When we sold our last house, we left a few pieces of furniture behind because it was part of the deal, so that means we’re in the market for some new furniture. And I’m not wild about spending a ton of money on it either because over the years, I have kind of learned that MOST furniture is not really a lifetime investment, so much as a functional piece for a stage in your life.
When the kids were young, we had a big ol’ farmhouse dining room table that all their friends and our family could gather around. But now that I don’t see the whites of their eyes all that often, we just need something that fits the space in our new home and gets the job done.
We’ve been using my craft table {you know, the one that somebody probably died on} since we moved in. It’s a good, sturdy table, albeit little beat up, but it’s fine for right now as we hunt for a more suitable dining room table set. At some point though, I’m going to need that table back for crafting.
I think a table for 6 is going to look right in our new space, but I’m not interested in the particle board, or poorly made stuff a lot of stores are selling these days. I’m looking for a solid wood table and chair set that doesn’t cost a fortune. I mean, why pay full price at a big box store? With enough patience and dedication, I’m sure we can find exactly what we’re looking for at a fraction of the price…or at least that logic has held true for me over the years.
So if you’re in the market for some new furniture too, here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years on how to buy furniture on a budget:
Garage Sales
Garage sales are seriously the holy grail of good furniture finds. Moreover, estate sales make me giddy. People who are downsizing, redecorating, or who have just grown plain bored sell really nice stuff–at probably the most discounted rate you’ll find. If you are brave, you can refinish, repaint, repurpose just about anything. I’ve seen people paint dressers and remove the drawers and replace them with baskets. I’ve seen tall dressers turned into bookshelves. Seriously, Pinterest is a mecca for these sorts of transformations, so you really don’t even need any self-inspirations. Imitate what other people have done.
Craigslist
Apparently, craigslist is more popular in some regions over others. Lots of people I know have reservations about meeting a complete stranger and completing a sales transaction. It feels too seedy to them. I get that. I’ve warmed up to the idea over the past few years though and always make the HH go with me. Also, I never step foot in someone’s home. If the item is not outside, out in the open, forget about it… I’m not interested.
The nice thing about craigslist is that you have already seen the furniture in a picture. You are not hoping to find something, like you are in a garage sale. It’s a little more tailored to exactly what you are looking for. You can totally negotiate with the seller, but the seller is a little more motivated to make some cash, rather than just get rid of it.
Thrift Stores
I have found some marvelous things at thrift stores. The key is to hit them fairly regularly if you have something in mind that you want. Inventory changes constantly, so it’s a huge crap shoot as to whether you’ll get what you are looking for. For upholstered items, save a little time or money to give it a deep, deep clean. For wood furniture, have a little vision. If it isn’t the exact shade, consider sanding it down and re-staining it or painting it. The best part about thrift stores is that it is just slightly higher than garage sale prices, but usually the money goes to a cause.
Grandma’s Basement
Okay, it doesn’t have to be grandma, but seriously, ask around. Maybe your friend’s aunt’s neighbor is getting rid of some things and she’ll give you first dibs. Word of mouth always opens a ton of doors–unless you have a bad mouth, and then the doors get shut in your face. Seeing how the storage industry is multi-billion dollar industry, you are bound to happen upon someone who might have something they are willing to give you or sell you. It might just be a gem too.
Furniture Consignment Stores
The thing about consignment stores is that you will pay a premium for the business to even have a brick and mortar situation, but it will still be at a fraction of the price the item would cost new. If you are gutsy, haggle. Some stores will bite and others won’t, but what do you have to lose? Were you planning on going to lunch with the owner later? Probably not, so full-steam ahead, I say. I have found that consignment shops also weed through poor quality before it even gets out to the floor, so you can be a little more comfortable knowing you are getting a solid piece of furniture. Consignment stores are a great place to get higher priced accent items too, like lamps and area rugs.
Flea Markets and Auctions
If you live in a larger city, there are likely flea markets and auctions going on weekly. All you have to do is find them. Lots of cities have a standing weekly auction or market. So, all you have to do is show up. Auctions are kind of exhilarating, though, I’ll admit, I have never been brave enough to raise my hand at a bid…but, I totally would, if the price were right and it was a must-have. Either way, you are kind of naming your price. You get to haggle on one level or another and can bow out if the price isn’t right. It’s a great way to get unique items and antiques.
So, those are basically all of my go-to’s when I am looking to score furniture on a budget. Are there any ways that you have come by furniture on the cheap that I left out?
~Mavis
MEM says
Also, Facebook Marketplace. Lately people are posting curb alerts with large pieces of furniture for free. And if its someone within my FB yardsale group, my DH and I have been known to go into their home to look at something. They are taking more of a risk than we are.
Lisa R says
I second Facebook Marketplace there are a lot of things posted all the time
Amy says
We’ve gotten a lot of furniture from Craigslist through the years. But I’ve noticed more people post stuff on the OfferUp app now, my hubby uses that a lot and also Facebook market place.
Carole says
You can also find really good solid stuff at salvage places. Again its hit and miss but when you hit its usually a really good deal.
Valerie says
FB Marketplace both to buy directly and for curb alert…also VERY useful if you’re wanting to get rid of stuff. My daughter and (USMC) son-in-law have moved a lot and “curb alert” sites help them find things and give stuff away when moving.
Deb says
Love this post! I use estate sales.net to find estate sales in my area! There are usually pictures too!
