5 Ways to Save Money and Effort when Buying Furniture for Your Home
- Written by Lilly Miller
Becoming a homeowner is one of the biggest steps you will ever take in your life’s journey, so congratulations on starting this amazing new chapter. Surely, many wonderful things await you in your new home, but before you can fully enjoy it and reap the long-term benefits of your investment, you have to find a way to furnish and decorate your home without breaking the proverbial bank.
You might not be a renter anymore, but you still need to be careful with your spending by saving as much as you can on your electricity bill, manage your upkeep expenses, and buy furniture in a more financially-sensible way. Ideally, your mortgage should cover the cost of furnishing your new home, but if not, you need to be able to overcome this financial challenge on your own.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at some smart ways how you can save money when buying furniture, and how you can minimize effort but get the best bang for your buck.
Prioritize your purchases
Every sound purchase and investment for your home should be founded in a detailed battle plan. Don’t improvise your purchase, don’t make any spur-of-the-moment decisions, no matter how tempting they may seem. Sure, you can spring for a purchase if there is a limited-time promotion and the item is on sale, but for the most part, you first want to check if the time is right to buy something. One of the firt places to start is to ensure that you pay no more than necessary for hot water by installing one of the most modern hot water systems.
It’s important to have a detailed furnishing plan that you can reference with ease, because it allows you to prioritize. Prioritizing your purchases is one of the best ways to stay within your budget and get the things you need right now.
That said, keep in mind that Australia’s online market has some pretty good payment programs, especially in the retail sector. For example, the buy now, pay later scheme is very popular nowadays, so try to find a store that allows you to buy an item right away, but pay for it later with minimal or zero interest.
Pay with cash if you can
Some things in life you just can’t pay with cash, but furniture is definitely not on that list. While it is true that buying top-quality home décor is a big investment, it’s definitely easier to buy select items with cash than, say, one of the best hot water systems or a complete solar system for your home. There are several reasons why you want to buy furniture with cash, but the main thing to keep in mind is that this allows you to stay in control of your spending.
Buying with a credit card can incur sizable transaction fees and interests, while renting-to-own is probably the worst option of the lot. Mind you, you can compare credit card providers and take advantage of promotional, zero-interest periods, which is a good way to buy expensive furniture. To pay for new furniture with cash, you should start saving up and make one purchase at a time – make sure to talk to local retailers about their instalment or layaway plans.
Use branded virtual assistants
To minimize your expenses when furnishing your home, but also minimize time waste and the effort it takes to find the best décor pieces, you should use technology to your advantage. Nowadays, many online retailers that have invested in digital transformation offer their own, branded virtual assistants that can help you find what you’re looking for, at the price point you’re comfortable with.
A wonderful example comes to us from one of Australia’s online rug brands called MissAmara. This brand is all about the online shopping experience, and recently they have launched their own virtual rug stylist that helps people find the perfect rug for their home at the price that works for their budget. This is a great piece of innovation in the online retail sector, and it shows how brands can help new homeowners decorate with ease.
You can use this example to look for online brands that have their own virtual assistants that can help you find the best sofa, the right fridge or stove, or anything else you need in your home. The key benefit here is that, when you’re not sure what exactly you’re looking for or how much you should spend, the right piece of tech can help guide you towards a financially-sensible decision.
Combine form and function
Beautiful and functional things can be expensive, so it’s important to minimize expenses by combining the two. Consider buying the home décor elements that are both practical and decorative, in order to fill out the space with items that will serve more than an aesthetic purpose. For example, when buying a new sofa bed, you should consider its versatility. Does it have an added compartment for some out-of-sight storage? That would definitely be a nice perk.
You can apply the same mindset for any purchase, and you can even look for multifunctional décor that you can use for a variety of purposes. This type of furniture and appliances can cost more, yes, but the long-term benefits of owning functional household items can far outweigh the initial investment.
You don’t have to pay full price
Last but not least, haggling might not come second nature to you like it does to so many others, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. Modern retailers are very accommodating to their customers, they have to be simply because the competition is so fierce. They know that you can probably find a better deal around the corner, so they are more than willing to make certain accommodations.
This means that you can try to lower the price, especially on those high-priced items. You can also get much better prices for those floor models that have some small wear and tear, or miniscule manufacturing errors. Consider visiting furniture exhibitions and shows as well, with many different brands present in order to snag some of the best deals on the market.
Over to you
Becoming a homeowner is an exciting chapter in your life, but now you need to overcome the challenge of filling your home with the things that will serve an aesthetic and functional purpose. You need to decorate and furnish with the things that will serve you well for years to come.
Fortunately, you don’t have to break the proverbial bank to do it. Consider these tips, put them in an actionable plan, compare your options and always look for better deals. This is the recipe for cost-effective home furnishing that will save you money and effort no matter how much stuff you need to buy.
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