4 Helpful Tips to Furnish Your Home for Less

Although time is a luxury that not all of us have, it doesn’t mean we should jump head first into a costly shopping frenzy as soon as we need to move or have itchy feet. Sure, having a well furnished home can improve the quality of our daily life, but so does having a stable financial situation. Consider these money saving tips to help you get the house of your dreams on a budget.

1- Make a list: As it is the case with most types of shopping, including buying groceries, one of the best ways to save some bucks is to have your mind set on what you’re actually shopping for. Taking the time to put together a list of everything you need and figuring out your targeted style will make for a more efficient shopping process and should decrease the possibility of impulsive –and potentially expensive– purchases.

Having a look at design magazines, blogs or even Pinterest for some inspiration can help you find some money saving ideas that are both original and beautiful. There are loads of extremely creative people out there with an urge to share their ideas — it’s simply up to you to check them out.

2- Consider any affordable options: These include asking friends and family for hand-me-downs and shopping at thrift stores, Craigslist or online stores. Of course, by asking for hand-me-downs, you won’t necessarily get exactly what you are looking for, but these can be practical and give you the opportunity to save up to eventually get the item you want that you can’t necessarily immediately afford.

Second-hand stores and online communities are often qualified as gold mines by most people who have ever tried them. The key with these though is to have the patience to go from store to store or to go through all the different listings available online, especially since the majority of them are often low-quality. Taking the time to understand how each of these systems work can be useful since they require a little bit of getting used to. With time, you will develop an eye for spotting the best deals and steals.

As far as shopping online goes, it mainly comes down to keeping in mind sale cycles and being aware of each store’s shipping and after-sale policies to ensure that the price you agree to is actually the price you end up paying. Have a look at our Home and Garden category page for a list of online stores that deliver to addresses located in Canada.

3- Price watching: Automating the process of looking for items in your price range can also be a real time saver. For example, Craigslist has a Trigger feature enabling users to set up price alerts for a specific piece of furniture.

Certain online stores also offer a price alert feature, but when it isn’t available try using PricePlease to receive alerts via the email account of your choice. Another option is to subscribe to some of your preferred stores’ newsletters. This way you can be updated as soon as possible of the newest sales and promotions. Simply unsubscribe once you have found what you were looking for since certain merchants tend to send an impressive amount of emails.

4- Remember moving fees: These can sometimes make the difference between a steal and just another uninteresting option. Depending on where you find your product, you may me need to take responsibility for picking it up or paying for delivery. Keep in mind that this cost could end up negating the savings you scored on the item(s) purchased.

The Bottom-Line

In our society, people tend to have a “I want everything, right now” mentality, discouraging saving up before making a purchase isn’t the most popular of options and opting instead for credit or low quality products. But most often then not, having a well thought out plan will make for the best results and at a more reasonable price in the long run. There’s nothing wrong with taking time to create your dream home, especially if it ends up being something you can take pride in. Similar to creating your personal style, furnishing your home takes a vision and the little details are what makes all the difference in the world.

Did we forget anything? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list.