The expensive work has been done. You’ve handed over thousands and thousands of dollars to a bank in exchange for a mortgage. For the next 20 or 30 years, you’ll be paying back the banks as they hold this loan over your head. So what can you do that’s cheap?
Now it’s time to move in. Your new abode is a vacuum of emptiness. Rooms and rooms of nothingness. You don’t own any furniture, appliances or even cutlery and you’re dreading the thought of furnishing it and spending even more money. Your bank account is bare but unless you start spending, you’ll be sleeping on the floor and eating with your hands for the foreseeable future.
Despair not though, there are cheap ways to fill your house, giving it a functional and homely feel all at the same time. If you want both quality and / or cheap furniture, here are the places you need to look.
- IKEA
The obvious place to find cheap, good quality and new furniture. Get yourself down to one of the Ikea superstores near you and be prepared to get the flat-pack furniture of your dreams. Implementing a low-cost model, IKEA force you to do all the hard work while allowing you to purchase at a fraction of the price of a traditional furniture shop. You will spend hours putting your bed/table/chairs together, but the sense of satisfaction will be worth it. As well as being able to sleep on a mattress for the first time in a few days.
- eBay
Internet shopping is one of the cheapest methods of shopping around. On eBay you’ll find anything you want at a cheap price. Quality is not a guarantee though, so be sure to check reviews to make sure the source is trustworthy. Otherwise you could be left with electronics malfunctioning within days or a chair that breaks under your weight.
For those happy to stock their house with second-hand furniture that has had its day, Facebook is the place to come. With hundreds of groups, filled with posts selling everything you could imagine, you’ll be sure to find what you want on Facebook at an affordable price too. Chasing around from place to place collecting everything is the hard part. You’ll wonder what you’re doing collecting a $10-dollar chair from someone you’ve never met at 9pm on a Tuesday night. Before you know it, your house will contain a mix match of furniture adding nothing aesthetically.
- Side of the road
Hire a van any weekend at any time of the year and drive it around your surrounding suburbs, you will have your choice of everything and anything. Half of it will be broken but most importantly it will all be free. If you’re happy to jump out of the van and rifle through another person’s old furniture they’ve left out on the road, you will have a van full of useful, free furniture in no time.
You may have spent a lot buying the house, so with saving on your mind, these methods will be sure to help you spend the minimum amount as you furnish your new living space.
