Furnishing Your First Home

The last few months of your life you may have been bombarded with paperwork, relators and walking through homes that you may have loved and some that didn’t quite fit your personality. Buying or renting your first place outside of your parent’s home or college apartment can be a very exciting time. There are endless possibilities right in front of you, and you may be feeling a little lost.

Lucky for you, we put together a list of some things to think about so you and your wallet are not completely overwhelmed.

Budget

Before you spend every penny left in your savings account, create a reasonable budget. This includes factoring in future income. Maybe you need to wait a month before you purchase a bed frame, sofa, and the ultimate entertainment center.
Write down a list of the absolute necessities that will allow you to entertain family and close friends, eat a meal, and get some rest. This will allow you to live in your new place for a while. Then you can begin budgeting to furnish one room at a time.

High Traffic Areas

If you are the type of person that loves cooking, make the kitchen your first goal. If you order take out six nights a week so that you never miss an episode of your favorite show, focus on setting up your living room. Focus on areas of your new place where you will spend the most of your time.

DIY Recycle Projects

If you find that you are on a very tight budget to furnish your place you may want to consider asking family or friends to see if they might have some items they can donate. Pinterest is full of ideas on ways to repurpose items on a budget. You may be shocked at what a coat of paint can do. You may also see if your community is part of the Buy Nothing project. This group can offer free furniture from your neighbors that they may no longer use. You can also check local swap sites, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for discounted furniture.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before. Unfortunately, some people don’t measure the space they have to work with before they head out to purchase furniture. This can result in blocking windows and doors with a couch or table. While you don’t necessarily have to cut anything it sure is a good idea to measure and take pictures of what the space looks like. This will help tremendously once you are at the store piecing together the perfect living room.

Minimalistic Lifestyle

Moving is one of the best times to declutter and get rid of items that you don’t use. If you feel that you can part with a certain item or that it is not going to be necessary, ditch it! Donate items that are still in good shape, or have a garage sale to put a little extra cash back into your home. Furniture typically does not appreciate, meaning it usually never increases in value and is therefore not a good investment. If you’re really strapped for cash, decide what pieces are absolutely essential and what you can live without.

Beware the Furniture Store Financing

Many furniture stores offer financing (0% interest for two years) but it’s important to read the fine print. Many of these stores offer zero percent interest for a time period but then as soon as the time period is over, they charge a high interest rate retroactively if you don’t pay off the loan before the end of the promotional period. Typically the interest rate is very high on these types of loans. If you do decide to take advantage of the promotional financing offers, be careful to pay off the loan before the promotional period ends.

If you are renting, it’s a good time to focus on building your credit if you plan to own a home in the future. A Christian Financial Visa Credit Card is a good option for building credit when you make consistent on-time payments. A Visa Credit Card is also helpful when purchasing new furniture and likely has a much better interest rate than the credit options at the furniture store.

The most important part of your new place is that you pay the mortgage/rent, and that means you have some freedom to make your home your own!