It doesn’t take a lot to get sticker shock when wandering the showrooms of an upscale furniture store. Unless you have a trust fund or some other source of unlimited funds, the price of most name brand sofas, end tables and beds is enough to induce vertigo.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to save money on high-end furnishings without sacrificing quality. Whether buying used furniture or going with cheaper alternatives like Ikea hacks or DIY projects, here are amazing tips that can help you make sure your next home renovation has the right kind of bang for your buck.
1. Know your delivery options
If you are buying furniture from a non-store retailer, be sure to ask about delivery and installation options for the items you are considering. This will vary depending on your location, but it might also be something you can negotiate.
For example, if you are shopping for a sofa online and are having it shipped, find out if the store will help you arrange for delivery. If they do, you can usually have the store set the price. This way, you aren’t paying more than you have to for something you could otherwise have saved cash on.
2. Shop during the end of the month
If you are able to time it right, the last day of the month is often when furniture retailers are trying to get rid of merchandise, they need to make room for newer items. You might be able to save a good chunk of cash by getting in on that action.
You can also do this during end-of-season sales. Find out what the furniture seasons are in your area and save even more money by stocking up on summer- and winter-specific furniture while they are at their cheapest.
3. Stay away from showrooms
While it might seem like a great idea to go to a showroom and get to touch and feel the furniture you are considering buying, it is often more expensive to do so. Get a feel for what your needs are and then go online and shop for your furniture; for example, you might be searching for luxury high end outdoor furniture. This is where you can be an even bigger cheapskate than you can in a showroom.
While you can’t touch the items you are considering buying online, you do have the advantage of being able to read reviews and see exactly what people think of the products. That can help you see if the furniture you want to purchase is worth the price tag. If it isn’t, you can try to find something similar but cheaper or just go with a cheaper brand altogether.
4. Know your brands
This is especially important if you plan to buy used furniture or anything from a thrift store. You might love the table or couch you are considering, but you need to know its value to make sure it is worth the savings you are getting.
For example, a $500 sofa that’s in good shape to you could be a $1,000 sofa to someone else. That same table that you love for $100 could be worth $20 to someone else. And if you are doing a DIY project, you need to know the value of what you are using. It might look great, but if it is worth $1 a pound, you are not saving money by using it.
5. Consider alternatives
There are a lot of ways to get high-end furniture without spending a lot of money. For example, look for Ikea hacks. These are ways to turn Ikea furniture into something that looks high-end without spending a lot of money.
You can also look for DIY projects. These are usually cheaper than buying the furniture outright and you get the added bonus of being able to customize it to your liking.
There are also plenty of places to find used furniture. You can check out yard sales, thrift stores, and even online classifieds. Just be sure to inspect the furniture thoroughly before you buy it to make sure it is in good shape.
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