Buying everything from scratch - what is the 2015 best plan for stuff
May 2, 2015 10:20 PM
I'm getting divorced. It appears that ex is keeping everything (which I am okay with, I'm getting compensated). But now I am faced with buying lots of stuff. I'm not rich but not poor. I want stuff that will last 10+ years. What are the 2015 best practices? I have all the major American furniture and homegoods stores nearby. I'm fond of online shopping. Consignment is fine but I can't spend weeks hunting.
Mattresses - are these online stores like kasper a good idea? Are ikea beds the cheapest for kids room?
Dressers and bedframes - is ikea the easiest or are there better alternatives maybe online?
Couch - I have kids and pets, again, ikea?
Dining table - again, ikea? Maybe check out consignment shops?
TV - Amazon?
Bookshelves, both adult and kids' - ikea? Consignment?
Kitchen goods - online? What stores have good quality stuff at good prices? I can get the basics and add as I need
Sheets - I can only assume there are great stores online for this nowadays
Towels - what's a good quality affordable brand?
Rugs
Would love help here. Cost, time saving, and ease is a priority. I can pay taskrabbiters to assemble furniture.
I am overwhelmed but want decent stuff.
Mattresses - are these online stores like kasper a good idea? Are ikea beds the cheapest for kids room?
Dressers and bedframes - is ikea the easiest or are there better alternatives maybe online?
Couch - I have kids and pets, again, ikea?
Dining table - again, ikea? Maybe check out consignment shops?
TV - Amazon?
Bookshelves, both adult and kids' - ikea? Consignment?
Kitchen goods - online? What stores have good quality stuff at good prices? I can get the basics and add as I need
Sheets - I can only assume there are great stores online for this nowadays
Towels - what's a good quality affordable brand?
Rugs
Would love help here. Cost, time saving, and ease is a priority. I can pay taskrabbiters to assemble furniture.
I am overwhelmed but want decent stuff.
I had to furnish a small apartment from scratch not long ago and to my surprise household goods at the two thrift stores I went to turned out to be more expensive than new items at Walmart and Ikea. Your local options may vary, but it was not what I was expecting.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:27 PM on May 2, 2015
posted by Dip Flash at 11:27 PM on May 2, 2015
I recently did this, and bought memory foam mattresses from Amazon for myself and my daughter. I'm shocked at how nice they are. I got this one for myself, and a twin for my daughter, and they're just fantastic.
I suggest not getting a TV on Amazon--we found that they were consistently cheaper at BJ's/Costco, so if that's an option for you, you might want to start there.
All the random kitchen things we've needed have been purchased off Amazon--if you don't already have Prime, now might be a good time to shell out for it. You'll hit a point where you keep realizing you need random small things, and being able to just push a button and know they'll show up in a day or two is such a relief.
posted by MeghanC at 12:11 AM on May 3, 2015
I suggest not getting a TV on Amazon--we found that they were consistently cheaper at BJ's/Costco, so if that's an option for you, you might want to start there.
All the random kitchen things we've needed have been purchased off Amazon--if you don't already have Prime, now might be a good time to shell out for it. You'll hit a point where you keep realizing you need random small things, and being able to just push a button and know they'll show up in a day or two is such a relief.
posted by MeghanC at 12:11 AM on May 3, 2015
I don't think Ikea's quality is bad at all. They generally use good materials for their stuff. The key is that you will assemble it yourself and you need to do it right, and do a thorough job. But personally, I find Ikea is the least expensive stuff that lasts the longest. Anything you assemble yourself will be less money than anything comes assembled, but that kind of furniture from places like Target or Walmart is not even remotely as good.
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:18 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:18 AM on May 3, 2015
Check out overstock.com. Everything I've bought from them - shoes, bed linens, comforters, chandelier - has been fantastic and delivered easily (free, I think!). I'm building a new home myself and if you're willing to browse a bit you can find a lot of good stuff at good prices.
That said, for things I need to feel (touch) myself - mattresses, towels - I'll start at IKEA and then go up from there, like Bed, Bath and Beyond. If you're feeling - like I do - that you want to be a little more grown-up than IKEA, check out department stores - I found my dream couch for $750 at Macy's. I have to say that anything textile-related, especially sleep-related should be purchased new. IKEA is pretty good for sheets especially now that they have higher thread count sheets.
Personally I find IKEA couches super uncomfortable. If you want something to last 10+ years then it's worth spending money on..
The latest on the IKEA website is that the classic Billy bookshelf has been upgraded - that's always been a great, reasonably-priced shelf.
Overall, if you want quality then be prepared to spend more.. Look for real wood furniture with real joints, etc. If you want cheap you can find it at IKEA. Mostly it's up to you and how much you plan to spend on any given piece.
posted by bendy at 12:46 AM on May 3, 2015
That said, for things I need to feel (touch) myself - mattresses, towels - I'll start at IKEA and then go up from there, like Bed, Bath and Beyond. If you're feeling - like I do - that you want to be a little more grown-up than IKEA, check out department stores - I found my dream couch for $750 at Macy's. I have to say that anything textile-related, especially sleep-related should be purchased new. IKEA is pretty good for sheets especially now that they have higher thread count sheets.
Personally I find IKEA couches super uncomfortable. If you want something to last 10+ years then it's worth spending money on..
The latest on the IKEA website is that the classic Billy bookshelf has been upgraded - that's always been a great, reasonably-priced shelf.
Overall, if you want quality then be prepared to spend more.. Look for real wood furniture with real joints, etc. If you want cheap you can find it at IKEA. Mostly it's up to you and how much you plan to spend on any given piece.
posted by bendy at 12:46 AM on May 3, 2015
Anything big or expensive that you'll need that has the possibility of being defective or breaking too soon, like tvs or appliances, I'd get at Costco because they have the best warranties. They also have sturdily built furniture (sofas, armchairs, etc.), but the style and colors are somewhat traditional and boring, imho. I prefer Overstock when it comes to things like dining room furniture or large area rugs or sofas because the selection is better than Costco, but I only buy large items from Overstock when I know exactly what I want and I'm sure it's of good quality. Sometimes you can locate a large item you're interested in locally, visit the store to see if it's comfortable/suitable/colors as depicted online, and then order from Overstock or another online retailer.
