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In 2019, I bought my first house at the age of 35. I seriously underestimated the time and money required to get the house to a state that I want it to be in. My first year was spent doing many home improvement projects (painting, flooring, ceilings, appliances, light fixtures, doors, etc.). It cost me several thousand dollars, but thankfully my dad did the vast majority of the work for free and I paid for the materials. And there were a few items that needed attention throughout the house.
I also spent so much time cleaning the house inside and out. The previous owners were slobs. There were vine tendrils stuck all over the exterior brick, mud hives that I had to scrape off and just everything needed cleaning, from the gutters to the soffits, etc. And a TON of pressure washing, since my property has a lot of concrete patios, decking, pool decking, huge L shaped driveway, fencing all around the property. It's a 0.3 acre lot. The previous owners left random junk all over the yard and in the shed and it was just a hassle to get everything cleaned and nice.
Now, my dilemma is FURNISHINGS. I am single and moved into this 1,778 sq ft house from an 800 sf apartment, so I didn't have too much furniture to bring with me. My house feels quite empty and under furnished. The problem is, the cost to furnish the entire house will probably be around $4,000. And that's if I buy low to mid tier products. I have an unfurnished dining room, den, partial living room, huge rear porch, outdoor pool/deck area, entryway, office room, and lots of empty shelving throughout.
I'm not sure how to complete the furnishings and I don't feel comfortable spending that kind of money at this time. I miss having lots of cash in the bank before I bought the house. I only have like $18,000 now, but before I bought the house I had like $50,000. I'm thinking of holding off for a few years on buying furnishings and by the time I'm 40, I should have $50,000 in the bank again and then I can feel comfortable buying all the furniture and decor. It's ridiculous to spend such a huge portion of my savings on furniture now and still maintain an emergency fund.
Has anyone voluntarily lived for a few years in an under furnished house to save a lot of money?
In 2019, I bought my first house at the age of 35. I seriously underestimated the time and money required to get the house to a state that I want it to be in. My first year was spent doing many home improvement projects (painting, flooring, ceilings, appliances, light fixtures, doors, etc.). It cost me several thousand dollars, but thankfully my dad did the vast majority of the work for free and I paid for the materials. And there were a few items that needed attention throughout the house.
I also spent so much time cleaning the house inside and out. The previous owners were slobs. There were vine tendrils stuck all over the exterior brick, mud hives that I had to scrape off and just everything needed cleaning, from the gutters to the soffits, etc. And a TON of pressure washing, since my property has a lot of concrete patios, decking, pool decking, huge L shaped driveway, fencing all around the property. It's a 0.3 acre lot. The previous owners left random junk all over the yard and in the shed and it was just a hassle to get everything cleaned and nice.
Now, my dilemma is FURNISHINGS. I am single and moved into this 1,778 sq ft house from an 800 sf apartment, so I didn't have too much furniture to bring with me. My house feels quite empty and under furnished. The problem is, the cost to furnish the entire house will probably be around $4,000. And that's if I buy low to mid tier products. I have an unfurnished dining room, den, partial living room, huge rear porch, outdoor pool/deck area, entryway, office room, and lots of empty shelving throughout.
I'm not sure how to complete the furnishings and I don't feel comfortable spending that kind of money at this time. I miss having lots of cash in the bank before I bought the house. I only have like $18,000 now, but before I bought the house I had like $50,000. I'm thinking of holding off for a few years on buying furnishings and by the time I'm 40, I should have $50,000 in the bank again and then I can feel comfortable buying all the furniture and decor. It's ridiculous to spend such a huge portion of my savings on furniture now and still maintain an emergency fund.
Second hand furniture (at least for case goods and decor) is the way to go. For upholstered items, look for floor models.
It's amazing just how many high quality home goods and furnishings can be found for free or a very low price on the second hand market. Check out your local Freecycle, thrift and second-hand stores, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist as well as local estate sales and auctions. You'll be amazed at what you find for cheap.
Second hand furniture (at least for case goods and decor) is the way to go. For upholstered items, look for floor models.
It's amazing just how many high quality home goods and furnishings can be found for free or a very low price on the second hand market. Check out your local Freecycle, thrift and second-hand stores, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist as well as local estate sales and auctions. You'll be amazed at what you find for cheap.
I only buy new furniture and decor. I want all of my furnishings to be modern, new, perfect condition and up to date.
In 2019, I bought my first house at the age of 35. I seriously underestimated the time and money required to get the house to a state that I want it to be in. My first year was spent doing many home improvement projects (painting, flooring, ceilings, appliances, light fixtures, doors, etc.). It cost me several thousand dollars, but thankfully my dad did the vast majority of the work for free and I paid for the materials. And there were a few items that needed attention throughout the house.
