Furnishing first apartment cheaply and make it feel nice too

[JoselinTorres]

I moved into my first apartment six months ago but at the time I didn't have any money to buy any decorations for it. The only thing I had when I moved in was a queen bed, dresser, 1 nightstand, sofa, tv stand, bookshelf, coffee table, and kitchen items. I know I should be happpy that I have all my big items taken care of but it just doesn't feel homey yet I have about $120 that I would like to use for home decorations so I went to walmart and left with only a 2 cushions on clearance for $12 each and some wall art at $8 also on sale. Regular priced items are still very expensive at walmart and I know it will be hard to buy something for each room there and stay within my cash budget. I did also go to a local thrift shop and got a dining set for $20 but they didn't have knick knacks for the home. I'm planning my first trip to Ikea next month, so I have my fingers crossed...lol. Do any of you guys know where to shop for cheap home items beside garage sales?

[animikokala]

We have very few "knick knacks", aside from any collections we have; I have my small "collection" of 5 or 6 painted horses, and we have a collection of swords and knives.  We don't bother with wall art and such, aside from any artwork I may feel like making.

[tammypete]

Have you tried craigslist?  I have found some really good things for our house (desk, table, and chairs) at a very good deal.  You can also try ebay or amazon.com.  They seem to be alot cheaper than local stores plus no sales tax!

[alwaysinstyle]

ikea is cheap and nice too

[Lusie]

Craigslist is a very good place to go to find items you may need or want. Some times the stuff may need a little work but it is worth it. Another is freecycle on Yahoo. If you have a yahoo account check out their freecycle for you area. They are always having people post that they no longer want an item and it is totally free. Also check out garage and yard sales and flea markets in your area.

[dreamyxo]

freecycle.org.  I'm surprised you didn't find any knick knacks in the thrift store.  They have nothing but knick knacks in Goodwill.  You should go to a different one.

[scollontrade]

Depending on where you live there are auctions just about every week. Check the freenewspaper ads and do a google search in your area. We have bought everything in our house for $5 to $10.

[ppv2]

Thrift stores are a great place to  find items for your apartment at reasonable prices.

[kqa]

I would say go to yard sales.  I don't have a need to do that, but they are usually willing to barter with you!

[kangagirl1321]

garage sales are the way to go coz they are cheap and they usually have some good stuff.

[TaintedLust]

I moved into my first apartment six months ago but at the time I didn't have any money to buy any decorations for it. The only thing I had when I moved in was a queen bed, dresser, 1 nightstand, sofa, tv stand, bookshelf, coffee table, and kitchen items. I know I should be happpy that I have all my big items taken care of but it just doesn't feel homey yet I have about $120 that I would like to use for home decorations so I went to walmart and left with only a 2 cushions on clearance for $12 each and some wall art at $8 also on sale. Regular priced items are still very expensive at walmart and I know it will be hard to buy something for each room there and stay within my cash budget. I did also go to a local thrift shop and got a dining set for $20 but they didn't have knick knacks for the home. I'm planning my first trip to Ikea next month, so I have my fingers crossed...lol. Do any of you guys know where to shop for cheap home items beside garage sales?

My boyfriend and I checked out the goodwill. We got all our furniture from there actually. We also got picture frames there too. When we first moved In all we had was our daughter's furniture and our bed and a dresser.

[g0ku4life]

All the suggestions on here are good.

Garage/Yard sales, thrift stores, craigslist, ikea, try other stores in the area sometimes the have stuff on sale too.

[lvstephanie]

I agree with the garage sales, auctions, and thrift stores. I got most of my furniture from those... Sometimes if there is a major industry in your area, they may have their own "private" classifieds; and even if you don't work for that company, you may have a friend that does that can hook you up. Those private classifieds are usually very nice since you know that the people posting work for that company and so are usually middle to upper class.

Also, you may want to check out a crafts shop... They sometimes have home decor kits that you put together yourself or just other raw materials for your own creation. When we got back from a trip to Florida, I had collected a bunch of shells. Going to the crafts shop, I was able to purchase a small wicker bowl that I filled up with a bunch of those shells. I then bought a small glass vase and some blue glass beads, and filled the vase with a mix of the beads, some of the smaller shells, and a thin sea-sponge. Add to those bowls a blue shower curtain and some cream towels, and I now have an island-themed bathroom for very little money spent.

[gatorjunky]

you could try goodwill..cheap stuff and a good cause...just a little idea