Moving to a new place? Three ways to save on home furnishings

Moving is always expensive regardless of the reason you’re doing it. If you’re moving to a new place, you may need additional furnishings; or if this is going to be the first place of your own, you’re going to need everything from furniture to linens and cookware.

Buying all new furnishings can be incredibly expensive, so what do you do? If you’re moving to a new place, here are 3 ways to save on home furnishings.

Ask your family and friends if they have anything they can contribute to your new place. While this may be awkward for some, many people have pots, pans, dinnerware, or even furniture that they are not using anymore or that they were planning to get rid of anyway. If you don't feel comfortable asking, another option would be to throw a house-warming party. This is where you invite friends and family over to see the new place. You can serve light snacks and drinks to make your guests feel welcome. When sending out the invitations to your party, you can mention that you have a gift registry at one or more stores. Remember, everyone starts out on their own at some point and many people are willing to help.

Check online buy and sell websites like Gumtree, eBay or social media websites like Facebook. You can find just about anything using these websites and sometimes you can even find furnishings for free or incredibly cheap. Another nice thing about using online sites is that sometimes people are willing to trade or swap items.

If you opt for new items such as appliances and furniture, you can still find great deals if you shop at stores. One way to save is to ask if there has been any recent returns that are being sold at a reduced price. Sometimes people will buy household items but decide they don’t like them once they get them home. Stores may sell these items at a reduced price. Another option would be to look at items that have been slightly damaged cosmetically, but still work perfectly. When stores receive shipments of appliances and furniture that are a little damaged, they will often sell them for a reduced price.

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