I also spent so much time cleaning the house inside and out. The previous owners were slobs. There were vine tendrils stuck all over the exterior brick, mud hives that I had to scrape off and just everything needed cleaning, from the gutters to the soffits, etc. And a TON of pressure washing, since my property has a lot of concrete patios, decking, pool decking, huge L shaped driveway, fencing all around the property. It's a 0.3 acre lot. The previous owners left random junk all over the yard and in the shed and it was just a hassle to get everything cleaned and nice.
Now, my dilemma is FURNISHINGS. I am single and moved into this 1,778 sq ft house from an 800 sf apartment, so I didn't have too much furniture to bring with me. My house feels quite empty and under furnished. The problem is, the cost to furnish the entire house will probably be around $4,000. And that's if I buy low to mid tier products. I have an unfurnished dining room, den, partial living room, huge rear porch, outdoor pool/deck area, entryway, office room, and lots of empty shelving throughout.
I'm not sure how to complete the furnishings and I don't feel comfortable spending that kind of money at this time. I miss having lots of cash in the bank before I bought the house. I only have like $18,000 now, but before I bought the house I had like $50,000. I'm thinking of holding off for a few years on buying furnishings and by the time I'm 40, I should have $50,000 in the bank again and then I can feel comfortable buying all the furniture and decor. It's ridiculous to spend such a huge portion of my savings on furniture now and still maintain an emergency fund.
So wait, what’s the hurry, you’re single right? Some people are fine living a boho lifestyle, others aren’t comfortable unless they have a house with high end furnishings. If it’s just you, a beanbag chair and futon might be fine. If you’re more comfortable saving, then that’s the way to do it. You can always look at IKEA, Craig’s list, letgo, secondhand or antique stores for the odd piece or two. I’ve gotten some of my best deals when furniture stores were going out of business.
If you want the sofa or chairs so your friends will something to sit on, look at the above suggestions. Also, Wayfair has a clearance section and you can sometimes grab good deals at the Amazon warehouse. It’s great that you want to build your savings first. Good for you.
Just read the above reply. In that case, IKEA, or stores like Wayfair and Amazon should offer you deals on new.
I only buy new furniture and decor. I want all of my furnishings to be modern, new, perfect condition and up to date.
Gotcha, although I will tell you that I've purchased (or in some instances, scored for free) things for my house that fit all of your criteria.
Many times, people purchase things from online sites only to realize that what they ordered isn't quite what they wanted in terms of size or color. Rather than going through the hassle of the return process, they sell them on their local CL and Marketplace. Also, floor models (such as the Ethan Allen sofa that's in my own living room) are often sold in pristine condition. Such furniture is technically "new," but cannot be sold as such. Keep your eyes peeled for such bargains to get what you're looking for.
Making a home out of a house takes time and is a process. It's one that I've found to be enjoyable, but of course everyone's mileage does vary on such things. My advice for the stylish person on a budget who's not a fan of second hand goods is to determine which rooms are the most important to be "finished," put them in descending order, then go from there by doing them one at a time. Getting a room fully done where your eyes and body are happy to spend time really makes a person feel like they're making progress in getting their house where they'd like it to be.
P.S. To answer your question: yes, I've lived in an under furnished house and am glad that my former husband and I didn't run out and deplete our accounts (or worse yet, go into debt) to furnish it. We lived with our old furniture and began doing (rather than redoing as this was brand new construction) the rooms that were most important to us, which in our case were the dining room and kitchen. The home office area and deck were completed next, then we sold the house to purchase another, somewhat smaller house in the same area. We never did finish decorating and re-furnishing that new construction house before it was sold.
We were very glad to have not depleted our funds to purchase "stuff" when the '08 recession hit and I lost my job and my former husband took a major payout. You're wise to wait to buy what you want for the house in favor of keeping your emergency fund as full as you can.
Last edited by Formerly Known As Twenty; 01-05-2021 at 10:11 PM..
So wait, what’s the hurry, you’re single right? Some people are fine living a boho lifestyle, others aren’t comfortable unless they have a house with high end furnishings. If it’s just you, a beanbag chair and futon might be fine. If you’re more comfortable saving, then that’s the way to do it. You can always look at IKEA, Craig’s list, letgo, secondhand or antique stores for the odd piece or two. I’ve gotten some of my best deals when furniture stores were going out of business.
If you want the sofa or chairs so your friends will something to sit on, look at the above suggestions. Also, Wayfair has a clearance section and you can sometimes grab good deals at the Amazon warehouse. It’s great that you want to build your savings first. Good for you.
Just read the above reply. In that case, IKEA, or stores like Wayfair and Amazon should offer you deals on new.
