After the January sales have finished, it can be difficult to figure out the best ways to save money when buying furniture. Here, we explore five invaluable tips that could save you money in the long term.
Buy durable, high quality furniture
It might be tempting to opt for the cheaper, more cost-friendly piece of furniture in the short term. However, high quality fabrics will be more cost-effective in the long term because they will stand the test of time. Strong, resilient fabrics are more resistant to long term, regular usage and will remain in an excellent condition for considerably longer. It should also be noted that renovating or reupholstering a sofa may be more expensive than buying a new sofa altogether.
Only buy items on special offer
There are many reasons why furniture retailers may decide to advertise special discounts for their furniture items. It may be that they simply have too much stock and need to sell specific items to make way for new orders. Or, the company might decide to sell the item for a lower price to see if they can increase their profits and boost their sales. Whatever the reason, don’t automatically assume that a discounted piece of furniture is only on sale because it is unpopular.
Consider used furniture
Homeowners have many reasons to sell a second-hand piece of furniture. They may want to replace it with something new, make way for extra space in their living room or sell it before moving to a new home. Ideally, you should inspect a second-hand furniture item and look for any defects such as scratches, tears or structural damage before deciding to buy it.
Find unexpected gems on a pavement near you
Yes, this may seem like a peculiar and highly unconventional way to find new furniture, but hundreds of pieces of furniture are abandoned on British streets every day. It is tedious and time-consuming to remove heavy pieces of furniture and transport them to a landfill site. Councils often charge a fee to pick-up unwanted furniture, which is why many homeowners and tenants decide to leave their unwanted items on pavements outside their properties, hoping that a stranger will take them away.
While most items like chairs and tables will not remain in good condition outdoors for long, they can easily be refurbished if they have only suffered from mild wear-and-tear. In London, it is not uncommon to see items like leather sofas and solid oak chairs left on the streets, only to be taken in by lucky strangers within hours.
Shop around online and offline
Although this may seem like an obvious idea, many people now assume that they will only find the best deals online. However, some of the best special offers for items like furniture are often found in small charity shops, which may not be able to afford to advertise their products online. It may be possible to negotiate a lower price for an item at a small, struggling second-hand retailer that is especially keen to make the sale. However, it is impossible to achieve a lower price through an online company, where pricing is fixed and there are no opportunities to negotiate in a face-to-face environment.
