First of all. Make a plan & roughly measure.
Buying furniture can take ages, especially if you’ve got take something back because it doesn’t fit!
Make a small drawing of the room and any obvious measurements that are needed a decent tape measure is probably a must.
If you’re feeling particularly ‘designery’ then try RoomSketcher
Plan where you spend the most money
Spend money on the things you’re going to be using the most, e.g. spend the most money on your mattress/bed as you’re going to be spending a good part of your life on it.
If you don’t use it every day (e.g. sit on it) then go as cheap as possible!
Free stuff
- Family / Friends used furniture often will be ideal but you need to be lucky
- Freecycle | Facebook Groups | Gumtree etc.
- Remember to haggle, if you’re buying something then see if they will chuck in something else for free
Buying used
- Use our eBay local deal finder to find all sorts for under £1!
- Charity Warehouses – These are dotted all across the country, think charity shops but for furniture. We did a weeks worth of work experience as a temp manager at one and we saw all sorts of decent items come in and go out fairly cheap!
- Preloved has tons of cheap second-hand pieces of furniture on
Repurposing
See a skip? Find something that you might be able to use in a different way [ask permission]. The possibilities are endless. Just call yourself an aspiring interior designer and your mates will stop calling you a pikey!
What about Upcycling?
Getting something for free or on the cheap might sound like an awful idea to you but what if you give the items a lick of paint. You can turn even the most 80s piece of furniture into something you would spend £100’s for in a posh London shop!
Learn how to paint furniture / kitchens on the cheap
IKEA
A classic + you get tons of freebies for being a member (free drinks / £1 meal deals etc).
You could modify IKEA furniture for extra points
Budget Highstreet
- Remember to compare Homebase & Argos (they’re the same company at sometimes offer the same products at different prices)
- Groupon is a great place for decent deals on furniture + they often run on site promotions for more money off
- Furniture123 often have decent sales
