Save Money on Furniture: How We Saved over $5,000!

Looking for ways to save money on furniture? These are our best money saving tips for furnishing your home without spending big bucks!

We recently moved to a new home and did a complete furniture swap.  I’m talking new beds, dressers, couches, coffee table, and an office desk.  The only furniture that made the new home cut was our existing master bedroom furniture and dining table.  And we did it all on a budget.  We didn’t walk into an overpriced furniture store and rack up a bunch of debt.  No, we got creative. 

We shopped for gently-used and new furniture online, updated some fabulous garage sale finds, and even broke out the power tools to build a beautiful piece from scratch, all of which resulted in a savings of over $5,000! 

How did we furnish our home without blowing our budget?  Here are 13 tips to help you save money on furniture and still achieve the look you desire.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Read my full disclosure here.

Tip 1: Set a Budget and Stick to It

Before you start shopping, determine how much you can realistically spend on furnishing your home. Having a clear budget will help you make informed decisions and avoid impulse purchases. Break down your budget by room or by the type of furniture you need to ensure you allocate funds appropriately.

Tip 2: Search Online Marketplaces

Many furniture pieces like wood dining tables and chairs, headboards, and desks are built to last decades. But people’s tastes change so they often part with their furniture when items when there’s still a lot of life left in them. That’s why buying used furniture is a great cost saving way to fill your new home or refresh your decor.

Facebook Marketplace is a great place to find used, quality furniture for cheap!  Prices and selection vary depending on your market, but I’ve been super successful at scoring some beautiful pieces from this online platform.  Like beautiful, quality dress and matching trundle bed that we recently bought for my youngest daughter:

We scored the trundle bed with mattress, dresser, and mirror for $500!  And the same exact set was still selling online for over $1,500.  It’s super high quality (dovetail drawers, solid wood, etc), and my daughter absolutely loves it.  And we love the savings of $1,000.

When using Facebook Marketplace, narrow down the sale listings by searching for your favorite brand names or for more general search terms like “loft bed”.  That’s what I did for about 4 months before coming across this amazing full size loft bed with built in desk and vanity.  And, did I forget to mention it’s Pottery Barn!

When we bought this loft bed the exact same one was still listed on the Pottery Barn website for $2,299.  We paid just $1,000.  Plus, we saved shipping costs of $399 and 9.25% in tax, which comes to a savings of $1,947.

My oldest daughter had been wanting a loft bed for a while and when I saw this one I knew that it was a great deal… Only problem was it didn’t come with a dresser (and Pottery Barn has a unique “white” paint color that is hard to match).  So, what did I do?  I scoured Amazon and found a close match!

*You can see more tips for decorating a small bedroom on a budget here!

Tip 3: Shop Garage Sales

You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  And you can find some great treasures at garage sales to save money on furniture.  You may not find exactly what you’re looking for, but keep an open imagination and visualize what you can do to a cheap furniture piece with a little bit of elbow grease.

We recently found a beautiful oak 4-poster headboard and footboard at a garage sale for only $15.  We didn’t need a queen sized bed, but we did need 4 wooden balusters to use on a DIY coffee table (which are about $100 each!).  So, we bought (for a steal) the $15 bed and cut off the tops of the 4 posters to use on our coffee table build.  Voila!  We saved $385!

Tip 4: Try Building Your Own Furniture

If you’re handy (or you have a husband who knows his way around a power tool!) you can build your own furniture!  We have a beautiful antler chandelier hanging in our living room, and we needed a grand coffee table to stand up to the scale of the chandelier.  We searched furniture stores and, let me tell you, large-scale coffee tables are ex-pens-ive!  We couldn’t find one for under $699! 

So, we searched online for “DIY coffee tables” and found plans to build our own.

My husband did a great job, don’t you think!  And the cost of the finished project was less than $200.

Here are the plans that we used to DIY this beauty.

Cost savings of our DIY coffee table:  about $400.