Mattresses I would never buy online unless I'd tried it out locally first. Also I'll never buy another memory foam mattress again, ever. They get hot as hell no matter what type of bedding you use, even in the winter, because they don't breathe like traditional mattresses. And you have to make sure the bedframe is compatible (proper ventilation) to prevent them from getting moldy.
Area rugs, towels, and bedding are very good quality at both Costco and Overstock. Bed, Bath & Beyond for kitchen items like small appliances (mixers, toaster ovens, etc), pots and pans, silverware, vacuums, towels, linens, bedding, etc. (don't forget to use those coupons they mail out every week or go here; you can really save a bundle on large ticket items if you buy them one at a time using their coupons). Kohl's, J.C. Penny's, Sears and TJ Maxx are also good places to check for bargains.
For little stuff where quality doesn't matter like measuring spoons, kitchen scrubbing towels, dish washing gloves, waste bins, cups and glasses that the kids will use, etc. check out stores like Big Lots and Dollar General. Those items are usually the same imported crap that Walmart and Target carry and you'll save money buying them from a Dollar Store. Oh, get cleaning supplies from those stores too, if you can -- much cheaper.
I enjoy cooking, so I don't skimp on my pots and pans and kitchen essentials. Webstaurant Store is my go-to place for that type of thing. Amazon is ok, but the quality isn't reliably good and the prices are often just as, if not more expensive than the Webstaurant Store and my local stores, so I don't shop there as much as I used to.
What else? Home Depot and Lowe's sometimes have surprisingly good deals on lamps and clocks and rugs and things like that, so don't forget to check them out too. Otherwise, Ikea is a solid choice. For bookcases and wooden furniture (not particleboard stuff), look for an unfinished furniture store in your city; you'll save money, get better quality furniture, and they'll stain/varnish/paint it for you if you don't want to do it yourself. Wayfair also has a great selection of just about everything you'd want; they're kind of like Overstock in that they get things from a lot of different suppliers. I've made purchases from them before when they were called csnstores or something like that and the quality has always been good to excellent.
That's all I've got for now. If I think of anything else, I'll come back to this thread.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 1:37 AM on May 3, 2015
Mattresses I would never buy online unless I'd tried it out locally first. Also I'll never buy another memory foam mattress again, ever. They get hot as hell no matter what type of bedding you use, even in the winter, because they don't breathe like traditional mattresses. And you have to make sure the bedframe is compatible (proper ventilation) to prevent them from getting moldy.
Area rugs, towels, and bedding are very good quality at both Costco and Overstock. Bed, Bath & Beyond for kitchen items like small appliances (mixers, toaster ovens, etc), pots and pans, silverware, vacuums, towels, linens, bedding, etc. (don't forget to use those coupons they mail out every week or go here; you can really save a bundle on large ticket items if you buy them one at a time using their coupons). Kohl's, J.C. Penny's, Sears and TJ Maxx are also good places to check for bargains.
For little stuff where quality doesn't matter like measuring spoons, kitchen scrubbing towels, dish washing gloves, waste bins, cups and glasses that the kids will use, etc. check out stores like Big Lots and Dollar General. Those items are usually the same imported crap that Walmart and Target carry and you'll save money buying them from a Dollar Store. Oh, get cleaning supplies from those stores too, if you can -- much cheaper.
I enjoy cooking, so I don't skimp on my pots and pans and kitchen essentials. Webstaurant Store is my go-to place for that type of thing. Amazon is ok, but the quality isn't reliably good and the prices are often just as, if not more expensive than the Webstaurant Store and my local stores, so I don't shop there as much as I used to.
What else? Home Depot and Lowe's sometimes have surprisingly good deals on lamps and clocks and rugs and things like that, so don't forget to check them out too. Otherwise, Ikea is a solid choice. For bookcases and wooden furniture (not particleboard stuff), look for an unfinished furniture store in your city; you'll save money, get better quality furniture, and they'll stain/varnish/paint it for you if you don't want to do it yourself. Wayfair also has a great selection of just about everything you'd want; they're kind of like Overstock in that they get things from a lot of different suppliers. I've made purchases from them before when they were called csnstores or something like that and the quality has always been good to excellent.
That's all I've got for now. If I think of anything else, I'll come back to this thread.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 1:37 AM on May 3, 2015
My advice (source: kid of divorced mom in similar predicament):
Take your time.
Things you need right now:
Beds and bedding
Closet and hangers
Working kitchen with dishwasher, coffeemachine
Bathroom with washing machine
Everything else can seriously wait. Pic nic on a table cloth on the floor, the first month or so. Keep books in boxes. Use lightbulbs without lamps if needs be.
Wait until you know what you want and your cash flow allows it.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:06 AM on May 3, 2015
Take your time.
Things you need right now:
Beds and bedding
Closet and hangers
Working kitchen with dishwasher, coffeemachine
Bathroom with washing machine
Everything else can seriously wait. Pic nic on a table cloth on the floor, the first month or so. Keep books in boxes. Use lightbulbs without lamps if needs be.
Wait until you know what you want and your cash flow allows it.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:06 AM on May 3, 2015
What Omnomnom says - whenever I've moved into a new place I found that half the stuff I bought after viewing the place/in the first month was stuff I'd not have bought after 6 months.
Borrow some garden furniture from friends or something like that if you feel you need a table and chairs right now. But take your time and observe how daylight moves through your new place, if there are any drafts, noise, insulation type things that may affect what you want/need and where you place it.
