Help...furniture shopping. :-(

How did you ladies handle this? FH and I are having so many problems. We are starting from scratch, and take over our apt at the beginning of April. Time contraints are insane right now because the wedding is less than 3 months away.

We agree on a style, but are just having problems figuring out how best to pay for it, what to get first...when to look, where to look so we don't get ripped off....just tons of issues that are making me nuts!

The big problem with furniture places, and financing, is that they have a HIGH interest rate. But you can walk out of there putting $$$ down, and you wont have payments for a year. WE did this, and made monthly payments until the last payment was due...then they kick in with HIGH rates, about 25%.

If you can have it paid off by then that is great.

First, get a bed I got mine from Sleepy's. Tons of places sell them. Just make sure you get a high-quality bed, not just one that is on sale. And they always go onsale, so never pay full price.

You will need to get a dresser or two. It depends if you want to just get some cheap stuff now, and get nice stuff when you buy a house. You can just go to Target, Walmart or Kmart for some quick, inexpensive dressers for now. If you want nice stuff I love Country Parlor. But you can just drive down Rt. 110 and look in all the furniture places on that strip.

Then worry about a kitchen table/chair set. Again, you can go cheap or expensive. It all depends on your budget.

And then worry about your LR. Because people can always sit on folding chairs for a few weeks until you get something.
Most guys will actually say the TV is the most important purchase But that is something you might want to consider ahead of time, with a stand.

You said you are taking over your apt, so do you have some furniture right now? If so, don't get rid of it yet!! With the wedding expenses and starting from scratch, I would not go out and buy expensive furniture unless you have the cash to pay for it or if they have a 0% deal for 6-12 months (with this, you would be paying a few hundred per month). From what I've seen, the LR and BR sets that last a lifetime are very $$$$. We are looking for BR sets and we will need to spend about $4000 for something that lasts 30-40 years. The sets of lesser quality are average $2000.

I agree you can get some cheap stuff at IKEA, Target, etc. Flea markets and thrift shops may also have stuff that will last you until you're ready to buy good stuff.

I agree w/Nina...re-use whatever you have now, if possible. If you enjoy re-finishing older pieces of wood furniture or if you can paint, you might be able to give an old or cheaper dresser a new, updated facelift. Shabby chic, as they say. It's a temporary solution that you can live with until you decide what you can afford and what you really want to furnish a new apartment. Try to keep in mind that pulling together a certain 'look' can take some time...you could pick up a piece here, another there, etc....it's a process that you and FH should enjoy...not have stress over.

Also, look in the paper for estate and tag sales. With the spring coming, there will be a lot more listings and you might be able to pick up a very expensive piece of antique furniture for less than you'll pay buying something brand new in the stores. Just an idea!

If you need a kitchen table I have one that is in good shape but is going to go in the garbage if no one wants it. All you would have to do is come and pick it up!!
Its a round table, with 4 spindel back chairs in a light wood color.

let me know!

Hmmm Where to Begin.....

I would start out by deciding if this is investment furniture or just for now stuff. If you hope to be out of the apartment within the next 5 years or so I would lean mostly towards the 'just for now' catagory. You dont want to spend a ton of money on furniture only find that it wont work down the line in your next new home.

Next, take inventory of everything you have or can gather from Family and Friends. Determine your immediate needs. Make up a Budget for the immediate need items and stick to it.

As far as shopping goes, 110 has a huge selection of furniture stores in all price ranges. I usually shop there but purchase from Furnitureland South I have saved a tone of $$ using them vs the LI stores. Have Fun

we got our stanley bedroom furniture from furnitureland.south
I second them!

Tammy and Fran,

Did you see the stuff from furnitureland in person before you bought it? Where is it located? The website has an address in SC.

I found my BR set at Siegermans then ordered it from Furnitureland South. I also ordered some Drexel pieces from them. When you shop around dont be afraid to look in and under everything for the manuafactures name. You give FLS the mfg and they will send you pictures and fabric swatches of what ever you want.
They are located in SC. They have a hugh showroom. Anyone want to take a trip down in early April?

start small!!

Ikea is reasonable...but be very careful of what you buy...some is very good...some is flimbsy

we bought a couch from Macy's...6 months no interest or payments...we paid it off by then

Mistyeyed

Be very careful with the sales out there, and especially the 'no interest, no downpayment' type of promotions. Most places have a catch in the fine print .. most notably most places will accrue the interest during the 'interest free' period, so if you don't pay it all off by the end of the promotional period, you are slapped with all the interest anyway. Meaning, if they tell you interest free through 2003, you better have it all paid off by whatever date they tell you .. otherwise when that date comes and goes .. you will be charged the interest.

When we went furniture shopping, we found it seemed like Huffman Koos had a great deal .. because their interest doesn't accrue during the 'interest free' period .. which is great .. plus we felt they had a reputation for good quality furniture .. however ... we had so, so many problems with them, the 'quality' of the furniture, and their customer service (or lack of), that I strongly recommend staying away from them. They were truly a nightmare for us, and it has actually intimidated me from searching out other furniture needed for the rest of the house!