Tip 5: Switch Out Hardware for a Quick and Easy Update

Love a furniture piece, but not crazy about the hardware?  No problem!  You can quickly and easily switch out drawer pulls and other hardware on inexpensive pieces to create a richer look.  That’s exactly what we did with our Amazon Dresser:

It originally came with plain painted wood knobs, but we wanted drawer pulls to match my daughter’s Pottery Barn loft bed, so we found a close match on Amazon.  A screwdriver and 10 minutes was all it took to switch the knobs ourselves.

Tip 6: Repurpose Inexpensive Finds

My husband’s job requires him to keep a TON of paperwork.  I’m talking 10 invoices a day that we have to hang on to for 6 months.  That’s a lot of papers that need to be filed and organized, so I knew that I needed sufficient file cabinet storage.  But, since it’s in my home (and not a commercial office), I wanted something that would look nice.

Enter Pinterest.

I searched for ways to DIY large filing cabinets into a desk and started searching for used drawers.  I came across these matching bilateral filing cabinets for only $75 for the pair.  (By the way, if you’ve ever shopped for quality bilateral filing cabinets, you know that they can easily run you $300 for one!).

A few coats of paint, some wood trim, and industrial-style handles and I had a great desk base with ample storage!  Then a DIY desk top from sanded and stained 2″x6″s and I was in business.  Total cost of my redone filing cabinets:  $150!  So, a savings of $450 vs buying two heavy-duty bilateral cabinets!

Here’s the finished product:

Tip 7: Shop Discount Furniture Online

Online retailers often have lower overhead costs than brick-and-mortar stores, allowing them to offer competitive prices. Websites like Wayfair, Overstock, and Amazon have a vast selection of furniture at various price points. Read reviews and compare prices to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

We have purchased multiple pieces of furniture from Wayfair over the years. The online retailer often has amazing sales on a huge variety of furniture pieces.  Plus, you can enter your email address for an additional 10% off coupon!

Tip 8: Use Cash Back and Rewards Programs

If you plan to shop online for your furniture, be sure to go through a site that gives you cash back on your purchase.  There are a few sites where you can earn anywhere from 1-10% cash back on your online furniture purchase, depending on the retailer, but my favorite is Rakuten.

Rakuten is super easy to use, but I’ve got a full Rakuten tutorial here for you!

Just go here to sign up (it’s free), and then start at the Rakuten homepage when you have some shopping to do.  Or, you can add a handy little icon to the top of your internet search bar and click it when you are shopping online to see the available cash back at that retailers. 

Rakuten recognizes that you have made a purchase through their link, and they automatically credit your account with the amount of cash back that you earned.  There are no forms to fill out, and no tracking down your own rebate.

Tip 9: Take Hand-Me-Downs

Want free furniture?  Ask friends and family if they have any furniture pieces that they want to get rid of!

Tip 10: Negotiate Prices for Big Savings

Don’t be afraid to negotiate prices, especially when buying from second-hand stores, online marketplaces, or directly from individuals. Polite negotiation can often result in significant savings. Be prepared to make a reasonable offer and be willing to walk away if the price isn’t right.

Tip 11: Opt for Multi-Functional Furniture

Invest in furniture that serves multiple purposes to maximize your space and budget. Examples include sofa beds, storage ottomans, and dining tables with built-in storage. Multi-functional furniture can help you save money by reducing the need for additional pieces.

Tip 12: Assemble the Furniture Yourself to Save Money

Flat-pack or ready-to-assemble furniture, like that from IKEA, is often more affordable than pre-assembled pieces. These items are designed for easy assembly at home and can be a budget-friendly option. Just make sure you have the necessary tools and patience for assembly!

Tip 13: Shop at Thrift Stores

Thrift stores like Habit ReStore are some of the best places to find furniture on a budget! We’ve found some great pieces at our local thrift stores like Goodwill and the Habitat for Humanity sponsored ReStore. You may also find furniture consignment stores in your area.

And there you have it!  How to save money on furniture, and how we refurnished just about our whole house without blowing our budget!  By using the tips above our savings came to over $5,400!  How much will you save?