Filed under Decorating on October 15th, 2008:
Thrifty ways To Furnish Your New Apartment
For those people looking to furnish their new apartment in Indianapolis but do not want to spend a fortune to do so, shop at thrift stores, consignment furniture shops and yard sales. It’ll help if you have a wishlist of furniture pieces that you need, so you can focus your search. Also, bring along a tape measure so you can determine whether or not the pieces will fit the spaces you have in mind. And most importantly, bring cash if you can. It helps if you need to negotiate a better price for a particular piece or want a discount for buying several items from the same store.
Furniture Consignment/ Thrift Store Shopping
Do an online search for Indianapolis thrift stores and consignment furniture stores. Look in the phone book and ask around also. These stores get anything and everything when it comes to home furnishings – one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces, furniture from model homes, or used furniture from people in the area. You really never know what you’re going to get and it usually takes several scouting trips to score really great items, but if you’re patient it pays off.
Yard Sale Shopping
Saturday mornings are big yard sale days and the regular shoppers are up and out early to take a look at the best items first. Check the newspaper and online for yard sales in your area and plot out a route. If you have access to a pickup truck, drive that so you’ll have room for the furniture you’re buying. And, make sure you get an early start. If you want to be strategic, plan a route in the more expensive areas in Indianapolis. You might stumble on some really great finds.
Don’t Fortget These Accessories
- Lamps – Lampshades can be replaced and certain lamp bases can be refinished so keep an open eye out for lamps with potential.
- Rugs – If you have a color scheme in mind, you might find the perfect area rug for your space. If you haven’t even thought about room colors, finding a great rug might be the inspiration you need.
- Books – Use beautiful books as accessories on side tables and bookshelves. Even if the genre or subject matter isn’t your taste, a book with a great cover is perfect for a coffee table. Your guests might enjoy the book.
- Frames – Look for frames that would add something to your favorite photos. If the glass is broken or cloudy, you can replace it for very little at your local craft store.