8 Ways To Furnish Your Home for Cheap or Free

If you’ve just saved up enough money to get your own place, you might not have a lot of extra cash lying around. But after you get your new place, you have to fill it with furniture! And that stuff doesn’t come cheap. Free furniture would be a blessing.

A couch alone can cost hundreds of dollars, plus the tables and chairs you’ll need. All in all, you could be looking at a furniture bill in the thousands. If you want to save money but still fully furnish your home, here’s where to look.

1. Freecycle

In an attempt to limit material that ends up in landfills, Freecycle links people that want to trade old furniture for free.  

So not only does Freecycle save you money, it helps save the environment too. All you need to do is enter your location and Freecycle will show you everyone giving away furniture in your area.

2. Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is designed primarily for buying and selling, but there are free items on there too. You can set the site to only show free listings, but even if they’re sparse in your area, you can definitely find deals from people reselling furniture.

Even if you don’t find success on the Marketplace, you can also look for Facebook groups of people giving stuff away near you.

3. AuctionZip.com

You’ve probably seen the high stakes world of storage unit auctions on A&E or The History Channel. With AuctionZip you can experience it first hand.

This site will show you any upcoming storage unit auctions in your area, but instead of showing up to bid, you can probably snag some free stuff.

Auction hunters usually aren’t looking for couches and vanities when they buy units, so you can look to see what they leave behind or offer to take an item off their hands if they plan to throw it away.

4. Craigslist

There’s almost no easier way to find free furniture than Craigslist. All you need to do is pick your hometown and search “free stuff” and you’ll see listings for hundreds of free items.

In my neighborhood of Brooklyn, for example, there are dozens of couches, bookshelves, and lamps people are giving away nearby. I could stock my apartment 50 times over with everything other people are giving away for free!

5. Heroes Warehouse

If you or someone in your family served in the military, Heroes Warehouse will help you furnish your home for free. Many veterans struggle with homelessness, and this non-profit wants to pay back those who have served.

If you ever find yourself cleaning house, Heroes Warehouse accepts donations in good condition too.

6. College Campuses

If you live near a college campus, move out day could be a jackpot for you. As thousands of students clear out their dorms at the end of the year, a lot of furniture inevitably gets left behind despite being in good condition.

Last year I picked up a bookshelf and a coffee table that a student decided not to take home!

7. Thrift Stores

Thrift stores generally thrive by fitting tons of items in a relatively small space. A massive couch or bed frame in their store might cause some issues.

Call thrift shops around you and see if they have any furniture lying around. If they do, they might just let you have it for free (or cheap) if you promise to pick it up yourself and clear some space.

8. Reddit

Reddit’s online forum allows you to connect with millions of people across thousands of pages, and some of them have furniture to give away. If you check out the Barter subreddit, you can find people selling things at discounts or just giving them away.