People move and leave their furniture on the street all the time. If you just keep an eye out you can often grab some awesome stuff for free.
I recently moved into a new apartment and furnished almost the entire thing for free by keeping an eye out for free furniture people leave on the street.
My best find was a $1000 Crate & Barrel dining room table.
This probably works best in dense cities like NYC and San Francisco.
What I found on the street
- Office Desk
- Dining Room Table
- Dining Room Chairs
- Couch
- Coffee Table
- Nightstand
- Dresser
- Bed Frames
How I found stuff
Most of the stuff I found just by keeping an eye out on my way to and from work. A lot of the stuff I found within just a couple blocks of my home.
My roommates also kept their eyes peeled and between us we were able to snag a lot of good stuff right after it was put outside.
I didn't use Craigslist to find anything, though it probably would have gone a lot faster if I had. Due to a mixture of determination and laziness I stuck only to organic street finds.
After I'd already finished furnishing I found out about Craigslist Curb Alerts. I haven't tried it, but it probably would have helped me furnish a lot faster than the couple months it ended up taking. Craigslist Free & For Sale I'm sure would have helped too.
Goodwill and other thrift stores sell furniture. It's not as cheap as the street, but it's still a frugal way to furnish a house. I checked out a few thrift stores but still ended up getting everything from the streets.
How I knew it was good stuff
I always gave the stuff I found a once over for mildew, insects, water damage and other gross things.
Broken stuff is not good stuff, so I mostly left broken stuff alone.
Once I got the piece home, the first thing I always did was wash it down with soap and water. Then I'd go over it with a cleaner. Murphy's Oil Soap is really good for cleaning wood.
If the surface is scratched up or has a lot of watermarks it's probably still salvageable. It's possible to refinish most wooden furniture and fill in any gouges (here's a guide). Or if you're lazy like me you can just cover them with a table cloth.
One of the only things I bought was my mattress. I don't trust used mattresses.
The biggest risk with getting furniture off the street is bedbugs. Bedbugs love all wooden furniture, so make sure you know how to check for them before taking a piece inside.
How I got stuff home
Most of the pieces I found were within walking distance of home and I was able to recruit a roommate to help me carry them home.
Some of the bigger pieces I was able to borrow a friends car to go and pick up.
Uber/Lyft XL can also be a good option. When I found my dining room table (Crate and Barrel!) I was on the other side of the city. It took a couple tries but I was able to call an UberXL and put the table in it.
Just make sure to call the driver before they arrive to confirm that their car is large enough and that they're willing to let you put a piece of furniture in it.
The total cost to get my dining room table home was only $30 and half of that was tip.
If you're in San Francisco you can also try an app called Lugg which is like Uber for moving furniture. It's more expensive than just calling an XL rideshare though.
Conclusion
So that's how I furnished my home for free.
Anyone else have tips for furnishing on the cheap? Any great street finds?
September 04, 2017 at 03:31PM
