The two of us have had our fair share of moves, between moving into various rentals throughout college and grad school to then moving more recently to our brand new home city, Dallas, which has provided us with a decent amount of experience and exposure to the tips and hacks to making the moving process simpler and easier. One thing that we are well aware of is that the end of August usually brings a lot of young adults to an anxious state of mind, due to those popular end of summer move-in dates. There is so much time, energy and mostly money that goes into the moving process and with neither of us having moved into a furnished apartment in the recent years- we have learned a few lessons and picked up a few tips for ways to furnish an apartment on a budget. This is why we wanted to share some helpful tips to make your move-in process a little less anxiety provoking and share some tips for ways to decorate in a more budget friendly way! So whether you are gearing up for those end of summer move-in dates or you have roommates moving out and taking furniture with them- consider these tips:
Consider these tips to help guide your process as you begin to decorate and furnish a new rental in a more affordable smoother way!
Five Tips To Consider:
1.) Consider Renting. If you move frequently or may move to a new city in the foreseeable future- check for companies near you that rent out furniture for the length of your lease. I would suggest searching widely to find a company that will deliver and assemble your furniture in your new place! We know that for students there are often plans for college students at a discounted price that gives you the essentials for a small apartment- which is always great to consider if you plan to move after you receive your degree.
2.) If you do decide to rent, for items that typically cost more (like the sofa) consider the most affordable option even if it is in a color your aren’t the biggest fan of— because you can always purchase a sofa cover or slip if the color is not what you hoped for or the style you’d prefer! This can also be done for chairs and tables and things like that where you can simply style it to your liking with a table cloth, cover or with your decor!
3.) Get resourceful and dedicate a weekend to exploring the second hand stores around you and bordering towns because these are the best places to find affordable furniture that looks barely used! This was a tip that my mom taught me a few years back during grad school and honestly it is such a great way to find eclectic pieces and make the new apartment furnishing process so much more enjoyable finding a barely used year old sofa in mint condition that was most likely sold back from a family who most likely redecorates every other year and doesn’t mind selling their furniture for a fraction of what they bought it for!
4.) Use a minimalist approach and multipurpose furniture. We used to think that you needed all the basics you’d anticipate- the dining table, side tables, desks, and extra seating, and of course a massive couch. While these are appreciated – we began to realize that there were a lot of items that were more for appearance purposes than for living purposes. So think ahead to what you use on a daily basis and what you can’t live without and then get creative with your search by finding multi-purposed furniture to limit the cost. If you are going to be a busy student- consider using a small dining table as both a place to eat and do your work! If you are renting- consider renting just a few basics to see how a minimalist approach would work and then if you find yourself needing more- you can take your time to shop around at second hand stores and more affordable places to find pieces within your remaining budget.
5.) Shop around on Amazon! This is the the place to look around and compare to other stores online before making those trips out to those well known home furnishing stores! Often times you will find very affordable options for the same items you would find in store and better yet- you can do a bulk shopping from the comfort of your home and for amazon prime members- you already know how convenient that two day shipping is!
6.) Shop around at Lowes, Home Depot, Homegoods, Tj Max for both moving supplies and for smaller personal items/ decor. Lowes and Home Depot are great for packing up and safely transporting your personal smaller items! They also have a lot of cleaning and personal items that we have found for far less than what we have paid for elsewhere. We love Home Depot and Homegoods for more decorative pieces, blankets, and kitchen supplies! These stores can be a hit or miss so again, a days worth dedicated to shopping around between these stores gives your more opportunity to have a really good affordable find that makes the time well worth it!
7.) Check out your local facebook groups to see if anyone in your area is looking to sell their furniture before thier next move! A lot of times they will be likely to sell for very cheap if you are willing to pick it up too! Sometimes even you’ll find the occasional person who just really needs someone to take a piece of furniture before their move that they are willing to give it away! Be aware of those posts and towns near you to see options available!
If you enjoyed this blog post, check our boho decor posts!
