Whether you are getting ready to buy a new home or you have just moved out of your parents’ basement, you are going to be thinking about buying new furniture. You can’t help it, right? Buying new furniture is exciting. But what if you are struggling to find the extra cash to put the finishing touches on your new place? Trading up your furniture might be one way to help you do that. Wondering how to buy a sofa? Maybe you don’t have to. Consider trading your furniture, shopping at thrift stores, or renting something until you can afford to buy a new sofa.
Trading your furniture.
You might want something new with all your heart, but if your purse strings are tight, trading your furniture might be an option to consider. All you have to do is find a friend or neighbour who would enjoy what you’ve got to trade and see if they want to update their space with your furniture. Keep in mind, your existing furniture should be in decent shape. Sometimes, it’s easy to do this with family members, like your mom or dad who might want to offload a piece of furniture but need to replace theirs once it is gone. You could also take your furniture to a consignment shop to sell it, but that takes a little longer and then you’d still be without a sofa for a while. If you can wait, that’s another great option to gather some cash to get a new piece of furniture. Of course you can always sell other furniture to fund your new sectional sofa or two-piece sofa set.
Shopping at thrift stores.
If budget is a concern, you can take to second-hand stores to see what kind of options they have. Search the online yard sale pages on Facebook and don’t forget about the classifies in the newspaper. A lot of older people still place for sale ads in the newspaper, especially on the weekends. Yard sales and garage sales on Saturday mornings are also a great place to find used furniture that is probably still in great shape. You can even get your furniture for a decent price after a homeowner has hauled their sofa out on the lawn hoping to sell it. They don’t want to have to haul it back inside, trust us. Try your hand at some bargaining and see if you can get your new sofa for a great deal.
Renting furniture.
Another option that is growing in popularity is renting furniture. This is a great option if you are moving into a place temporarily and don’t want to invest in furniture that you need to be responsible to move, store, and sell later on after you move on. Renting furniture can be expensive if you need to do it for a long period of time, but a few months won’t run a big bill. If you have roommates, or are thinking about getting roommates for your new place, consider splitting the rental bill with them or including it in part of their rent so you don’t have to shoulder the entire cost of the furniture. They are going to sit on the sofa, make no mistake. They should pay for some of it! And when you are done, you just call up the rental place and they’ll carry away the sofa, and whatever other furniture you rented. It’s too easy.
Why buy a new sofa.
Buying a new sofa is a great way to add lots of interest and value to your home, but when you buy something new, remember that you are investing in your home and your experience at home. That might be worth paying full price for. And you can keep it when you leave and enjoy it for years to come. Everyone’s situation is different, so if you are not sure, or are not ready to shell out a lot of money to start investing in furniture for yourself, renting, thrifting, or trading are all great options to help you get the things you need without a long-term commitment or big bill. When you are ready, there are lots of places to get a new sofa. It’s like buying a car: you need to love it and want to sit on your new sofa or new-to-you sofa every day. If you don’t like it, you won’t drive it – or sit on it.
Cover it.
If you have to opt for a used sofa, remember that you don’t have to take it as it is. You can add covers to your sofa, add blankets, pillows, or even a slipcover so that it looks different and new again. There’s a lot of opportunity to make the sofa your own so don’t be discouraged by having to pinch your pennies when buying a new piece of furniture. It won’t take you any time at all to make it your own.
