How to Save Money Buying New Furniture

Obtaining quality furniture affordably can be a real challenge. And because furniture is usually kept for five to fifteen years, value and timing are usually equally important. Ask yourself these questions: do you have the time-days to months-to spending looking for the right items at just the right price? Or must you have it for an event this weekend?

If you need it now, it's a no-brainer that it will probably cost you more. If you can go with the "I'll know what I like when I see it" mindset, you can often find genuine treasures, rich in both personal and intrinsic value. Decide 1) what style is acceptable or necessary {modern, art deco, antique, etc.}, 2) if you want just one piece or several, and 3) if you trust your artistic intuition about what goes together if you don't buy as a set.

Quality discounted furniture is not difficult to find if you are prepared to do the legwork required. Finding discounts sometimes means compromising on color or travel distance, but if you are patient and willing to compromise, it increases your chances of happening upon an unusual prize.

Stores and Buying Clubs

The most controversial commercial source would likely be Direct Buy. There are numerous consumer discussions online recommending Direct Buy highly for entire remodeling projects, but suggesting careful scrutiny of the contracts and that you take time to do the math, particularly if your projects might not be large enough to provide a solid financial discount. Direct Buy charges an up-front membership fee and also annual fees to maintain the membership, but they promise discounts in the neighborhood of 40% off all purchases (which include door-to-door delivery), and about 25% off contractor services.

Another option to save money is by buying an entire room or several rooms of furniture at Rooms to Go or Room Store. Here, furniture is discounted for purchasing many items, and their web sites may also include coupons of $100 or more off some items. Buying a loveseat, sofa, chair, and end tables as a set, can cost much less than buying these pieces individually.

Shopping at large furniture stores during holiday sales, which usually happen during the major holidays like Independence Day, Washington's Birthday, Labor Day and Memorial Day, and Christmas, can often result in serious savings. Department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's sell furniture at 50 percent off during the holidays, and this can be especially important if you're shopping for higher end furniture.

Furniture Outlets

Outlet stores also have great prices, especially brand name outlets for Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn, Jennifer Convertibles, Pier 1 Imports, JC Penney, and Home Decorators Collections.

The Christmas Tree Shoppe is a true discount store and while they don't sell just furniture, the furniture items they carry are usually at rock bottom prices. Other furniture warehouses and discount stores include Building 19, Sam's and BJ's Warehouse Clubs, Big Lots, National Wholesale Liquidators, and Ocean State Job Lots.

Another way to save on new furniture is to purchase online or catalog items that are shipped to you and require assembly at home. Ikea is a well-known example of high-quality assemble-it-yourself furniture, as well as Bed, Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, Target, and even Walmart, and most of these places may provide further discounts if purchased through Amazon.com.

Distance Can Bring Big Savings

If you're willing to travel for purchasing power, the state of North Carolina is known for its quality furniture factories and American craftsmanship. This is where many well-known furniture stores buy for resale. These same factories, such as the North Carolina Furniture Outlet and others featured in the North Carolina Furniture Directory, have retail stores in the state.

Springfield, Tennessee is also known for its hand-crafted furniture, and one of the best known of which is The Hinkle Chair Company founded in 1934. By 1948, this company was producing about 200 chairs daily by hand with just 16 employees. Known nationwide for their rocking chairs, they expanded their facilities several times to keep up with demand, and since the 1990s have offered a full line of affordable handcrafted wooden furniture.

In Massachusetts , the area of Gardner/Winchendon in Western Mass is also sprinkled with furniture factories and outlets. Gardner is known as The Chair City and Winchendon as Toy Town . Some of the best-known outlets are found by heading west from Boston along the Rte 2 corridor right into downtown Gardner, and include Curcio Chair/Wayside Furniture Outlet, LaChance, Winchendon Furniture Company, Rome Furniture Center, and The Factory Coop.

And always keep your ear to the ground no matter where you are shopping. With new buying clubs, discount stores, and factory outlets springing up all the time, by paying attention to the many savvy shoppers out there while you're beating the pavement, you may overhear someone sharing their best secrets about new ones.