My original relocation plan landed me in Philadelphia in a furnished room so furniture was not necessary. Philadelphia did not turn out to be my cup of tea so I traveled down to Charlotte, NC where I have family and found myself a nice, clean 1bd apt. for $400 a month. This place, however, was unfurnished. I did not have much money to spend on furniture, kitchen appliances, etc. so I had to be smart and economical.
CRAIGSLIST-
Most of us are familiar with Craigslist but this area is where the site can and will be your best friend. Craigslist has the sections “Free,” “Furniture,” and “Electronics” amongst others. Search these categories!!!!! Every once in awhile in the free section you’ll find great pieces of furniture that someone like the former me would simply give away rather than be hassled with a garage sale or even dragging it down to the trash. Bookshelves, endtables and computer chairs seem to be the most common in this section. You might find a couch or bed but odds are they’re very well worn. The furniture section of craigslist is one of my favorites. You will find very good and sometimes original pieces for dirt cheap. Sometimes the owners will even deliver the furniture to you. Refrigerators, couches, coffeetables, bed frames, armoires, you name it. You can even splash up your walls with artwork sold on craigslist in the “arts+crafts” section.
THE PAWN SHOP-
Ok. The show “Pawn Stars” definitely made me more interested in giving pawn shops a second glance. I can’t lie. I got my first glance when I took my laptop in one once for a loan. I took brief notice of the jewelry and musical instruments then disregarded it. When I found my apartment in Charlotte my cousin told me to check out pawn shops for lcd televisions. I did as told and was very pleasantly surprised. There were tons of tvs. At least in Charlotte. I found a great 26” lcd tv for $100 and dvd player for an additional $20. Had a haggled about the price I might have even gotten them for cheaper.
YARD SALES-
In Charlotte there are tons of yard sales every weekend. This came in handy when I needed to buy furniture. Most people are almost giving things away at yard sales. I bought an extremely comfortable, cushiony couch chair for $50, a beautiful coffeetable for $15, and a huge, framed wall mirror for $10. Instead of driving by the next yard sale you see or thinking that you don’t want to buy another person’s used stuff, pull over and take a look. You might be surprised by what you find. Even if it’s some cool dvds for $1 a piece.
FLEA MARKETS-
You can seriously find everything at a flea market from a pack of gum to a pet chinchilla. I like flea markets for the many knick knacks you can buy for little cost. I bought my candle holders, books, dvds, dishes, jewelry box and other odds and ends here.
GOODWILL-
The Goodwill is another place to find nice odds and ends to decorate your place. I bought vases from here for $1 a piece. You can also find interesting tea kettles and other dispensers for the kitchen.
No comments:
Post a Comment