How can I furnish an apartment with little to no money?

Moving into your own place is a great feeling. It gives you your own independence and a new chapter to your life, whether you're moving into your first apartment after college, or moving into your first place on your own.

If you are living on your own, finding furniture to furnish your home can be difficult. If you are low on money, finding furniture for little to no money might seem like an impossible task. There are options that you have, however. Here are the top five options you have to getting furniture for little to no money:

Top Five Ways to Furnish Your Home for Little to No Money

1) Freecycle Network

The Freecycle Network is an incredible non-profit network where people can post free items in their town. The network started off with a small group of friends in Tucson, Arizona, in 2003, and has grown to over 9 million members.

The rules for the Freecycle Network are simple; whatever you post has to be free, legal, and suitable for all ages. You don’t have to pay anything to be a part of the network, which is great if you need to furnish your home cheaply.

This is probably the best tool out there that we recommend since there is such a large group behind it, and everything is free. There are no gimmicks or scams, just people trying to help one another and recycle furniture that would otherwise end up in a trash heap. So, if free sounds like your cup of tea, give the Freecycle Network a shot.

2) Use Nextdoor

The website Nextdoor is a great tool for finding items for your home, your next move, and everything in between. While there might be quite a few petty neighbors asking about whose dog is barking at 3:00 in the afternoon, quite a few people will list items they have either for sale or for free.

All you need to do to use Nextdoor is sign up and enter in your address so you can be connected to folks in your neighborhood. After that, you can see posts about whatever (complaints, praising whomever, people finding lost pets, etc.). There is a tab called "Finds" you can click on that will list the items that people are either selling or giving away.

Nextdoor is a great tool to use if you don’t want to travel far to get your furniture, and you can probably come across some decently priced used items.

3)Thrift

Thrift stores are a geart to find awesome deals on just about everything. They are electronics, antiques, picture frames, furniture pieces, clothes, and anything in-between. While some people view thrifting as bad, it is usually a good place to get items you usually wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.

What we like about thrifting is the fact that you can also take items in and donate them (some places you can sell them) so that others can benefit from your older items as well. So, let’s say you start doing better and can afford a new wardrobe for yourself. You can donate your old wardrobe and help others that can afford gently used clothing.

4)Ask for Hand-Me-Downs

If you have a good relationship with your family, then you might think to ask them for any hand-me-downs they might have. Getting furniture from family is a great way to furnish your own apartment since it wouldn’t cost you anything (if you have to pay it might be a small amount), and you can reuse furniture instead of throwing it out.

Remember that there is absolutely no shame in asking your friends or family for furniture they no longer use. Think of it as a temporary solution if it bothers you, but overall if you need furniture never be afraid to ask.

We like getting furniture from family and friends because it not only saves money, but it reuses furniture and allows people to furnish their home who may not be able to otherwise.

5)Yard Sales

Yard sales are an awesome way to find treasures out there you may not have known you needed. Many people also sell furniture along with other items in yard sells, so you can probably get a dining room set or a dresser for a decent price.

Unfortunately, finding yard sales isn’t always easy. If you have Nextdoor, a lot of people post there about having a yard sale. Another place to find yard sale locations is Facebook. There could be Facebook yard sale groups in your area that might be worth checking out.

Free or Cheap Furniture

Overall, there is absolutely no shame in furnishing your apartment in free or inexpensive furniture. Everyone has to start somewhere, and that furniture is never permanent. Getting an apartment, whether it’s your first or not, is a great learning experience and it should be enjoyed.