Furnishing a space doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get ‘bougie on a budget’ by spending more time finding affordable furniture. Investing in affordable, durable pieces reduces the cost of furnishing your living space.
The challenge often comes down to where you find or buy your furniture. Determine whether new or used best fits your budget.
But how do you know where to find the best cheap furniture? The chances of finding a dining set from Pottery Barn under $300 are slim. But what about a dupe at Sam’s Club or Costco? There are plenty of places to find cheap furniture without skimping on quality.
Best Places to Score Quality, Affordable Furniture
Cheap or affordable furniture can be high quality. So often, we associate cheap with flimsy, but that’s not always the case. Investing in affordable, durable pieces simply takes more work on the front end. Consider your mindset when furnishing your home.
Are you going for trending aesthetics or prioritizing pieces that will last? And are you going for something because it’s cheap or because you need it immediately?
Knowing where to look for furniture is critical. Whether you’re interested in dupes, affordable fines, or DIY quality furniture, budget pieces exist.
Secondhand Apps
If you ever felt like curb hunting from the comfort of your couch, secondhand apps make that possible. Sure, you eventually have to get off your couch, but if you’re shopping online and want the wildest inventory ever, this platform is it.
Whether you aim for affordable or free pieces, these apps offer both. Sometimes, all you have to do is go and pick a piece up. But you can also haggle with the seller if they put a price tag on it. You can’t do this at thrift stores. If you’re speaking with a real seller, you can ask questions based on personal experience with a favorite dining set.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace brings secondhand furniture to you. Instead of thrifting in person, check out what your neighbors or other folks nearby are selling. Shipping from farther away is a helpful feature.
Listing items is free, but a personal account is required to shop or sell. The upside of personal accounts is that they’re a great way to find furniture flippers near you. However, beware of phishing scams all over the Marketplace. There’s also no buyer protection.
OfferUp
Better for local shopping, you can find things for practically free on OfferUp. You can also exchange secondhand pieces with protected shipping. This is a great way to style your home with finds you may need access to locally. And platform-specific profiles keep your info away from prying eyes.
Pre-approved meeting areas are great for personal safety and are also an optimal meeting point for folks who expect you to travel far. However, OfferUp’s shopping fees are pretty hefty, and you can’t ship to every state.
Everything But The House
A bidding app dedicated to vintage antiques, this is great for the niche maximalist or collector. Because you’re bidding, you can set the price with automated bidding and preset maximums. What a simple way to score designer finds on your budget.
Thrift Stores
Whether it’s local consignment stores or the Goodwill or Salvation Army, there’s likely some used furniture near you. And, for those who need to see things in person, this is the OG approach to secondhand scores.
Finding good pieces takes time, whether online or in person. At least by popping into a thrift store, you can see whether that find is ‘mint’ or too damaged to bother restoring. For those conscious about their spending, remember that your purchase also supports a nonprofit or local business owner.
Finding New Affordable Furniture Online
Aside from secondhand apps, many other popular places to shop online exist. These brands, in particular, offer simpler shipping and shopping options because they cater to scalability.
Wayfair
Wayfair is a great way to find dupes and designer look-alikes without breaking the bank. Make sure to read the reviews so you know you’re getting a quality piece. And, if you can, never buy these pieces full-price. Their blowout sales are worth the wait.
Overstock
With its recent acquisition and transition into Beyond, Inc., Overstock isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. You’ll find it’s now still focused on home decor and furniture. It still aims to offer the best deals for every room in your home.
Amazon
This retail giant offers anything you could want and more than you’ll ever need. Instead of worrying about getting a good deal, focus on getting good quality. Read those reviews. Compare similar items, and if possible, see whether other online stores offer the same price or deal. Most likely, you’re getting the best deal on Amazon.
How to Compare Prices Between Stores When Shopping Online
The best way to shop online for new furniture, or anything, is to use a price comparison tool. There are some browser extensions for coupons, like Honey or Capital One Shopping. These are great for store-specific savings. But if you want the best deal possible on a piece sold from multiple retailers, check out Spoken.
You can also look at Google Shopping, which has its price comparison tool. It only works for stores that sell their items online. You can also use this same tool to search for products, save them for later, and track their prices.
Investing in either one of these tools gives you a leg up. Instead of focusing on seasonal sales, you can monitor new pieces you want to buy while saving the most money possible.
Where to Score New Affordable Furniture IRL
Buying furniture in person is always a good option for those not interested in secondhand, whether due to a specific furniture need or hygiene concern. But how do you find affordable furniture that isn’t built to fall apart?
Sales. And using today’s technology to find the best deals online or in person. These stores offer brick-and-mortar and online shopping. Sign up for sales alerts from Google or these companies to get the most bang for your buck.
Target
Great for sourcing bougie new pieces, Target offers year-round sales and decor options to fit trends and basic needs. Known for its on-trend stock, you’ll find the pieces everyone wants on their shelves or website. Save the most money by signing up for Target Circle and watching upcoming holiday sales.
Walmart
Long-known for its affordability, you can often find something at Target for much cheaper at Walmart. And, more often than not, it’s from the same manufacturer, too. When shopping here, make sure pieces are well-rated online. If there are no reviews, ensure you get the best deal.
Sam’s Club
The warehouse membership extension of Walmart, Sam’s Club, offers deal on deal on deal. Plus, you can find many a dupe of bougie brands here. More than once, you’ll see that a gold-framed Anthropologie mirror has sold for $150 instead of its regular $600. Go in with a strategy, as getting lost in the deal craze is easy.
Costco
This members-only store sells out of deals and dupes weekly and, sometimes, daily. Keep an eye on upcoming releases, especially if you know there’s a more affordable version of a brand-name item you’ve been looking for. Check on TikTok and other social media accounts dedicated to Costco deals.
Big Lots
Great for everyday pieces and multipurpose storage solutions, Big Lots thrives because of its value-priced leftovers. If you’re a frequent visitor, you’ll find the best deals with seasonal closeouts on patio sets and other often pricier items.
IKEA
IKEA is a household name when it comes to affordable basics. And even if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, you can always update it with custom or DIY options. Many brands built on IKEA’s adaptability devise custom upgrade options for you!
HomeGoods
HomeGoods is part of the TJ Maxx and Marshalls brands, stores known for having quality items for budget prices. HomeGoods focuses on the home. Whether it’s decor or furniture, you can find it here, but only in person. Their cult following encourages shoppers to post their greatest finds on the store’s app. Follow nearby stores and use it to know when to go to the store to snag a deal.
If You Don’t Want to Buy, Then DIY
If secondhand shopping or buying brand-new is not within your budget, making it yourself might be. There are tons of DIY dupes to improve furniture you may already own. But consider investing in DIY furniture designs shared and sold by DIYers more experienced than yourself.
Dupe some of your most expensive furniture by doing it yourself. Investing in some tools and quality materials can result in lasting pieces you pass on to your family someday. What started as an affordable piece could even become an heirloom.