How to Furnish Your Home for Free

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By coachniquenya
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Furnish Your Home for Free

My friends are always laughing at me because I am soooo cheap. As a single mother of two with a home-based-business, my budget is very limited. I am always looking for ways to stretch a dollar as far as I can take it. I pinch pennies so hard that I can hear them crying.

One area of my life in which I have been the most successful is in furnishing my home. I have a large apartment full of great, sturdy furniture pieces. Had I have actually purchased these items, I'm sure I would have spent several thousand dollars but instead I got it all completely FREE!

Here are the steps I used to furnish my home for free.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Internet
Email address
Creativity
Patience
Access to a vehicle (preferably a van or truck)
A few strong friends

Step 1

First, you will need to make a list of all the things you need for your home. You have to have a good idea of what you will be looking for. This will make it easier to spot freebies when they come about. Writing down the list also puts your request out to the universe. According to the laws of attraction, thoughts become things. As an added bit of security, you can also pray over your list that you be provided each of the items.
Step 2

Ask family and friends. Take your list and ask those you know if they or anyone they know need to get rid of these items. Most of the items in my home have been gifted to me by my loved ones. They should be your first stop! Better yet, have a housewarming party and register yourself with a few of the major department stores. You may be surprised at home many brand new items you will receive.
Step 3

Join free exchange sites life FreeCycle.org. FreeCycle can be your best friend for two reasons: 1) you can post your list of wants for others to respond to, and 2) you can offer your unwanted items to someone else.

FreeCycle is a nonprofit organization that allows neighbors to tap into other people's junk as their potential treasure. I absolutely love the site! When I first moved into my apartment a few years ago, I did not have a television. I found an "offer" post on FreeCycle for a 37-inch Sony television. The previous owners were upgrading to a new TV and just wanted to give this one away - FOR FREE!!! They showed me their original receipt for the TV. $1,230! Wow! I also got my son's toddler bed, a microwave and my first couch (brand new, still in the box from Ikea) off FreeCycle.
Step 4

Check your neighborhood papers for local garage, yard and estate sales. Don't go until the last hour of the sale. By that time, frustrated sellers who have probably been out there for several days already, just want to get rid of the last of their "junk". You might be surprised by some of the really good items that they were unlucky to sell but now willing to let you just haul away.

I went to an estate sale in which an elderly lady had most unfortunately broken her hip and was being permanently moved to an assisted living facility. Her out-of-town nephew was in charge of breaking down her apartment. The woman had so much stuff in there that he was really having a hard time managing it all and just wanted it to be gone. It really wasn't about the money but more so about his time. I walked away with a brand new mattress and box spring set, a wall mirror, a set of glasses and a box of sturdy silverware - all for FREE!
Step 5

Don't sleep on Craigslist! Craigslist is a goldmine for freebies. There is even a whole section dedicated to "free stuff." Not only that, oftentimes you will find freebies under their category classification. Remember your list in step 1? Look under the appropriate category and browse for any freebies you need. Craigslist makes it even easier by providing a search box in which you can just type in the keywords for the items you need and find them that way.