Yes, I do get pleasure from saving money. I only like to buy things if it's a very small percentage of my savings. But it will take me about 3 years to get to the savings that I truly want to have.
I have all of the functional furniture basics. I mean, I have a living room with a sofa, table, TV, surround sound, carpet. I have a little dining table in my breakfast nook. An office room with desk and storage. A master bedroom wtih my bed and nightstand. An exercise room with basic equipment. And some wall decor throughout the house. And I did all of the window treatments and a few basic items like door mats and lamps. But that's it. It's all of my apartment stuff only!
In 2019, I bought my first house at the age of 35. I seriously underestimated the time and money required to get the house to a state that I want it to be in. My first year was spent doing many home improvement projects (painting, flooring, ceilings, appliances, light fixtures, doors, etc.). It cost me several thousand dollars, but thankfully my dad did the vast majority of the work for free and I paid for the materials. And there were a few items that needed attention throughout the house.
I also spent so much time cleaning the house inside and out. The previous owners were slobs. There were vine tendrils stuck all over the exterior brick, mud hives that I had to scrape off and just everything needed cleaning, from the gutters to the soffits, etc. And a TON of pressure washing, since my property has a lot of concrete patios, decking, pool decking, huge L shaped driveway, fencing all around the property. It's a 0.3 acre lot. The previous owners left random junk all over the yard and in the shed and it was just a hassle to get everything cleaned and nice.
Now, my dilemma is FURNISHINGS. I am single and moved into this 1,778 sq ft house from an 800 sf apartment, so I didn't have too much furniture to bring with me. My house feels quite empty and under furnished. The problem is, the cost to furnish the entire house will probably be around $4,000. And that's if I buy low to mid tier products. I have an unfurnished dining room, den, partial living room, huge rear porch, outdoor pool/deck area, entryway, office room, and lots of empty shelving throughout.
I'm not sure how to complete the furnishings and I don't feel comfortable spending that kind of money at this time. I miss having lots of cash in the bank before I bought the house. I only have like $18,000 now, but before I bought the house I had like $50,000. I'm thinking of holding off for a few years on buying furnishings and by the time I'm 40, I should have $50,000 in the bank again and then I can feel comfortable buying all the furniture and decor. It's ridiculous to spend such a huge portion of my savings on furniture now and still maintain an emergency fund.
Has anyone voluntarily lived for a few years in an under furnished house to save a lot of money?
All the time. I've never bought or completed a new build house. Every one of them was "used". I had a vision of what I wanted them to be like from the moment I walked through them. Then sat down and calculated what it would cost to get there. It was up to me to decide if all that effort, time, and $ was worth it or not. There were usually compromises to be made and I had to come to peace with them. Sounds like normal home ownership to me. Most homebuyers consider houses works in progress. They always need something and they'll continue to need it every year.
Why is this a problem for you? Frankly, a house that needed absolutely no effort on my part would be boring. Many times property ends up meaning more to you if you put more of yourself into it. Still, I would NEVER deplete my emergency funds just to make a house into some personal showcase!
If you want instant gratification and don't want to invest that much time, $ or work, you'll probably need to consider buying houses in better condition or buy a new build and pick out the finishes yourself. Or, consider buying a smaller home that will cost less to complete. Only you can decide whether to pay more up front or pay less over time. If your tastes are expensive and you refuse to compromise on furnishings, your dreams may never fit your financial reality. You've been lucky. Your dad won't be around to provide you with free labor forever. You'll need to learn how to do all the work yourself or hire someone.
I only buy new furniture and decor. I want all of my furnishings to be modern, new, perfect condition and up to date.
Well, alrighty then. Sounds expensive IMHO, but you do you. I bought some of my furniture 35 years ago and have moved it 5 or 6 times. I shop for and buy fewer high quality classic pieces, not more trendy junk. Some was inherited from family so it has sentimental value. I take good care of my belongings, still like just about all the pieces I've moved from house to house and most end up having pleasant memories attached to them. That's what matters. I'd never scorn or dump furnishings just because they are no longer new.
Focus on one room at a time, and I suggest your bedroom! From there, depending on what you do, you may have left over furnishings to set up a guest room assuming that's on the agenda. Then focus on your main living area. You want new so don't skimp and don't buy "trendy" things just because they are new and modern...make sure they are comfortable, easy to live with and make you happy to be around, in and on. You'll get there but it doesn't have to be all at once.
I didn't bring any furniture with me when moving into this (new and first) house in 2004, and took time finding things I knew I'd enjoy for years to come. The first major purchase was in 2004 and the last was in 2009. In the meantime, I had different temporary setups that worked well. I had fun with the process and I'm still happy with my selections in 2021.
Congratulations on your home.
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