Just peruse furniture stores and such and spend a bit of time taking in what's there, how much it costs and work out what you may want/need. It sounds like you've not had to do that for a while so don't feel you have to do it all in a week or month.
Finally, I've got a range of ikea furniture including a bed and bedding and I love my bed. I've also got ikea furniture that's lasted me for about 7 years now including three moves, one of which international. But assembly of new items can be a pain so if you can't face the idea of unpacking say a chest of drawers and finding it's got 200 screws/pins/bits to put in before you can use it and you don't have people you can invite for an assembly party pick wisely - some items come in a lot more parts than others.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:54 AM on May 3, 2015
Borrow some garden furniture from friends or something like that if you feel you need a table and chairs right now. But take your time and observe how daylight moves through your new place, if there are any drafts, noise, insulation type things that may affect what you want/need and where you place it.
Just peruse furniture stores and such and spend a bit of time taking in what's there, how much it costs and work out what you may want/need. It sounds like you've not had to do that for a while so don't feel you have to do it all in a week or month.
Finally, I've got a range of ikea furniture including a bed and bedding and I love my bed. I've also got ikea furniture that's lasted me for about 7 years now including three moves, one of which international. But assembly of new items can be a pain so if you can't face the idea of unpacking say a chest of drawers and finding it's got 200 screws/pins/bits to put in before you can use it and you don't have people you can invite for an assembly party pick wisely - some items come in a lot more parts than others.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:54 AM on May 3, 2015
Also came to say that Costco is good for mattresses (mattress stores tend to operate on similar principles as used car dealerships).
Ikea has a variety of furniture ranging from falling apart fairly quickly to pretty darn solid. I've had my Ektorp couch for more than ten years - cover is washable and it is comfortable.
When we outfitted my husband's apartment in the city where he works, we used primarily Ikea, some yard sale stuff (the season for yard sales is upon us - at least in the northeast US it is), a bit of Target and one woot purchase.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:11 AM on May 3, 2015
Ikea has a variety of furniture ranging from falling apart fairly quickly to pretty darn solid. I've had my Ektorp couch for more than ten years - cover is washable and it is comfortable.
When we outfitted my husband's apartment in the city where he works, we used primarily Ikea, some yard sale stuff (the season for yard sales is upon us - at least in the northeast US it is), a bit of Target and one woot purchase.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:11 AM on May 3, 2015
Check out 1888 Mills Towels. They're not expensive and are made of African cotton sourced from the Cotton Made in Africa project, meaning that "sales contribute to poverty reduction for more than 265,000 African farmers."
I really love mine. Not too heavy, not too light; super-absorbent; well made. And after about 2 years of daily use, they're still like new.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 3:57 AM on May 3, 2015
I really love mine. Not too heavy, not too light; super-absorbent; well made. And after about 2 years of daily use, they're still like new.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 3:57 AM on May 3, 2015
Don't know if it works where you are, but when I moved I used Freecycle for nearly everything, just to get going (not mattresses!). I got a lot of perfectly decent furniture that way. That bought me time so that I could really think through what I'd like to buy properly. Once you've finished with things from Freecycle, they can go right back on Freecycle and some really grateful people will show up to take them away.
posted by emilyw at 4:04 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by emilyw at 4:04 AM on May 3, 2015
For all of the random home and kitchen goods you'll be needing, look into the reviews at The SweetHome. They'll tell you the best product you can buy for a wide variety of categories (vacuum cleaner, sheets, towels, knives, glasses, etc.). It's much easier than slogging through tons of reviews for everything you'll need to buy.
posted by upplepop at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by upplepop at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2015
Sweethome & Wirecutter have been very useful for me with ensuring I buy quality stuff at the price - value sweetspot.
I second craigslist. You can buy things with more character and quality than Ikea for a lot less money (but a bit more hassle). Depending on your finances I'd consider buying somethings with the full intention of replacing them later if needed (my kitchen table and chairs were bundled with a glass door half shelf for $150 with delivery - it isn't quite what I want but the price was unbeatable and I'll replace it in two years but in the meantime I have a table and chairs for more than $500 less than the cheapest and ugliest brand new alternative).
I'd get amazon prime - you'll be ordering lots from there plus you get free streaming video for a year and a month of free kindle books.
Beware of buying cheap new plates or cutlery. I have rusting stainless steel cutlery and white plates that mark up horribly thanks to buying cheap at Target. My next stuff will probably be used items from charity shops. World Market is a good source for cheap kitchen items and they often have a coupon in their flyers for 20% off.
posted by srboisvert at 6:40 AM on May 3, 2015
I second craigslist. You can buy things with more character and quality than Ikea for a lot less money (but a bit more hassle). Depending on your finances I'd consider buying somethings with the full intention of replacing them later if needed (my kitchen table and chairs were bundled with a glass door half shelf for $150 with delivery - it isn't quite what I want but the price was unbeatable and I'll replace it in two years but in the meantime I have a table and chairs for more than $500 less than the cheapest and ugliest brand new alternative).
I'd get amazon prime - you'll be ordering lots from there plus you get free streaming video for a year and a month of free kindle books.
Beware of buying cheap new plates or cutlery. I have rusting stainless steel cutlery and white plates that mark up horribly thanks to buying cheap at Target. My next stuff will probably be used items from charity shops. World Market is a good source for cheap kitchen items and they often have a coupon in their flyers for 20% off.
posted by srboisvert at 6:40 AM on May 3, 2015
Oh...I forgot. Get your beds sorted out first thing. I thought I was capable of indoor camping for a few days when I moved across the ocean with no stuff. Turns out that is just awful and sleep deprivation leads to bad decisions on other things.
posted by srboisvert at 6:47 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by srboisvert at 6:47 AM on May 3, 2015
Buy as little as possible just the most necessary things.
