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We have some consignment stores in our area that sell very high end items at a fraction of the price.
If you look for stores in the nicer areas of your city, you're more likely to find good quality items.
That being said, I think you could furnish your house with decent stuff that is brand new for under $10k.
You can much of it if you buy used. I'd buy the big stuff first. If you can do without it for awhile, don't buy it. Buy the things that you need right now. You need a bed now, but you can figure out how to store clothes without an entire bedroom set, for instance.
If your standards are high, I think you may have trouble finding many good pieces, even used, within your budget. It would be best to be living in a bigger city for this, I think. And you may have trouble trying to match periods.
But, if you prioritize and are resourceful, you probably can do an awful lot with your 10K.
I would STRONGLY suggest estate sales. You want to go on the last day of the sale as that's when discounts are highest, usually 50% of the marked price. Because furniture generally doesn't sell at estate sales, figure out what the discounted price would be and drop it another 10-20% and make an offer on it. You'll probably get it. But, you need to know, they won't load for you and they won't haul it for you. Once you pay, it's yours, and yours to get out of the house right then and there- no waiting. So have a truck ready and help. You can go here to see pics of what is coming up. https://www.estatesales.net/?gclid=C...FQmRaQodtrgMdA
And yes, you can buy all of the furniture you're looking for and get top quality stuff for far less than your ten grand. The wife and I are usually weekend estate buyers. We make it a fun thing to do. As of now, the house looks more like a museum than a home,LOL.
Thank you. That's very helpful info. Makes me wish I had a truck (or knew someone with one).
Unless I knew the person, I wouldn't buy any upholstered pieces (and certainly not beds!) used.
I have. I never had any problems. I got a beautiful sofa from the Salvation Army for $250. I also bought a king sized solid oak waterbed frame with regular mattress and box springs from a guy who was being deployed to the military for $250. Both of these pieces lasted me over 10 years. Last year I purchased a solid oak highboy and chest of drawers from a Craigslist seller for $250. I also got a dryer from Craigslist for $250. I bought a fridge, another used dryer, and a used washer way cheaper than that back in the 90s. All of this furniture and appliances are either still being used or lasted until I moved and resold the items. I have saved many thousands of dollars buying uses and I'm recycling too
If you're worried about bedbugs or other insects, just keep in mind that bugs are everywhere and you can get an infestation no matter what you buy or even if you own no furniture at all.
Thank you. That's very helpful info. Makes me wish I had a truck (or knew someone with one).
Nearly every town has a u-haul, they rent local for $20 + mileage (not very much). Most bigger places have a Home Depot (they rent for $80/90 minutes IIRC). Dealerships rent out vehicles too, though I'm not sure if any will do it by the hour or day... never hurts to ask. Worst case, there WILL be someone in your town who will gladly trade a couple $20's to help you move things, especially this time of year (kids off school).
I'm another who says buy used. Of all the furniture in my 2200sq/ft house, what Wasn't used (mostly off Craigslist) is : the bedroom suite my wife brought with her when we got married, that being a bed, side table and dresser ~ our bed mattress, and a chair/ottoman we bought within a month of getting married. Everything else, couch, loveseat, multiples of dressers and bookcases, dining room table and chairs, kitchen stools, hobby table, exercise equipment, "medical" cabinets, our bedroom suite (head/foot board, 2 side tables and 2 dressers)... all used, and in the cases where we bought something still available new, we never paid more than Half of new price.
I don't find estate sales in my area to be very good deals, might be the insane number of "antique" stores who try to siphon money out of the middle and drive prices up. Same is true of garage sales, it's junk I wouldn't own, but I know it's my location on that one. So I shop online and drive.
I doubt we have more than $5000 into furnishing our house, and that's with the recent additions we've made to fill huge holes left from moving to a larger building. We certainly didn't buy it all at once. Get the Absolute essentials first then bid your time and be picky with the rest.
Unless I knew the person, I wouldn't buy any upholstered pieces (and certainly not beds!) used.
I agree.
Bed FRAMES and headboards, yes. Mattresses? No.
