Ok everyone. In the middle of next month I'm going to start moving into a new apartment - it'll be the first time I'll be living in a real "post-college" atmosphere, so I'm going with the older, more cool-guy look than the frat party house look.

I've been looking for furniture - living room set and a bedroom set. I'll also be looking for artwork, decorations, dishes, pots & pans, bathroom stuff, etc. Basically everything and anything.

Any ideas off the top of your heads on where to find some good deals on all this crap? Mainly wondering about the furniture and pots & pans.

Thanks for any help you guys can give!

Coop

its really to bad you missed this auction on ebay

Don't be cheap when it comes to pots and pans. Get good solid stuff that can go in the oven as well as stove-top. You can get basic sets or scrounge around for deals and buy by the piece. Shipping can kill deals on line unless it's free because of the weight. You would probably need a lidded 10-12 inch skillet, lidded stock pot or dutch oven, 1 & 2 qt saucepans, 1 large baking sheet, 8x8 baking pan, 9x13 baking pan, and a pie plate. I like glass for baking dishes because I think they clean up easier.

Coop we have "gently used" consignment stores in this area that have furniture. While I would hesitate to buy upholstered furniture without stripping and reupholstering it, you may want to look for tables, chairs, etc.
Also, look into estate sales, garage sale, etc. You'd be surprised what people will sell you cheap.

I agree with Kar about the pots and pans. Amazon has deals nearly every Friday on Calphalon pots and pans.

Complete 10 piece set

Calphalon Professional Nonstick II Collector's Edition 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Glass Lid $19.99

Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized 2-1/2 Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid $29.99

Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 3 Qt. Saute Pan with Lid $39.99

Calphalon Professional Hard Anodized 8-1/2-Quart Saucier with Lid $49.99

Full selection

These all qualify for free ship on $25+ purchase, and there are some codes for free things right on the Amazon page if you buy the whole set.



As far as baking sheets go, these are GREAT!!! Non stick variety

If there is an IKEA around... Get your furniture- living room set and a bedroom set and almost all home furnishing you can find it there. They have cool stuff that won't kill your budget.

Hit Target's clearance section from time to time. CLEARANCE

They have deals that only last a short time but well worth it. Some kitchen and bath stuff you can get 50-70% off. Great for towels and the like or sheets and bedding. Average savings is 25-30% but there are the occcasional exceptional 50% or more.

edit>> Don't forget JC Penney's clearance and outlet stuff too. Some good deals to be had if you check from time to time. Click me.

If you lived near me I could hook you up with the pots & pans. I picked up a set similar to this on clearance at Target B&M for 36.24 a few weeks ago. The only difference between this set and the set I have is the handles.

Some store haven't marked down the 10pc set yet, see it here so if you're lucky you can still find one. The handles on this set are the same as the 8pc set I bought. I did buy this one too for 49.98

You should check Target B&M for the stuff you need. You know how good their clearance prices are.

For used (and sometimes new) stuff check out craigslist.org and choose your city. There are always people moving and needing to sell the furniture that they have. From what I've seen there is some quality stuff from time to time.

hit up the dept stores when they have clearance sales for your appliances/bedding

If a university/college near you has an staff/faculty newspaper w/ classifieds, check 'em (since listings in those papers are typically free, folks will often run ads there instead of the local paper).

OR you can check if the college near you has an email list serve with students selling their used stuff. There are always people clearing things out during this time of the year.

there is a great salvation army near me that sells good, solid, hardwood furnature sets cheap (the last thing I bought was a mahogony china cabinet (maybe 5 feet by 7 feet) for $300) they have whole dining room sets, bedroom sets. I have also bought good china there (mostly for wall decorations) Look for the bigger good wills, salvation armys, or thrift shops. and good luck! have fun!


had to ammend to say:
my friend has a knack of picking out the coolest old-fashioned luggege. if you get a bunch of pieces, you can use them for storage (like cd's) and stack them next to the couch (i agree, buy that new-ikea is good for that) as an end table- so you would need 3 or 4 peices.

I also have gotton some really neat lamps 2nd hand. They usually blend into the background at thrift stores, so I always have to keep an eye out for them.

A beautiful trunk cam make a great coffee table (I have a neat asian one) You can always get a peice of glass cut for the top.

That's the funniest thing I've seen. Wow. I spent 10 minutes looking over their stuff.