Stay "light" with as little possessions as possible. You can only spend your money once!
You will be going trough lots of changes in the next few years. Don't drag yourself down by the "stuff" you just bought!
posted by Mac-Expert at 6:48 AM on May 3, 2015
Stay "light" with as little possessions as possible. You can only spend your money once!
You will be going trough lots of changes in the next few years. Don't drag yourself down by the "stuff" you just bought!
posted by Mac-Expert at 6:48 AM on May 3, 2015
IKEA Billy bookcases, Pax wardrobes, and Malm dressers are solid, and people on Craigslist are often unloading them for cheap.
posted by matildaben at 7:40 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by matildaben at 7:40 AM on May 3, 2015
I've moved long distance several times and had to buy many things again, and my favorite place for quality and price is Craigslist. However, it can take a little more time to find what you need (I use IFTTT to send alerts for specific searches). For convenience, I'd recommend using it for something like a couch, which you'd otherwise probably have to wait weeks for, if you buy it from a typical place with delivery. At least in the area where I am now, so many people are constantly moving (and using Craigslist) that it's possible to quickly find an excellent, like-new sofa for half price or much less (if it's near the end of the month and people are moving, often free), and then be able to pick it up the same day.
Mattresses: Tuft and Needle will let you return a mattress for free if you don't like it. I like that they come rolled up so they're easy to move in. Very comfortable, good price.
Dressers: IKEA is the simplest option, but again, you'll probably find better quality on Craigslist (I got gorgeous birdseye maple and teak midcentury dressers for free, for example, with a little patience)
Couch: Other than Craigslist, Macy's has very good couches, some for better prices than alternatives like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, etc.
Dining table: Craigslist is best. But IKEA has nice solid wood tables.
TV: Craigslist again. But Amazon's fine.
Bookshelves: Craigslist. IKEA's okay. Check out their returns section, where you can pay less and get something already assembled.
Kitchen: IKEA's a simple solution for things like pots and pans. But if you want higher-quality things, here's a Cooks Illustrated recommendation list on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Recommendations/lm/R2J3GAX2X100H2. Ross or Marshalls also have cheaper versions of many things that you'll probably need.
Sheets: I like the Company Store or LL Bean. But also Ross/Marshalls
Towels: My favorite towels are Tommy Hilfiger, which I got very cheaply at Ross
Rugs: I would do Craigslist. If there's a Crate and Barrel outlet store near you, they often have nice options. Otherwise, IKEA or Overstock.
posted by three_red_balloons at 8:10 AM on May 3, 2015
Mattresses: Tuft and Needle will let you return a mattress for free if you don't like it. I like that they come rolled up so they're easy to move in. Very comfortable, good price.
Dressers: IKEA is the simplest option, but again, you'll probably find better quality on Craigslist (I got gorgeous birdseye maple and teak midcentury dressers for free, for example, with a little patience)
Couch: Other than Craigslist, Macy's has very good couches, some for better prices than alternatives like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, etc.
Dining table: Craigslist is best. But IKEA has nice solid wood tables.
TV: Craigslist again. But Amazon's fine.
Bookshelves: Craigslist. IKEA's okay. Check out their returns section, where you can pay less and get something already assembled.
Kitchen: IKEA's a simple solution for things like pots and pans. But if you want higher-quality things, here's a Cooks Illustrated recommendation list on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Recommendations/lm/R2J3GAX2X100H2. Ross or Marshalls also have cheaper versions of many things that you'll probably need.
Sheets: I like the Company Store or LL Bean. But also Ross/Marshalls
Towels: My favorite towels are Tommy Hilfiger, which I got very cheaply at Ross
Rugs: I would do Craigslist. If there's a Crate and Barrel outlet store near you, they often have nice options. Otherwise, IKEA or Overstock.
posted by three_red_balloons at 8:10 AM on May 3, 2015
Nth taking your time (other than the things Omnomom suggested prioritizing). You don't want to be stuck with a dining table or rugs you paid a lot to be meh about.
That leaves you free to shop sales opportunistically. I had a list and just picked things off when I saw a good deal I liked. Getting "lucky" with sales, though, means spending a lot of time looking (it took 5-6 months of weekend hunting to get my place ~80% of the way there). It might be worth it, though; I got an $800 loveseat for $250, a $500 coffee table for $200 - the cost of furnishing my place would have easily doubled if I'd just paid sticker price for everything.
If you live in a city with a bedbug problem, consider going out of town for Craigslist finds. You can often find nicer stuff out there, anyway. Also, check out auctions and estate sales - higher likelihood of finding real wood pieces for the same cost as new MDF stuff (or cheaper).
The cost of delivery from US stores was prohibitive for me, as I'm in Canada, but if I lived in the US, I'd go to Overstock.com or Rugs USA for rugs. Both have a good selection, and it's hard to beat their prices.
Don't worry too much about how you're going to put it all together. Just trust your taste. Once you buy a thing, it constrains your other choices, so weirdly, that gets easier as you buy (in that you know what you're looking for, maybe not so much that it's available right when you want it).
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:32 AM on May 3, 2015
That leaves you free to shop sales opportunistically. I had a list and just picked things off when I saw a good deal I liked. Getting "lucky" with sales, though, means spending a lot of time looking (it took 5-6 months of weekend hunting to get my place ~80% of the way there). It might be worth it, though; I got an $800 loveseat for $250, a $500 coffee table for $200 - the cost of furnishing my place would have easily doubled if I'd just paid sticker price for everything.
If you live in a city with a bedbug problem, consider going out of town for Craigslist finds. You can often find nicer stuff out there, anyway. Also, check out auctions and estate sales - higher likelihood of finding real wood pieces for the same cost as new MDF stuff (or cheaper).
The cost of delivery from US stores was prohibitive for me, as I'm in Canada, but if I lived in the US, I'd go to Overstock.com or Rugs USA for rugs. Both have a good selection, and it's hard to beat their prices.
