The furniture in your residence has not stood the test of time. Right now, it resembles something between College Dorm Retro and 1980s Fluorescent. Anyone who sits on your couch tends to sink toward the floor, and there’s so much duct tape on your recliner you’re not sure of its original color. Time to go furniture shopping.
Unfortunately, buying furniture ranks up there in price and annoyance as buying a car or filing your taxes. By the time you sign the invoice it could cost anywhere from several hundred to many thousands of dollars to refurnish all the rooms in your residence. Sure, you could sign up for financing, but that leads to everyone sitting on the floor until you make the last payment because you don’t want to damage the investment. There is a better way to update your furniture without going broke, and that involves a budget. Here are some things to consider in your decision to upgrade furnishings.
What do you really need?
This is simple. Don’t invest in a sectional sofa or extensive home theater setup if you live alone and have a 19″ flat screen television. Children running wild in the house? Don’t even consider budgeting for any type of Chesterfield. You have to go with what fits your style, besides futons and milk carton tables. Handy people may want to go with furniture from someplace like IKEA. Those who are looking for simplicity might want to head to a discount store like Big Lots or American Furniture Warehouse.
How much are you willing to spend?
Make this decision first in order to determine how much you’ll need to budget each pay. Hit the store or website and price out the items you’re interested having in your residence. Don’t look at the sale price, because that can change each week. Go off the retail price to set up the budget withdrawals. In addition, contact the furniture dealer to see if the item you want is currently in stock or is about to be switched out for another model. The answer may cause you to switch to a higher or lower priced product.
Do you need delivery?
This is more for a brick-and-mortar store than a website. Having your furniture delivered depends on how much it costs. Some locations charge a flat fee for purchases over a certain amount while other companies set their transportation prices by how long it takes to get to your residence. You also have to look at where the furniture is going to be placed. Picking up a couch for your first floor living room may be easier for you to do on your own than an armoire needed in a third-floor bedroom. Also consider if the furniture has to be put together. This may come free of charge with the delivery option.
Should you not have a vehicle large enough to fit the furniture pieces but want to pick them up, look into truck rental agencies. The cost for mileage and vehicle rental may be lower than what the furniture store charges.