Craigslist -- or Bobs Discount Furniture if you have them where you are.... they have are on line too -- we've bought quite a bit from there, and its all the same stuff in the high end stores but for much less.

Look at the ads during the holidays..I just bought an Ashley pillow top microfiber sofa, love seat, coffee table, 2 end tables, 2 lamps and a corner shelf for a little under $1,000. We had been looking at it for awhile and got it on sale during memorial weekend. My sister in law also buys inexpensive furniture at a place called Macys outlet. This is furniture that something slightly is wrong with them(things you can't even notice) or furniture that gets replaced with a newer model. This is the only place she shops at for furniture.

Funny you mention this... *go read my Mommysavers blog* we've been looking at Ashley!

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IKEA is fabulous, we went right after they opened in Dallas and bought our kids new beds and I couldn't beleive the deal we got. Also we like Rooms To Go, my parents just bought new living room and dining room and I was really impressed. Also there is a place in Haltom City called Sam's furniture that is okay, they kinds like Big Lots get the leftovers or the older models and sell them for cheap. Good luck!

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We've got tons of Ikea stuff in our home and I have been very happy with the quality. There's site similar to CL called oodle.com that might be worth checking out. Also, sign up for your freecyle.org list -- someone may want to give stuff away.

My advice other piece of advice would be try to buy SLOWLY as you can afford it and don't take out any loans or use financing programs to furnish your house. Use slipcovers, blankets, paint etc. to help "make do" with the free stuff until you can afford to buy what you really want.

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I agree 100%! It's worth waiting to get something you will have forever and never need to replace. We finally choose a bed and side tables which we will have made once we've saved up the money - may be a few years now. We're still sleeping on a futon after all these years but we've never found just the right thing until now. But we're not going into debt for it. We'll save up and pay cash.

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Haunt the clearance sections of furniture stores.

Right now I'm sitting on one of the two upholstered chairs in my living room that we bought at a Macy's furniture clearance center. They were about $200 each but originally over $1000.

Why is furniture so expensive? Because good quality furniture really will hold up longer and keep looking better for a very long time. The key to saving money on furniture (as someone already posted) is to buy it ONCE and not have to keep replacing it. So it will pay to educate yourself about fabrics and furniture construction. Also, it helps to buy your larger pieces in somewhat neutral designs so they can mix and match as you move or change things.

And design is an important factor for me when selecting a piece of furniture. For instance, when it comes to upholstered pieces, I always select cushions that can be flipped over. This extends the life of the item in terms of wear and, if something disasterous should happen to one side of cushion, the entire piece of furniture isn't a loss. I also select sofas and chairs that have cushions that are symetrical or square / rectangular. In other words, I avoid furniture that has that little wrap around "L"-type cushion. Those pieces are more expensive to slipcover or recover. And I can always extend the life of a chair or sofa by wrapping just the lower seat cushion with a different fabric and sometimes extending that fabric up over the top cushion. Or I might replace the back cushions with a completely different set of pillows.

When it comes to hardwood furniture, consider looking at antique stores as well as the furniture clearance areas. The nice aspect of antiques is you know the furniture has held up over the course of time. You don't want to spend a lot of money for antiques but you can still often find great deals on some items. And consider near-antiques, which can be found at garage sales, flea markets and consignment stores.

Additionally, consider bringing outdoor furniture inside. Obviously you don't want to decorate your entire livingroom with plastic lounge chairs BUT there are a few 'yard decor' items that work very well inside - mosaic topped tables, etc.

To keep your tables looking nice and easy to clean, consider purchasing glass toppers for them. This is an extra expense but it will save your sanity and your furniture in a lot of different ways.

Lastly, we bought our coffee table and a few other items from import stores like Pier One and Cost Plus. These items were inexpensive and easy to obtain yet they hold up exceptionally well.

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I highly recommend Ashley. Every single piece of furniture in our house is from Ashley (except for a few things from IKEA) and we are very happy. We did have some trrouble with something when it was deliverd but there customer service was great and they got us a new one out right away. There quality is good and they are resonably priced. They are not high end, but they are the best quality for mid priced furniture stores. I also have some things from IKEA that I like, but the quality is not so good, I just got them because I they were so cheap, that I won't mind switching them whne I am sick of them, but I wouldn't buy anything from there that I want to last for a long time.

i do the "one big thing a year" as i save up for it.

now that ive been married for almost 10 yrs and have two kids i have learned a few things:


its not worth buying brand new crap! meaning, the junky furniture that you find in jcpenny/kmart stuff. yeah it looks great at first but it doesnt last and falls apart very quickly. im so mad because i bought a desh armoire, sofa tables (3) all from jc penny and it was great looking - but all painted particleboard. the stuff didnt even last 5 years and i would have rather saved that money to buy quality pieces.


i now buy my furniture slowly and as i need it. i have bought a few pieces from the pottery barn and crate and barrell outlets. awesome deals! i have a kitchen table that was orig. 1200 and got it for 299 - i can live with the scratches.


if you are looking at pieces that will get used constantly (sofa, bed, kit table) then buy quality. craigslist and the local newspaper are great first steps.

good luck!

If you are near either of the two locations, Restoration Hardware has a warehouse sale once a month.

Restoration Hardware - Warehouse Sale