Don't worry too much about how you're going to put it all together. Just trust your taste. Once you buy a thing, it constrains your other choices, so weirdly, that gets easier as you buy (in that you know what you're looking for, maybe not so much that it's available right when you want it).
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:32 AM on May 3, 2015
Don't forget to buy a shower curtain (or at least a liner) before moving into your new place. :)
You can get great deals on a lot of household stuff at Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Ross, etc. Everything from shower curtains to rugs to bedding kitchen stuff.
FWIW, I used to be a huge fan of The Company Store but I had to return the last two sets of sheets I bought because they were so scratchy. Their comforters are still great though. I ended up getting Charter Club Damask bedding at Macy's recently and they're really soft (and Macy's is always having sales).
I got a good deal at a couch at an Ashley Furniture Home Store Outlet. There wasn't a huge selection, but there were a few attractive ones in my price range and I am happy with our selection.
Ikea can be great, you just have to know what to get. I love my Expedit bookcases (recently replaced with the Kallax line). However the Malm dressers haven't held up that well, and there's always one drawer that's crooked.
posted by radioamy at 11:30 AM on May 3, 2015
You can get great deals on a lot of household stuff at Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Ross, etc. Everything from shower curtains to rugs to bedding kitchen stuff.
FWIW, I used to be a huge fan of The Company Store but I had to return the last two sets of sheets I bought because they were so scratchy. Their comforters are still great though. I ended up getting Charter Club Damask bedding at Macy's recently and they're really soft (and Macy's is always having sales).
I got a good deal at a couch at an Ashley Furniture Home Store Outlet. There wasn't a huge selection, but there were a few attractive ones in my price range and I am happy with our selection.
Ikea can be great, you just have to know what to get. I love my Expedit bookcases (recently replaced with the Kallax line). However the Malm dressers haven't held up that well, and there's always one drawer that's crooked.
posted by radioamy at 11:30 AM on May 3, 2015
Another tip - start signing up for emails from anywhere you think you'd want to shop (maybe create a new email address for this), and you'll get all the coupons and sale alerts. And if you plan on shopping at BBB, ask friends to give you any 20% off coupons that come in the mail.
posted by radioamy at 11:31 AM on May 3, 2015
posted by radioamy at 11:31 AM on May 3, 2015
One very specific tip: for IKEA stuff, I really like the Karlstad sofa/chair line. Really sturdy, and if you get the Isunda Grey upholstry, it's very sturdy - it survived my dog's puppy years so it will probably be good for kids too.
Otherwise, I'd recommend starting out with only the necessities, because the fact is, if you're in a rush to buy this stuff, you're probably going to end up with some crap. You don't want to start a new home with a house full of crap. So start off with the basics, and then you can take your time to buy high-quality items as you find them.
If you have World Market near you, that can be a good source of stuff like rugs, dishware, small pieces of furniture, etc.
If you're in the Northwest, Fred Meyer can be ok for furniture.
posted by lunasol at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2015
Otherwise, I'd recommend starting out with only the necessities, because the fact is, if you're in a rush to buy this stuff, you're probably going to end up with some crap. You don't want to start a new home with a house full of crap. So start off with the basics, and then you can take your time to buy high-quality items as you find them.
If you have World Market near you, that can be a good source of stuff like rugs, dishware, small pieces of furniture, etc.
If you're in the Northwest, Fred Meyer can be ok for furniture.
posted by lunasol at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2015
Seconding Freecycle. I'm about to put a bunch of stuff up there myself that I'm too lazy to sell (coffee table, chairs, end tables). You can find good stuff. Head to a thrift store for dishes. You can usually get a matching stack of plates or bowls for $6ish, and a surprising amount of it is Ikea-but-we-got-married-and-registered-elsewhere. If you get an Ikea bed, it is sooooo worth it to pay for the super high-end slats. I love them. If you have kids and a dog, Craigslist/Freecycle is a great way to find a solid hunk of wood coffee table that won't match anything but will take all the abuse you can give it.
Amazon price matches televisions, so buy it there and scope prices elsewhere for the next 14 days.
posted by good lorneing at 12:51 PM on May 3, 2015
Amazon price matches televisions, so buy it there and scope prices elsewhere for the next 14 days.
posted by good lorneing at 12:51 PM on May 3, 2015
Where I live, Craigslist is losing ground to garage sale facebook groups. I'm in a couple in my town that have several thousand members, and people sell really fantastic stuff for cheap.
posted by gatorae at 1:41 PM on May 3, 2015
posted by gatorae at 1:41 PM on May 3, 2015
I was just at my local Goodwill and they have a lot of dishes and glasses and such there. You probably won't find an attractive full set of plates, but you're bound to find a set of tumblers or wine glasses.
posted by radioamy at 7:07 PM on May 3, 2015
posted by radioamy at 7:07 PM on May 3, 2015
Couches - if you have a store like Value City, we found good couches there.
Mattresses - Don't forget to check Sears or JCPenny
Table - I got a good table at a place specializing in wood/amish furniture. It was a little more expensive than ikea but it had a leaf that folded into the table so it worked well for a small space re: storage.
Online - Overstock, Wayfair are worth trying. Bed Bath & Beyond is OK if you get the 20% off coupons for online.
Curtains - JCPenny is the best value I've found (online).
TV -- Do you need any other appliances? (e.g., microwave, speakers for TV, etc) If you're buying multiple things at once sometimes you can negotiate a deal from appliance-type stores.
posted by typecloud at 6:36 AM on May 4, 2015
Mattresses - Don't forget to check Sears or JCPenny
Table - I got a good table at a place specializing in wood/amish furniture. It was a little more expensive than ikea but it had a leaf that folded into the table so it worked well for a small space re: storage.
