possibility of whatever brought you there to keep you longer? Or woudl you want to relocate with any of it or just start fresh?

If it will truly only be one year (under two) go to thrift stores or the habitat store for things like tables, chairs, dressers. Go to Ikea, Walmart, elsewhere for bed, couch. Although you might be able to find a decent couch at thrift stores and shampoo it and slip cover it.

Target and Walmart will both start having back to school/college sales next month so check out those for things like lamps, dishes, towels, etc.