Shopping for Home Furnishings

By Kate Nielsen

Decorating your house? Shopping for home décor can be a frustrating and exhausting job, especially if you do not want to spend a fortune (which you most definitely could when it comes to the prices of home furnishings). The following are simple suggestions to help you find the perfect furnishings and décor for your home, without breaking the bank.

Scratch n' Dent
A great way to get expensive pieces rather inexpensively is through a scratch and dent center; many big furniture stores have scratch and dent centers where they have slightly damaged (but new) pieces and floor models that they sell as is. This is a great option because retailers are forced to discount furniture even if it has very small, miniscule scratches.

Floor Models
Another thing furniture chains do is sell "showroom pieces" and "floor models" that have been in their showroom at discounted prices for comparatively cheap.

Model Home Pieces
If you have moving into a pre-planned community (a neighborhood of homes built by the same developer), see if they are selling the pieces used in the model home. They may be a bit worn or have a few scratches here and there, but it is a really good way to get coordinating furniture sets at competitive prices.

Used Furniture
If you are not opposed to buying used furniture, search local flea markets, the classifieds, and estate sales. You may have to search a bit longer and little harder, but you can score some magnificent finds at super low prices from people wanting to get rid of pieces.

Refurbish
Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination. If you are shopping for used furnishings, use a little imagination and think of what the piece could look like, not necessarily how it looks currently. Sometimes all it takes is a little paint, stain, or upholstery to completely refurbish and renew an older piece of furniture.

Splurge
There are a few things that you should probably just bite the bullet and get, depending on what is most important to you. Some people want a top of the line mattress, while others want a coordinating set, which sometimes you cannot get (or find) at discounted prices. Whether it is a bedroom set, bath furniture, or art pieces you absolutely have, select a few must-have pieces to spend the majority of your budget on.

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