Online - Overstock, Wayfair are worth trying. Bed Bath & Beyond is OK if you get the 20% off coupons for online.
Curtains - JCPenny is the best value I've found (online).
TV -- Do you need any other appliances? (e.g., microwave, speakers for TV, etc) If you're buying multiple things at once sometimes you can negotiate a deal from appliance-type stores.
posted by typecloud at 6:36 AM on May 4, 2015
nthing The Sweethome. Also my girlfriend and I love our bed from bedinabox.com.
posted by Aizkolari at 4:26 PM on May 4, 2015
posted by Aizkolari at 4:26 PM on May 4, 2015
Per Ikea things, get a pound of wood screws and a 1/8" drill bit. Maybe a 2x4" as well. Then just brace everything together better than the little allen wrench could ever do.
posted by wcfields at 1:24 PM on May 5, 2015
posted by wcfields at 1:24 PM on May 5, 2015
Housewares ie plates, pots, pans: Goodwill, Goodwill, Goodwill. Garage sales too.
Target has attractive bedding for reasonable prices, especially sheets. Bathroom stuff too, though you'll likely want to upgrade these later. You may want to look at TJMaxx/Home Goods for this too.
posted by maryr at 1:57 PM on May 5, 2015
Target has attractive bedding for reasonable prices, especially sheets. Bathroom stuff too, though you'll likely want to upgrade these later. You may want to look at TJMaxx/Home Goods for this too.
posted by maryr at 1:57 PM on May 5, 2015
Hey, I've done this three times! Most recently starting last May. I have many Opinions. Some of them may even be useful.
First, some general advice. You may already know all of this.
I've found that my best overall strategy, for anything that I "need," is to just buy the cheapest/easiest thing that works, expecting to replace it at some point. Sometimes, it turns out that I didn't need a fancier version of the thing, or it turns out that I thought I needed it, but I didn't really, or it turns out that finding a version of the thing that I really want is a more trouble than it's worth. It's also helpful in that I can wait until the thing that I want is on sale. Just having something helps me to not stress out, even if it means that I spend a little more in the end. (I suspect that this strategy saves me money overall, though.)
As posters above have pointed out, definitely prioritize. Bed shopping seems to be the hardest; I've gone for 6+ months sleeping on an air mattress or cheap futon until I could find a bed that I liked that wasn't stupidly expensive.
Furniture seems to be really hit or miss in terms of quality. I have great stuff from Walmart, and I've seen flimsy garbage at pricey furniture shops. From experience, I try to stay away from anything with a veneer, especially a melamine veneer -- often, that's used to conceal particle board or MDF, and it tends to look terrible at the corners after a few years. Paint might be OK. Anything metal or metal and glass tends to hold up really well. Solid, stained and lacquered wood--even cheap wood, like pine--also seems to hold up reasonably well. You can definitely go nuts here -- there is a wide range of quality in wooden furniture -- but in my experience the price goes up very fast once you're past the "made from actual wood" barrier.
We also have a few "misused" pieces of furniture -- we use short, "tower"-style shelves for bedside tables, and our coffee table is actually a TV stand. Most of the time, that sort of thing doesn't work out, but sometimes it's the perfect thing.
Buying things online is a bit of an art. Online reviews can be useful, but unfortunately it's a bit of a "reading the tea leaves" situation. For out-of-5-star sites, I generally look at the ratio of 2-star and 4-star ratings, and read a sample from each group to find trends. Sites like Wirecutter and Sweethome can be useful, though more for housewares (which don't change much) than for electronics (where models are available for 6 months, then replaced).
Our 2014-2015 findings:
We may be looking higher-end than you (we are rich, though not 1% rich, and this cycle is more about "yay we got a house let's replace the crappy stuff we had," whereas the last two cycles were "oh crap, I don't have anything"), so not all of the following may apply. Generally, we've been looking for stuff that is built well and fits our décor, with prices that aren't astronomical, but we have gotten a couple of stupid-expensive things because we couldn't find something we liked at a reasonable price. I've also built a few pieces because we couldn't find anything good, which requires space, tools, time, and a little skill. We didn't do much thrift store/craigslist shopping, mostly because I have more money and carpentry skill than we have patience for shopping.
Mattresses:
Our mattress is a name-brand mattress that we bought from a semi-local chain; it cost about 5x what I've paid for previous mattresses. Previously, I bought from local manufacturers (Discount Mattress in Denver, which seems to have either changed owners or gone out of business, and, I believe, Everrest in Seattle), but we didn't find any in our current area.
Dressers:
We bought one dresser for like $700 from a traditional furniture store after a lot of shopping. Ikea definitely has some cheaper alternatives, but mostly in the melamine-veneer variety. :-/ Thrift stores or craigslist might be a good option, with patience.
Bedframes:
We've almost given up on bedframes; we're using the cheap metal bottom frame that the mattress store gave us, with a bed skirt so it looks more-or-less presentable. It would be really nice to have a headboard, though. (The wall can work as a headboard, if your pillowcases are about the same color as the wall -- I've stained walls from rubbing pillows against them.)
Couch:
Ikea. Many of Ikea's couches have the super-nice property that they have removable fabric covers which you can buy separately (about half of the cover choices are machine-washable). We have pet cats and rabbits, so machine-washable covers and extra covers are really convenient. Plus, the couch is cheap enough that I don't have to worry too much about it getting destroyed within 10 years (thanks, rabbits), but the build quality is good enough that I think it will last 10 years.
The same goes for Ikea's dining chairs, though if they see heavy use you'll need to tighten the bolts periodically.
Dining table:
Ours is an older Ikea metal-and-glass table, which has held up very well (but which they no longer carry). I'm probably going to get a second, smaller, wooden dining table for the other "dining" area; Ikea seems to have the best options in terms of price vs quality, but I'm probably going to build one because I didn't see anything that I really liked in terms of style.
