Living sustainably on a budget: Furniture

Typically your first few years of dorm life (or when you are living at home) furniture is provided for you, but once you move out on your own (or into housing with minimal furnishings) furniture becomes an expensive necessity.

Although some places like Ikea sell their items fairly cheap, the quality can be poor and all of the items you need end up being quite expensive all together. So what do you do to furnish your place on as little money as possible?

Find things on Craigslist, eBay, goodwill/ used/ thrift stores, garage sales, and flee markets. Whether the items are in great condition and can be used right away or need a little TLC, the prices are hard to beat. Just remember to not ignore an item because it’s ugly, furniture is incredibly easy to change.

Be creative, find new uses for items you have already or for new finds. See if you can make something yourself to fill a need. As always, planning ahead makes a big difference — you can hunt for the best price/ item and have enough time to make all necessary modifications.

(I am going to make one of these for my dorm/ room before the end of the summer.)

Need some ideas of what you can do to transform an item? Check out Apartment Therapy, Better After, Sunset, Tip Junkie, Design Sponge, and Pad Style.