Tips to Furnish Your New Home without Going into Debt

You’ve bought your first home, and now, it’s time to decorate it! However, decorating costs money and right now, money is tight — a new home and all. Buying high-end furniture isn’t in the cards right now.

You need to make the mortgage payments and other household bills, and the last thing you need is to bury yourself in debt. Is there a way to have nice furnishing without emptying out the bank? Yes, and we can show you how!

Rank the Rooms in the Order You Want to Decorate Them

Decorating one room at time rather than decorating the entire house at once can help reduce the stress both on you and your budget. By ranking your rooms based on which ones you want to decorate first or on the priority of furnishings, you can make it rewarding to have a finished room completed. Bouncing between room can make it difficult to see the progress being made. 

Bonus tip: Don’t rush it. Rash decisions can often lead to buyer’s remorse later. Don’t rush and take your time furnishing your home. Use the extra time to your advantage by saving up for bigger purchases.

Decorate Your Home with Hand-me-downs

You can decorate your home with hand-me-down furniture, but only if they fulfill the following criteria. The hand-me-down needs to be in good working condition. It should complement the theme of your home. If not, see if you could modify to match it to the theme of your home, such as painting it. 

If you accept it, determine how you’ll use and where you’ll keep it. If you can’t answer all these three questions with confidence, it’s better to decline politely than to keep piling on hand-me-down furniture in your home that you don’t need. 

Shop Around

Craigslist is a good way to find affordable furniture. You can search through the latest listings on sale each day, and if you come across something you like, you can reach out to the seller to show interest in buying it. Other great sites include Nextdoor.com, a friendly website for neighbors to connect, and even Facebook. Don’t limit yourself to just one platform, and don’t forget to take advantage of garage sales.

You may not find what you need overnight on these websites, but that’s alright. It helps knowing you’ll be saving for something you do want rather than buying the first available piece.

If you buy online with individuals, we advise you to be extra careful when dealing with the vendors. If your gut feeling says this vendor is trouble either during your interaction online, over the phone, or in person, leave immediately. If everything checks out, take someone along with you to meet them and schedule all pickups in a public and crowded place during the day.

Ask for a Discount When Buying New Furniture

You can ask the seller for a cash discount instead of accepting their 0% interest financing offer. Some brands offer a discount on the price if you pay with cash or check. Other things to ask the seller include durability and the number of years you can use it, particularly for mattresses and sofas. 

Once you’ve made the home your home by adding personal touches to it, you can visit us after a few years to see if your eligible for refinancing your home at a lower interest rate.