Right now, we're getting you functional. And you'd be amazed by how much perfectly usable stuff people are trying to get rid of for absolutely nothing.
Facebook Marketplace Is Your Friend Right Now! 👉 Open Facebook Marketplace and search the word FREE. That's it. Start getting more specific as you scroll through the filter and voila! Free furniture. Free dresser. Free table. Free sofa. Free kitchen stuff. Free household items. Free pickup. Curb alert. Moving, must go. Also search Facebook for local Buy Nothing, Free Stuff, Curb Alert and neighborhood giveaway groups.
People give away an unbelievable amount of shit. And not necessarily because something is wrong with it. Someone bought a new dining-room set and doesn't want to deal with selling the old one. Someone is moving tomorrow and that enormous dresser isn't coming. Someone's grandmother downsized. Someone redecorated. Someone ordered something new and just wants the old thing out of the damn house before Thursday.
Their inconvenience can become your dining table.
Don't Turn Your Nose Up at Free, either; let's face facts here. I understand pride. But I also know what it's like to have nothing but a mattress on the floor. Take the table. Nobody visiting your apartment six months from now knows you paid $0 for it. They say: “I love your table.” You say: “Thank you.” That concludes the conversation. End of story. And don't confuse accepting something useful with having no standards. Your standards, at the moment, are simply shopping with a budget of zero dollars. Those are two entirely different things. You are making the most out of what you have with what you can get. If the furniture is in great condition, go for it!
Also! Take the Good Stuff. Leave the Problems. Free doesn't automatically mean worth taking.
Some things are fantastic secondhand: Dressers. Tables. Chairs. Bookshelves. Desks. Nightstands. Mirrors. Lamps. Dishes. Glassware. Storage cabinets. Cookware that's still in good condition. Décor. Tools. Small appliances that you can verify work. Then there are things that deserve considerably more suspicion. Upholstered furniture needs a serious inspection. Look underneath it. Check seams, folds and corners and crevices. Look for evidence of bedbugs, roaches, rodents, mold or water damage.
And smell it. Seriously. That beautiful free sofa isn't beautiful anymore if your entire apartment smells like cigarettes, cat piss and 1991. Personally, a used mattress is where I'd draw the line. If there's one thing worth buying new when you can manage it, it's the thing you're going to put your mostly naked body on for eight hours every night. Free bed frame? Absolutely. Mystery mattress? Pass.
After you are situated, then start getting picky. Here's where this gets fun. Once the necessities are handled, stop grabbing things simply because they're free. Now you wait for things you actually like. That's how an apartment assembled for next to nothing can eventually look intentional instead of looking like twelve strangers furnished it.
Maybe you decide you're going with warm wood. Maybe you like creams and neutrals. Maybe you're a dark-furniture person. Maybe you're feminine as hell and want velvet, gold accents and everything soft. Whatever. Develop an eye. A free item isn't a bargain if you hate looking at the damn thing. You can also make small changes later. New drawer pulls can completely change a dresser. A good cleaning can resurrect a neglected table. Slipcovers exist. Paint exists. Furniture can move from one room to another. You don't need money for everything. You need patience.
Don't Forget the Little Stuff
People tend to think about sofas and bedroom sets when they hear "furnishing an apartment." But those little household expenses will nickel-and-dime you to death. Laundry baskets. Hangers. Trash cans. Storage containers. Shower curtains. Towels. Dishes. Pots. Pans. Lamps. Curtains. Cleaning supplies. Even clothing.
Look for those things too. Sometimes people aren't giving away one item. They're clearing out an entire kitchen, garage, closet or apartment. If somebody posts “Free household items, must pick up today,” look at the freaking pictures. What are you so busy doing?! There may be $300 worth of things you currently need sitting in boxes because somebody else doesn't.
Be Safe About It
Free doesn't mean abandon common sense. Meet people in public during daylight when possible. Tell someone where you're going. Don't walk into a stranger's house if the situation feels wrong. Bring somebody with you whenever possible. And don't send deposits to "hold" a free item. It's free. There should not suddenly be a mysterious $40 reservation fee, courier fee or verification payment. If the whole thing starts sounding strange, leave it alone. There will be another lamp.
A Decent Practice: When You're Doing Better... Pay It Forward.
Remember the woman sleeping on the mattress. Remember the guy who finally got an apartment after living in his car. Remember the mother who just left with her kids and couldn't take the furniture. Remember the person who spent practically everything they had just getting through the front door. When you finally replace that free dresser with the one you always wanted, don't automatically drag the old one to the curb. Put it right back where you found it. FREE. Must pick up.
That dresser helped you when you needed it. Now let it help somebody else. Because somewhere in your neighborhood, somebody just got their keys. And right now? They, too might have nothing but a mattress on the floor.
Not using coupons means there's money unnecessarily leaving your wallet. So why wouldn't you use them? Pfft! Idc "'why", just start and while we're here, please allow me to introduce you to a little gem that's useful for food and MUCH more: COUPERT. Have you heard of it?!
Coupert is basically made for people who like saving money but don't necessarily want coupon hunting to become a second job. It can help you find available coupon codes and savings while you're shopping online, including across way more categories than groceries.
Case in point:
STOP BLOWING YOUR $$$ CHECK OUT COUPERT + START SAVING
Now It's official. You can honestly say that you were told, so what you do with this information is entirely up to you. Not taking advantage of it, however, would be an error in judgment. IMO. But, I don't know. Things could be different for you. You might be the exception. Maybe you enjoy paying more than necessary. Maybe your checking account gets offended when there's too much money left in it. Look into it.
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