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Your home’s furniture is just as integral to its design as its architectural features . . . and it can sometimes cost just as much. If you desire a well-appointed home but your pocketbook begs to differ, then you should be pleased to know that, with some resourcefulness and leg work, you should be able to completely refurnish your home on a budget. Here are some ideas:
Furniture Consignment Shops
These shops are picky about what they choose to display in their storefronts, so you can explore them with some confidence that you are looking at high-quality furniture that is also in great condition. What’s more is that you can also often negotiate the shop owners down on price, especially if the furniture has been there for a while.
Thrift Stores
You may have to be a bit more discriminate when going through thrift store offerings, but the rewards can be huge. Thrift stores often get new (used) furniture in on a weekly basis–or sometimes even more often–and so you should make it a point to drop in regularly at your local thrift stores when you are in a furniture shopping phase.
Replica Furniture
If you have a penchant for antiques, distinctive classical styles, and/or designer names, then you are probably well aware of the high price tags that accompany such furniture. Fortunately, there are a number of replica furniture companies that offer the styles you’re after, at a discounted rate. Explore sites like homeq.com.au, infurn.com, replicafurniture.com.au, and instylemodern.com to find replica furniture that you can afford.
Scratch and Dent Rooms
Most name-brand furniture retailers have a “secret” room in the back of their showroom locations, where they keep scratch and dent furniture. If you don’t mind imperfections (which you may even be able to repair, yourself), then you should explore retailer back rooms to find new furniture at bargain bin prices.
Estate Sales
You can find some great deals on high-quality furniture at estate sales. Simply scan the local classifieds, search online (sites like Craigslist are a great start), and call local auction houses to find upcoming sales that you can attend, where you will be able to either bid on furniture or purchase it on a first come, first serve basis.
Yard Sales
Get up early on Saturdays and Sundays (the earlier, the better, because yard sale shoppers don’t mess around) and drive through area neighborhoods looking for “yard sale” or “garage sale” signs. If you want to plan ahead, then you can also find announcements for upcoming sales in the newspaper or online classified ads.
There are numerous routes for finding furnishings on the cheap. When it comes to refurnishing your home on a budget, you are really only limited by the amount of time and energy you are willing to put into exploring all of the resources available to you.
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