We have always struggled with finding the cash to furnish our home. My husband and I don’t use credit cards, for various reasons, and furniture tends to be quite expensive! It can be difficult to come up with the cash up front for such large purchases.
Some ways we have managed to furnish in the past include garage sales, estate sales, hand-me-downs from family and friends, newspaper ads, Craigslist… these are all commonly used, and commonly known and understood, ways of obtaining furniture at an affordable price. And you can get by fine using these options most of the time. But what about when you need something specific and you can’t find what you need using these methods?
I want to tell you about another option, something I discovered recently that has been a huge help for us, and I’ve also noticed that few people seem to be aware of this…
You know those furniture rent-to-own stores? I don’t recommend renting from them. They charge outrageous rental fees and interest on the items you rent, and you typically end up paying far more and wasting money in the long run. You would be much better off setting aside the money you would pay in rental payments and waiting until you have saved enough to purchase furniture outright.
However, having been duly warned… many of these stores offer a “90 Days same as cash” deal. I have used this a few times. If you can pay it off in 90 days, you pay no interest and no rental fees. In our area, I know that Rent-A-Center offers this, as well as Aaron’s. You will have to fill out a rental agreement, but they will deliver the furniture to your home for free. Just make sure you pick out items that you can pay off in 90 days, because even if you are only one day late with that final payment you will be stuck paying those outrageous fees! I purchased a beautiful dining room table from Aaron’s using this offer. It has a couple of small scratches on it, but they are barely noticeable. And with children and animals in the home, I’ve found that most people are completely understanding of these small imperfections! We also purchased a new dryer from Rent-A-Center using this offer. Yes, they have appliances too!
Also, often these stores will offer used items at a seriously reduced price. You have to be patient and keep checking in with them, but sometimes it really is worth it. They will sell items that they can no longer rent out, or items they have chosen not to carry any longer, and they need to get rid of them. I have seen entire living room sets for as low as $200. These items might have a couple stains that need to be worked out, but typically it’s something that can be dealt with pretty easily. We actually managed to purchase a couch and loveseat from one of these stores for $100. They were both in almost perfect condition, the store just wasn’t going to be renting those items any longer and so, having made their money off of it already, wanted to get rid of it quickly. The drawback to these offers, though, at least for us, is that you have to move the furniture yourself. We don’t own a truck. But, if you’re out checking out garage sales, just add these stores to your list of stops for the day, and see what they have to offer as well!