TV:
Costco, if already have a membership, if they're currently offering free memberships, if you can borrow someone else's membership, or you're buying a really expensive TV. From what I saw, many of the models Costco carries are Costco-exclusive "almost as good as elsewhere" models, for much cheaper. Unless you care about 6000000:1 vs 4000000:1 contrast, Costco seems to be the best.
Bookshelves, both adult and kids':
Bookshelves are hard. Ikea's Billy shelves are OK -- much better than Walmart or Target shelves -- but never impressed me. (Proper hand-built wooden shelves from my stepfather may have spoiled me.) Unfortunately, good shelves seem to be crazy expensive. For shelves in the open, we ended up with a mixture of expensive shelves from The Container Store and shelves that I built.
For shelves in closets and garage, we went with some cheap-ish sturdy-but-really-ugly plastic shelves from Home Depot, and some of the "industrial-style" metal shelves that lots of places seem to carry under various brand names. (They all have similar shelves and identical corner posts with horizontal etchings at 1" intervals. I suspect they're all made in the same factory in China.)
Kitchen goods:
Online is good; it's fairly easy to find cheaper prices for the particular thing you want. Bed Bath & Beyond sends out flyers with "20% off one item" coupons, which bring their prices to the same range as online prices. You can also get more of those coupons by signing up for their email & text promotions. We also got a "20% off of one order" coupon shortly after moving in, which we put to serious use buying a bunch of little things.
This is definitely a place where the "buy cheap, then later buy good" has really paid off for us; we have a bunch of really cheap pots, pans, and gadgets, and (over 5+ years) have only wanted to replace about 40% of them with better versions, which are 5x-10x the cost of the cheap ones. (If you already have a good idea of what tools you use, this probably doesn't apply to you, but the price difference between "serviceable" and "actually really good" is huge for some kitchen tools.)
For good pots & pans we've been going with All-Clad, with some judicious choices between copper-core and aluminum-core.
For good knives, we use a mixture of Kyocera ceramic knives (especially their paring knives) and Victorinox (especially anything where you want to chop or need a pointed tip).
Sheets:
We like to touch sheets before purchase, so we got ours at Bed Bath & Beyond, with coupon. Amazon's store brand textiles (Pinzon) seem to be OK. I suspect that if you know what threadcount or style you want, or are not finicky, online would work well.
Towels:
Our kitchen towels are Calphalon, which we got at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $8/ea, though there are vastly cheaper options.
I love Restoration Hardware's bath towels, and they seem to hold up really well, but they're $60/ea. My SO, who is about half my size, thinks they're too heavy.
Rugs:
We got ours on clearance at Home Depot and (for small rugs) Bed Bath & Beyond. This is another case where we like to touch and see them in person, and the online options seemed sketchy. I've heard that carpet stores may put edges on carpet remnants for use as rugs for reasonable prices.
posted by reventlov at 7:33 PM on May 5, 2015
First, some general advice. You may already know all of this.
I've found that my best overall strategy, for anything that I "need," is to just buy the cheapest/easiest thing that works, expecting to replace it at some point. Sometimes, it turns out that I didn't need a fancier version of the thing, or it turns out that I thought I needed it, but I didn't really, or it turns out that finding a version of the thing that I really want is a more trouble than it's worth. It's also helpful in that I can wait until the thing that I want is on sale. Just having something helps me to not stress out, even if it means that I spend a little more in the end. (I suspect that this strategy saves me money overall, though.)
As posters above have pointed out, definitely prioritize. Bed shopping seems to be the hardest; I've gone for 6+ months sleeping on an air mattress or cheap futon until I could find a bed that I liked that wasn't stupidly expensive.
Furniture seems to be really hit or miss in terms of quality. I have great stuff from Walmart, and I've seen flimsy garbage at pricey furniture shops. From experience, I try to stay away from anything with a veneer, especially a melamine veneer -- often, that's used to conceal particle board or MDF, and it tends to look terrible at the corners after a few years. Paint might be OK. Anything metal or metal and glass tends to hold up really well. Solid, stained and lacquered wood--even cheap wood, like pine--also seems to hold up reasonably well. You can definitely go nuts here -- there is a wide range of quality in wooden furniture -- but in my experience the price goes up very fast once you're past the "made from actual wood" barrier.
We also have a few "misused" pieces of furniture -- we use short, "tower"-style shelves for bedside tables, and our coffee table is actually a TV stand. Most of the time, that sort of thing doesn't work out, but sometimes it's the perfect thing.
Buying things online is a bit of an art. Online reviews can be useful, but unfortunately it's a bit of a "reading the tea leaves" situation. For out-of-5-star sites, I generally look at the ratio of 2-star and 4-star ratings, and read a sample from each group to find trends. Sites like Wirecutter and Sweethome can be useful, though more for housewares (which don't change much) than for electronics (where models are available for 6 months, then replaced).
Our 2014-2015 findings:
We may be looking higher-end than you (we are rich, though not 1% rich, and this cycle is more about "yay we got a house let's replace the crappy stuff we had," whereas the last two cycles were "oh crap, I don't have anything"), so not all of the following may apply. Generally, we've been looking for stuff that is built well and fits our décor, with prices that aren't astronomical, but we have gotten a couple of stupid-expensive things because we couldn't find something we liked at a reasonable price. I've also built a few pieces because we couldn't find anything good, which requires space, tools, time, and a little skill. We didn't do much thrift store/craigslist shopping, mostly because I have more money and carpentry skill than we have patience for shopping.
Mattresses:
Our mattress is a name-brand mattress that we bought from a semi-local chain; it cost about 5x what I've paid for previous mattresses. Previously, I bought from local manufacturers (Discount Mattress in Denver, which seems to have either changed owners or gone out of business, and, I believe, Everrest in Seattle), but we didn't find any in our current area.