OP, you can prioritize your items. For example, you might need a dining table but you don't necessarily NEED a buffet right away.
I would focus on some quality pieces. One tip I can pass along: Anything upholstered we have bought from Rooms to Go was worthless after only a couple of years of regular family use.
I'm moving from a 1700 sq ft house to a 2700 sq ft one. Because I wasn't sure when I'd find my next house after closing on my old one, I sold many furniture items. Now I need those items plus more to fully furnish the space. Is $10k enough money? Will I have enough for decor? Here is a quick rundown of what I'd need:
Living Room
-Large sofa
-Coffee table
-Large rug, maybe 9x12 (floor is tiled)
-Side table
-Media console
Dining Area
-Dining table and chairs (large enough to fit 4-6 people)
-Buffet
-Rug (again, tiled floor)
Master Bedroom
-Bedroom set (bed frame, dresser, side tables, etc)
Daughter's Room
-Full size bed and mattress
-Dresser
Patio
-Table and chairs
totally doable with even less than $10K without the Ikea. I've done before and that was my budget for our current house that is bigger than 2700 sqft furnished in 2014 and was totally doable till DH took the one veto that i gave him for one furniture item and used to to vote for an expensive leather sofa, love seat and chair set that was $6K. I was already going to buy a really fabric set for $999 since I'm not a big fan of leather but since i gave him that veto, i couldnt go back on it.
Ofcourse, you could do this for $50K but we had a budget and wanted to buy nice furniture but not necessarily Chippendale or something really expensive. We too sold all our furniture before moving to a new state. For the new house, there were so many other expenses such as painting the whole house, new flooring, new appliance, new countertops and I think we were spent out so a fixed furniture budget was key.
I still have my list. I went to a nice furniture store (mom & pop preferable and not one of the big chains as their ability to negotiate with you and offer a discount is severely limited) and since i bought almost all the items from them, i negotiated the heck out of them for a discount as well as free delivery and set up for everything. Bought 3 Full size platform beds and dresser set for the kids for $500 each and they were nice real wood beds, Mattress for them $350 each, 5 piece King bedroom set for $1000, Mattress for us $1200, Coffee table with 2 end tables $500, Rug $250 each, Media console $400, $999 Expanded Dining table for 6. $499 - Patio furniture. fabric / upholstery sofa set would have been $1000 (before DH's lovely veto) and we would have been within our budget of $10K
totally doable with even less than $10K without the Ikea. I've done before and that was my budget for our current house that is bigger than 2700 sqft furnished in 2014 and was totally doable till DH took the one veto that i gave him for one furniture item and used to to vote for an expensive leather sofa, love seat and chair set that was $6K. I was already going to buy a really fabric set for $999 since I'm not a big fan of leather but since i gave him that veto, i couldnt go back on it.
Ofcourse, you could do this for $50K but we had a budget and wanted to buy nice furniture but not necessarily Chippendale or something really expensive. We too sold all our furniture before moving to a new state. For the new house, there were so many other expenses such as painting the whole house, new flooring, new appliance, new countertops and I think we were spent out so a fixed furniture budget was key.
I still have my list. I went to a nice furniture store (mom & pop preferable and not one of the big chains as their ability to negotiate with you and offer a discount is severely limited) and since i bought almost all the items from them, i negotiated the heck out of them for a discount as well as free delivery and set up for everything. Bought 3 Full size platform beds and dresser set for the kids for $500 each and they were nice real wood beds, Mattress for them $350 each, 5 piece King bedroom set for $1000, Mattress for us $1200, Coffee table with 2 end tables $500, Rug $250 each, Media console $400, $999 Expanded Dining table for 6. $499 - Patio furniture. fabric / upholstery sofa set would have been $1000 (before DH's lovely veto) and we would have been within our budget of $10K
Wow! Thanks for the details.
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for one furniture item and used to to vote for an expensive leather sofa, love seat and chair set that was $6K. I was already going to buy a really fabric set for $999 since I'm not a big fan of leather but since i gave him that veto, i couldnt go back on it. 
