Saving Money On Furniture: Buying Tips For Furniture

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON FURNITURE

With the high cost of living these days, it’s hard to justify buying furniture, much less spending top dollar for it. 

One important rule of thumb to always remember is this.....If you can’t afford new furniture, don’t buy it!  Instead, look at ways to restore furniture you already have! 

But if you have budgeted for new furniture, here are some great ways that you can buy new pieces and save a lot of money doing it. 

TIPS ON SAVING MONEY ON FURNITURE

• Have a budget and stick to it. This is the most important item of all when it comes to buying furniture....or anything! Don’t let yourself go over your budget.
  
  If you have dreams of buying furniture, the first thing you need to do is establish an honest figure on how much you can realistically spend without putting yourself into debt.
  
  Don’t let furniture store or department store people talk you into the "it’s only for 4 years" speech! With the money you'll pay in interest, you could have bought another piece of furniture.

TIPS AND TRICKS ON SAVING ON FURNITURE

• Shop around! This is the key to getting a good deal on anything you buy.  Why would you want to throw away your hard-earned money?  Paying top dollar for anything just isn’t good business sense and if you’re buying furniture, which is a high ticket item anyway, think about getting the most for your dollar.  Look on line. You can order couches, beds, dressers, chairs.....all of it on line shipped right to your door!  I wanted a wrought iron bed frame that I saw in a local store.  It was way out of my price range, so I took down the brand name and model number and started shopping online.  I found what I was looking for, budgeted for it (which was easy since it went for $500 less on line) then had it shipped to me.  Free shipping, right to my door!  It doesn’t get any simpler than that. 

• Think outlet stores.  Some don’t have that great a selection but the way everyone’s trying to save money nowadays, more and more of them are springing up.  Shop them frequently as their stock changes.  In most cases with outlet stores, you might want to buy what you’ve seen that you liked fairly quickly (after price checking and looking around first of course).  They have a pretty quick turnover of quality items. 

• Learn how to barter.  Whether you go into a furniture store or an outlet store, learn how to speak up and ask the burning question….."Is this the very best price you can give me on this because I saw it on line for this price".....or use “Wow, I really love this but it’s a little more than I have in my budget, so I think I’m gonna have to pass.”  It’s amazing how prices can drop immediately and there isn’t even a sale!  Most of these folks make a commission on their sales so a sale of something is better than a sale of nothing is my theory!! 

• Think outside the box.  You probably want to buy a fairly high quality sofa because it’s a much used piece of furniture.  But do you have to have the "best" end tables?  Maybe not.  You can save money by going to Target, Fred Meyer, or even Walmart and looking at their items.  Maybe even buying a coffee table there will save you major bucks and you can concentrate your monies on the more important pieces of furniture you’re acquiring.  Try Costco for great buys on pieces of furniture too.  Think of every possible place that might sell furniture and then make sure you visit all with an open mind. 

HOW TO SAVE MONEY WHEN BUYING FURNITURE

• Only buy on sale.  This is my mantra.  If something’s not on sale, I’m just not "allowed" to buy it.  That’s my rule and I stick to it.  There is nothing like the satisfaction of saving money in my book.  I have learned over the years that the only way to do that is be disciplined.  I ask if it’s going to be on sale soon if it’s not on sale right then.  I get the specifics, tell them to let me know or I’ll check back to buy it at another time but until then, I’m simply not interested.  I walk away before temptation can talk me into it.  I’m talking about any piece of furniture.  I don’t care where you buy it – it has to be on sale for it to be a "can’t live without it" item. 

• Always evaluate want versus need.  Just because something is beautiful and you want it, make sure that your house really needs it.  That is the trap most of us fall into.  We think we need all these things but sometimes less is more.  Having a house cluttered with too much furniture can be a drain not only on your pocketbook but also on the warmth of your home.  Sometimes less is more.  You don’t have to have a Spartan home but keeping it uncluttered makes for less cleaning and less maintenance overall.  It also makes your home look more spacious, no matter how big or small it is!  Take the time to  truly evaluate how much you need to make your life comfortable or livable because that little exercise can save you a lot of bucks over the years. 

• Used is oftentimes better than new!  Don’t be afraid to shop the newspapers, look on Craigslist for furniture, look on eBay, or even gasp.....start going to garage sales!  You’d be amazed at the buys you can find.  So a dresser isn’t absolutely perfect.  With a coat of paint, it can become a beautiful addition to a bedroom.  A baker’s rack can become a beautiful addition to your kitchen or even your backyard as a gardening rack with a bit of spray paint.  An old beat up table can be refinished and serve as your dining table or a family room game table.  When you look at something at a garage sale, don’t see it as it is but rather what it can become.  Think of the money you can save! 

MONEY SAVING TIPS ON BUYING FURNITURE

There are many ways to buy furniture and save money in the process. Not everyone can afford new and over the years, I’ve discovered that like so much of our world today, furniture seems to be disposable.

It used to be that folks held onto their possessions and treasured them. They only had one bed their entire life and it was passed down to their children. They only had one sofa and it was treasured.....remember the old plastic covers?

I’m not suggesting that we go back all the way to that simplistic attitude, but I’m suggesting that we buy things that are lasting, that we won’t be getting rid of in 5 years. Every piece of furniture in my house pretty much tells a story.

The first dresser we bought when we were married I’ve refinished and kept all these years, a pantry I have I found on major sale at a rustic furniture store. I have an Ethan Allen deacon’s bench that I bought at a garage sale and refinished.

I will have these pieces forever along with many others because they mean something to me.

Take the time to find the best price on furniture and get the most value for your buck. It’s worth it in the end to have not only pleasure from your purchase but a treasure!

Check out the video and visitn tedswoodworking.com to design your own furniture!

If you have more money saving ideas on how to save on furniture, please contribute to the article by leaving your comments below!