Right now I'm watching a show on HGTV about some guys just out of college living in their first apartment. The show's decorator is helping them do a "budget" makeover on their bachelor pad, but what she's spending to do the makeover is a lot more than I had available to spend on my first apartment. My dishes and wineglasses were a gift from the group home where I lived before college. My bed was a broken futon that was permanently stuck open as a bed and couldn't fold into a couch. Someone gave me that busted futon. My bookshelf used to belong to my house mother from the group home. The only new thing I had was my TV, which my Guardian Ad Litem bought me as a graduation gift. One of the most expensive things that young people have to deal with is furnishing an empty apartment when they've always lived at home and don't really have much of their own stuff. How did you set up your first place and what are your tips for people starting out? I would suggest that youngsters don't immediately run out and buy a set of cookware. When they're just starting out, a saucepan to boil water and a frying pan to cook eggs should be just enough to get them started. Also, don't get the cheapest coffeemaker, cheap ones leak. I had a $6 Rival coffeemaker from Walmart and it leaked water and coffee grounds all over the counter. $20 should get you a decent coffeemaker.
A lot of used things, mostly from family members that didn't needed them. The only thing i got was a bed and a sofa, because that i wanted new and with my own style. Pretty happy with everything i own, so it's okay.
While I was living at home I made sure my bedroom was as "apartment like" as possible.. I always had people over, so it looked more like a living room to accommodate, rather than a bedroom. So I had a futon and bean bags chairs, bookshelves, coffee table etc. I had plenty to work with and I had help with the necessities like cookware etc.
Wow, seeing this thread made me smile. I managed to furnish my apartment little by little from my mom's house. She was always replacing something, and before you knew it, I felt like I was living back home again. Ahhh the good old days when I didn't have to buy my own furniture, or worry about color coordinating becuase it was already done for me ...
That's really cute. I don't have a relationship with my mother, but I like the character of secondhand things and I've found some really charming items on the curb. I'm an adult and I still haven't bought most of my furniture, I've found a lot of it over the years and I like the mismatched 2 Broke Girls bohemian look I have going.
A few years before I moved out, I started buying things here and there and storing them in my parent's basement. I was working at an arts & crafts store, so I got an employee discount and I would snag anything that was on clearance to get it super cheap. Stuff like plates, glasses, silverware can all be bought at discount stores like TJ Maxx Home Goods, Big Lots, etc... They have a lot of really nice stuff that is dirt cheap. All my home decor pretty much came from Burlington or the clearance aisle at Target. A friend of mine worked at a furniture store, so he got me an employee discount on my first couch set. I bought my bed from my parents house, as well as my dresser.
I'm from California and we have TJMaxx and Homegoods out here, too. When I was furnishing my first apartment way back in 2006, I primarily shopped there and Ross. I think all together I probably spent about $1000. I also went online to IKEA and bought a cheap bed frame just around $100. I put all my purchases on my very first credit card and paid it off over a few months. My apartment ended up looking pretty cute. It was an Asian flair theme in black and red.
My first apartment was pretty rough around the edges. I went to a wholesale furniture store that sold old hotel furnishings. While my place looked like a Holiday Inn, I got everything for a bargain. I just wanted the stuff to last me through college and it did that so I was happy.
My first apartment was pretty sparse. I bought things slowly over time. At first, all I had was my bed, plastic cabinets and a table. It was sparse, but I was happy with that. I was working part-time at a department store so I had an employee discount.
My husband and I furnished our first house with a lot of things we bought at auction. We got a hutch for the dining room for $12.00, and an entertainment center for $21.00! We found so many good deals at that auction place. They used to have it every Saturday, but then they closed it down. It's funny, because my husband was working as a trash man back then, and you wouldn't believe the finds he would bring home that people were just throwing away. He got me a perfectly working sewing machine that an old man left on the curb because his wife had quit sewing. I have learned that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to have nice things. To me half the fun was in searching for bargains and being creative. Now our home is totally furnished with items that show our unique personalities.
That sounds really cute. It sounds like you were really organized and shopped thoughtfully with a plan. I love Asian decor. My first apartment in college was a hot mess and I had no money to spend on it. Now that I'm a single mom, looking for a new place to live with my daughter, it almost feels like I'm starting over in my first apartment again, but with better stuff. I do have some Japanese items, but I'm going for an eclectic Pier 1 international look with some IKEA mixed in. First I have to sign a lease somewhere.
Everything from my first apartment was either purchased by my parents or "donated" to me by someone from my family. On my current apartment I have several things from my first apartment, and everything else I'l still buying little by little.
I got a lot of my kitchen appliances and dishes from friends and family, hand my downs that they did not need anymore. I got my bed after a craigslist search. It was a great deal for only $50. The furniture, or at least what little furniture there was, came from goodwill and whenever my family or friends had stuff they no longer needed.
I bought all my stuff in stores. Actually I got carried away and I was pretty inexperienced and I bought the couch and bed much bigger than I supposed to and they occupied a lot of space because my flat is pretty tiny. Learned from the experience though.
I love that you guys found good items and extended their useful life instead of letting them go to a landfill. It's really cool that you saved money and gave your home a unique look. A lot of brand new items today are mass produced and not made to last, so you're smart to buy older items at auction that are made better.
My first apartment came furnished. It had a futon and a dresser in the bedroom, and the kitchen had a stove and refrigerator. There was also a washing machine just outside in a shed that everyone used. (The apartment and one other were behind a large house.) That was years ago and I still don't have a lot of furniture. Over the years I have just made do. I still have a lot of things in storage bins and I seriously need book cases, but I guess I'll get there eventually.
I never had a first apartment, but my first house I fixed up and furnished mostly via auctions. Each auction house/auctioneer is a bit different and they all tend to have different price points. I picked up my first couch and love seat for under $20. Yes, it was used, but not abused and in overall decent condition. I snagged a coffee table for $10 and even though I broke it, I managed to find the same exact coffee table and a different auction and bought it again. I have a Lane cedar chest that I paid $50 for at an auction and It's been with me through 3 moves! I have a few small antique table that I grabbed at auction for less than $5 a piece that I refinished, again they've been with me through 3 moves, too. Also scour the internet, I've found great chairs on overstock.com, they're great for cheap shipping
Try checking out your local classifieds site, whether that may be Craigslist, Gumtree, Kijiji etc. There's always lots of 2nd hand furniture and whitegoods going for much much cheaper than you'd get them brand new and working perfectly fine. If not that try friends and family, see if they have anything they don't need anymore, might even be able to get some stuff for free!
I actually went to the Salvation Army and bought a sectional, tables, dining set, and beds. I spent maybe $200 for all of it. Second hand stores are a great place to start when you get your first place. I know everybody wants new items, but you can get some slightly used items to start off with and then replace them as time passes. At least you won't be sitting or sleeping on the floor until you get those new items.