Jennifer says
Barter or trade. Maybe you have something someone else needs. It’s a win-win. You get rid of something and make room and get something for nothing.
Eileen says
Hi,
Check out http://www.auctionninja.com and clearinghouseestates.com. They have some gorgeous antiques online and there is a time certain for pickup. Lots of auctions on the north shore of Boston and amazing deals.
Julie says
Side of the road and dumster diving! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure! https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/stop-the-car/
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I was also going to say curb shopping. I found chairs in a heap of trash when a home was being remodeled. The guys even dragged the four chairs out and we hauled them home two at a time in a small suv. Not driving or even having a larger vehicle is the only drawback to curb shopping.
Carrie says
I’d love to see the running list of what items you are looking for like you did at one if the other houses.
Jeanine says
Years ago, I bought a baby crib for my daughter For $12. My son-in-law cleaned and painted it…it looked like new. Also, I found along the curb, a baby changing table with shelves for diapers, etc.. Son-in-law cleaned that up as well. They did buy a new mattress for the crib, but all in all it made for a nice baby room. With a hand-me-down easy chair and the room was complete!
My husband and I went to a car auction years ago. I bid on a car….pricey at the time, but I drove that car for 10 years. Sold it for the same price years later. Wish I still have that car. Studebaker Avanti….it was so fun to drive!
I also bought a couch and easy chair at the Goodwill for our guest/hobby house and got 10% off because I was over 55! Yeah! When the ladies come over for rug hooking, it makes it cozy. Alias, we have been social distancing since February.
How are you going to fair this winter. Does your house have another heat source besides the wood stove? We used to heat with only the wood stove, but now we have a propane heater. Hubby is getting older(not me! Haha) and likes to turn the heat on instead of dragging in the firewood. But, I love the warmth you get from a fire. Guest house has a wood stove, so that’s how I stay warm when I’m hooking, braiding, making stained glass wind chimes.
Enjoy your new house….hope you send us more pictures of your place. We’re all on the edge of our seats!!
Jeanine
Lori says
I found a beautiful old farm style kitchen table and six chairs on our local online garage sale. One chair needed to be glue but the rest was in great shape. I nice white paint job and it looked brand new. I love to make something cheap and old and make it new again. At a dinner party I had someone offer me 500 dollars for it. So were are now hunting for a kitchen table again. Happy Hunting everyone!
Kippy says
My neighbor said she’s bought things from Facebook BuyNothing in our town. The local thrift always seems to have great furniture.
I don’t have Facebook but have found many great curb finds. The classic one was a vintage nightstand. I carried it in one hand and the leash in the other hand. Must have been quite the sight-me, nightstand and two standard poodles walking home
Heather says
Facebook Marketplace. I got a skinny curio cabinet for free. They had it sitting outside and if no one claimed it was going to the local dump.
Linda Sand says
Family downsizing. When my father-in-law was moving into a small apartment our niece got a beautiful couch free for simply removing it. No one else in the family was in need of a couch at that time so we were all glad to see her take it.
Carolina Cooper says
Looking around in my living room, I see some great curbside finds: a nice floor lamp, a maple inlaid end table, another mahogany drop leaf end table, I found a nice rocker also, used it for a few years, then gave it to someone with a new baby. Recently, also my partner/handyman found an almost new flexible flyer tricycle—retail price $79.99!!! The neighbor’s child was graduating from high school & all childhood things were left curbside. The grandson has been VERY happy with that!!! I also have a little white chest of drawers by the front door that was a roadside find. All it needed was a little wipe down and some contact paper for the inside of the drawers–$1 at Dollar Tree.
Patti says
Facebook Marketplace and the nextdoor.com site is what our town uses. Be careful of upholstered goods – bed bugs are not worth it. I believe in asking the universe because someone is always getting rid of something or they know someone who is.
Stephanie Koons says
I have had incredible luck finding antique furniture at great prices on e-bay and etsy.
Psuchic06 says
Auctionzip.com …. you can find so many estate sales withing certain radius’ of your zip 🙂 dangerously awesome! Right it seems good solid furniture is going sadly low…
Cecile says
We inherited a 50 year old table and chair set from my in-laws when we got married and as the kids got bigger we upgraded to a large table (since being the only daughter I got to host all the holiday meals for over 20 at a time) and mismatched chairs. Since we were moving last year I told hubs that I wanted a ‘grown up’ dining room set so we kept an eye out at the auction we frequent. Well we were successful! An 8 chair, table with three leaves for $37.50 CAN! It cost me a just over $150 to strip and stain it and recover the chair seats! So worth having chairs that don’t wobble and made of real wood! Garage sales or moving sales near the end of month provides the best deals, people want their old stuff gone!
Terri says
Have done most mentioned… but lately most is from Nextdoor. Bonus, they’re from my neighborhood- so feels a lot safer. Got this amazing teak table that has an estimated value according to the men of $1,000.
Christy says
Find the local auction house. I wish when I bought my first house I had known about this auction house! Don’t forget about Habitat Restore. My sister has gotten a lot of furniture from there, some needed cosmetic work and some was ready to use and the money goes to a great organization.
Karen says
EstateSales.net has great online auctions as well as estate sales.
Gigi says
Ironically, I’m trying to sell two tables with chairs now. Facebook marketplace has been best around here. I like being able to check out the buyer/seller profile to see who I’m meeting and see if they seem real.
Annette says
My rule of thumb is that I never buy used for anything upholstered. You have no idea if the piece was subjected to smoke, pets, or who knows what.