5 ways to furnish your Phoenix apartment for less

Whether you’re a college student, pet owner, parent, or just a lover of a good deal, there are many ways to furnish your Phoenix apartment for less. 

“Consume, consume, consume,” the advertisements across billboards, social media, and streaming services seem to scream at us daily. While it can be oodles of fun to buy new and update the aesthetic, this is not always feasible for those of us with average paychecks. That’s why it is important to know how to furnish your Phoenix apartment for less, should you move or the mood for upgrading strikes. Finding a deal makes furnishing with style possible.

If you don’t mind reusing or upcycling discarded treasure, there are many ways to furnish your Phoenix apartment for less. Here are five to get you started: 

1. Community sourcing

If you have a Facebook account, look up “Buy Nothing Phoenix” and proceed to find your neighborhood. This social group allows users to post items they no longer need and claim items they want for zero exchange of money. It is a great way to cycle unused items, declutter your space, and find items you may need.

This site is an excellent way to reduce waste, lower your carbon footprint, and find just about everything you need—from furniture to clothes to food and more—for free. As a bonus, it is an excellent way to meet people in your community, as neighborhoods are divided by certain mileage parameters.

Other community sources for less include yard-sailing, which is a really fun weekend tradition. Drive around early Saturday morning to see what neighbors have for sale. There are also estate sales, where a loved one has moved or passed on, and now everything in their house is for sale. These sales often offer classy pieces, as estate implies fancier wares.

There are also the online methods of Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Yes, there are many scammers here, but when you find the real person selling an item you covet, it is like finding the X on the map—a true treasure trove.

2. Thrifting

Thrifting is one of the best ways to furnish your apartment, and the possibilities are endless. If you are willing to spend a day driving around to different stores, or are patient enough to check back various days throughout the month—as thrift stores get new arrivals weekly—then you are in for a wildly good deal!

While Goodwill has a host of deal days, such as $2 tag Thursday and 25% off teacher, student, and military Sundays, there are many more local and purpose-driven stores to explore. White Dove Thrift Shoppe supports Hospice of the Valley, and the four locations do not disappoint. Beyond having awesome furniture and clothing, there is also amazing kitchenware to add to your cupboards. 

Habitat for Humanity ReStore is another excellent choice. This store not only has high-quality furniture but also plenty of housing fixtures that can help upgrade a hum-drum apartment without damage or high expense. Proceeds from this store go towards the cost of Habitat for Humanity builds, which help families in need secure their dreams of home ownership.

If you love animals, you may want to score inexpensive finds at the Humane Society. Proceeds from Arizona Humane Society Thrift Stores go toward the organization’s shelters and animal rescue services, so you can feel good about what you buy. The quality of furniture found at this thrift store tends to be very high quality, though pricing rivals garage sales.

The Assistance League of Phoenix offers a Thrift Boutique with furniture and home decor at amazing prices. The Assistance League is a program that supports children in need with diaper assistance, school wardrobe assistance, book gifts, and more. Shopping here means finding awesome home decor while supporting the next generation of geniuses.

Purple Heart is known as a program that assists veterans, but I recently found out that it also runs an amazing thrift store with some of the best prices around. One of my coworkers scored a new coffee table for $20 at the Purple Heart Desert Thrift in Mesa, and it seems like deals such as this abound.

This list is far from exhaustive of all the thrift shops in Phoenix that can help you furnish an apartment for less. Not only is thrifting inexpensive, but it is also better for the environment, a great way to curate your own unique style, and often supports a worthy cause. 

3. Consignment

The closest to buying new on this listicle, consignment stores buy gently used furniture in excellent condition and resell it, offering a percentage of the purchase price to the previous owner. Consignment stores aren’t as inexpensive as thrifting or community searching, but they offer excellent furniture for much less.

When my husband was finally willing to give up his bachelor futon, we headed over to My Sister’s Attic and found the couch that we still have, years later, for about one-fifth of the price of new couches. My Sister’s Attic has locations all around the Phoenix Metropolitan area and seems to always have what we need, at very competitive pricing.

Other excellent consignment stores in Phoenix include Another Time Around Furniture, Turn Style Consignment,  and Rewind Consignment and Vintage. 

4. Auctions

If you have never attended an auction but want to furnish your apartment for less, now might be the right time to start. Phoenix has several in-person auction houses, as well as several online auctions that make bidding both practical and thrilling. While you may not walk away with every piece that you covet, you will walk away with something while spending very little. A few notable auction houses in Phoenix include A1 Auction House, Nellis Auction, and Phx Auction Co.

Fun fact: There are many vehicle auction lots if you happen to be looking for a low-priced whip as well—Phoenix is very drivable, after all. 

5. Storage Auctions 

Have you ever watched A&E’s “Storage Wars”? It’s a silly reality TV show where people bid on storage units that have been abandoned. While the professionals do this to try to resell the items and make a buck, attending storage auctions in person or going to Storageauction.com can yield you an entire apartment full of furniture, oftentimes for the price of one piece. You’ll simply need to bust out cleaning supplies and perhaps put on your refinishing hat. Call your local storage unit facilities to find out if they are hosting any auctions soon.

Here’s an encouraging anecdote: Recently, an acquaintance of mine scored two storage units for only $100. While she only needed a few items, she sold most of them at a yard sale and then donated the rest, which yielded a tax write-off higher than what she initially spent.

Hauling it home

You found the piece—now what? If you are like most people, finding a truck big enough to haul the good deal may prove more difficult than finding the deal in the first place!

While U-Haul has daily rates, so do Home Depot and Lowe’s, where you can score a truck for a nominal fee. Call up your local store—you may be surprised at how affordable renting a truck for just a few hours is. Finding a vehicle to transport your inexpensive furniture is simply a call away. As for moving up those apartment stairs, though, it’s time to finally call in that favor from a friend. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

RELATED: The 6 best Phoenix neighborhoods for renters on a budget