As a student at Tallahassee Community College, you may be looking to live in a cheap apartment near TCC for a short amount of time. If you decide against a furnished apartment, you may worry about needing to invest a lot of money in furnishing your home. Luckily, there are tons of easy ways to decorate your apartment and turn your living space into a home without breaking the bank.
1. Hey, Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?
Gently used items are a college student's best friend. Whether you prefer to buy online or touch and feel an item before purchasing, there is a variety of options for buying quality, used items.
Craigslist
Craigslist is a massive online marketplace for buyers and sellers nearby. It's a great go-to for buying gently-used furniture, rare collectibles and more at great prices. Every once in a while you can even score free items. Just be vigilant of scammers.
Social media
Many college towns have Facebook pages dedicated to connecting college students hoping to buy or sell gently used furniture, books and football tickets. This can be a great way to find cheap furniture in your area and maybe even meet some new friends at Tallahassee Community College.
Friends and Family
You may be surprised by the number of things people in your own sphere of influence are trying to get rid of. You'll get pieces from sources you can trust and you may even score a friends-and-family discount price.
Garage sales
Garage sales are a great way to find hidden gens for super low prices. You can stay on the lookout in your neighborhood, check the newspaper or online listings or register on the Nextdoor app which alerts you of events in your area.
2. Big-Box retailers
IKEA
The mecca of cheap furniture and Swedish meatballs, this place has made a name for itself for good reason: they sell some of the cheapest furniture on the market! Typically, their furniture doesn't last as long as other higher grade stuff, but this short life span works perfectly for people moving into apartments near TCC, who may plan on being there for just 2-4 years.
Wayfair
Wayfair offers a more curated shopping experience with visuals and fully-integrated design options. They offer shoppers a wide collection of interior decoration photos with each purchasable piece linked to the spot you can buy it. If you like an entire design concept, you can virtually purchase every piece of room!
3. Rent your furniture
If you plan on living in your student apartment short-term, it may be more cost-effective to rent your furniture. There are a few well-known companies known for rental furniture- Brook, Cort and Feather. As an example, Cort offers a package for $99/month which supplies furniture for three rooms. They all have helpful interior designers at your disposal and some even offer to sell the furniture to you if you fall in love.
4. Check out the outlets
Many well-known furniture stores, such as Pottery Barn, have outlets where they sell discounted high-end furniture. Perfect for the boujee-on-a-budget shopper, their outlets let you buy last season's collections for a fraction of the cost. One man's trash is another man's come-up.