Dressers:
We bought one dresser for like $700 from a traditional furniture store after a lot of shopping. Ikea definitely has some cheaper alternatives, but mostly in the melamine-veneer variety. :-/ Thrift stores or craigslist might be a good option, with patience.
Bedframes:
We've almost given up on bedframes; we're using the cheap metal bottom frame that the mattress store gave us, with a bed skirt so it looks more-or-less presentable. It would be really nice to have a headboard, though. (The wall can work as a headboard, if your pillowcases are about the same color as the wall -- I've stained walls from rubbing pillows against them.)
Couch:
Ikea. Many of Ikea's couches have the super-nice property that they have removable fabric covers which you can buy separately (about half of the cover choices are machine-washable). We have pet cats and rabbits, so machine-washable covers and extra covers are really convenient. Plus, the couch is cheap enough that I don't have to worry too much about it getting destroyed within 10 years (thanks, rabbits), but the build quality is good enough that I think it will last 10 years.
The same goes for Ikea's dining chairs, though if they see heavy use you'll need to tighten the bolts periodically.
Dining table:
Ours is an older Ikea metal-and-glass table, which has held up very well (but which they no longer carry). I'm probably going to get a second, smaller, wooden dining table for the other "dining" area; Ikea seems to have the best options in terms of price vs quality, but I'm probably going to build one because I didn't see anything that I really liked in terms of style.
TV:
Costco, if already have a membership, if they're currently offering free memberships, if you can borrow someone else's membership, or you're buying a really expensive TV. From what I saw, many of the models Costco carries are Costco-exclusive "almost as good as elsewhere" models, for much cheaper. Unless you care about 6000000:1 vs 4000000:1 contrast, Costco seems to be the best.
Bookshelves, both adult and kids':
Bookshelves are hard. Ikea's Billy shelves are OK -- much better than Walmart or Target shelves -- but never impressed me. (Proper hand-built wooden shelves from my stepfather may have spoiled me.) Unfortunately, good shelves seem to be crazy expensive. For shelves in the open, we ended up with a mixture of expensive shelves from The Container Store and shelves that I built.
For shelves in closets and garage, we went with some cheap-ish sturdy-but-really-ugly plastic shelves from Home Depot, and some of the "industrial-style" metal shelves that lots of places seem to carry under various brand names. (They all have similar shelves and identical corner posts with horizontal etchings at 1" intervals. I suspect they're all made in the same factory in China.)
Kitchen goods:
Online is good; it's fairly easy to find cheaper prices for the particular thing you want. Bed Bath & Beyond sends out flyers with "20% off one item" coupons, which bring their prices to the same range as online prices. You can also get more of those coupons by signing up for their email & text promotions. We also got a "20% off of one order" coupon shortly after moving in, which we put to serious use buying a bunch of little things.
This is definitely a place where the "buy cheap, then later buy good" has really paid off for us; we have a bunch of really cheap pots, pans, and gadgets, and (over 5+ years) have only wanted to replace about 40% of them with better versions, which are 5x-10x the cost of the cheap ones. (If you already have a good idea of what tools you use, this probably doesn't apply to you, but the price difference between "serviceable" and "actually really good" is huge for some kitchen tools.)
For good pots & pans we've been going with All-Clad, with some judicious choices between copper-core and aluminum-core.
For good knives, we use a mixture of Kyocera ceramic knives (especially their paring knives) and Victorinox (especially anything where you want to chop or need a pointed tip).
Sheets:
We like to touch sheets before purchase, so we got ours at Bed Bath & Beyond, with coupon. Amazon's store brand textiles (Pinzon) seem to be OK. I suspect that if you know what threadcount or style you want, or are not finicky, online would work well.
Towels:
Our kitchen towels are Calphalon, which we got at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $8/ea, though there are vastly cheaper options.
I love Restoration Hardware's bath towels, and they seem to hold up really well, but they're $60/ea. My SO, who is about half my size, thinks they're too heavy.
Rugs:
We got ours on clearance at Home Depot and (for small rugs) Bed Bath & Beyond. This is another case where we like to touch and see them in person, and the online options seemed sketchy. I've heard that carpet stores may put edges on carpet remnants for use as rugs for reasonable prices.
posted by reventlov at 7:33 PM on May 5, 2015
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Upwards of 90% of the stuff in my house is from craigslist. high quality stuff too. higher end brand name tv, ritzy department store couch and bed/frame, apple computers, etc.
The only things i got new are a coffee table, a bookshelf, tv stand, and some end tables furniture wise.
I would buy the sheets and towels and rugs new from amazon, but ikea or somewhere like uniqlo are fine for that stuff.
Really basic shelving stuff like tv stands and bookshelves are cheap and perfectly fine from ikea. I shy away from anything that costs over $100 there because the price/quality ratio starts to go sour.
I also wouldn't rule out thrift shops for chairs and tables and such. I have a NICE desk and several chairs that were only $15-40 at a thrift store. I also picked up some great kitchen chairs at a building material recycling store that mostly sells fancy used sinks and light fixtures and such(which sounds weird, but they kind of just accept... a lot of things that would go in a house, including furniture)
Buy mattresses at ikea or costco. There's a few ok online sources but the prices aren't super competitive to those options. Check out sleep like the dead and such.
The reason i shy away from cheap new stuff is that, well, it doesn't last. Most ikea stuff that isn't just shelves falls apart. I carefully selected that i did buy there to not be MDF garbage that wont survive a move with the exception of the tv stand.
I will note that the end tables i bought on amazon turned out to be a shittier knockoff of the ones ikea ended up selling that match the coffee table i got from them. A lot of amazon furniture is of seriously questionable quality.
Bed bath and beyonds markdown section is also awesome for curtains and sheets and other fabricy things like towels. Just remembered that. You can buy fairly high quality stuff for as cheap as the junkiest amazon bits.
posted by emptythought at 10:53 PM on May 2, 2015