Posts Tagged ‘furniture’

With the economic forecast looking as gloomy as it does you’d be forgiven for thinking that new bed purchase you’ve been hankering after is never gonna happen. It is fair to say that people tend to hold back on buying “big ticket” items at these times. However, if you are clever about it you can actually use the situation to your advantage and get some really good deals.

Here are my tips on buying furniture in the credit crunch:

1.    Get it for free. In recent years the concept of recycling and swapping unwanted furniture has really taken off on the internet. Make sure you check out sites like freecycle.org, gumtree.com and craigslist.com and see what’s available in your area. You can’t be too picky but you might find the perfect item at the best possible cost – nothing at all!

2.    Don’t dismiss second hand stores. Now is not the time to be snobbish. You might be pleasantly surprised at the standard of items you can find at a decent second hand store. OK so not all of the stuff you find there will be particularly new, stylish or well kept. But I’ve often come across some really solid pine and painted furniture at my local YMCA store!

3.    Bargain Bargain Bargain. The financial situation means the time is ripe to bargain on the final price, even in the large, established department stores. These big chains are falling overthemselves in desperation for your business. Trust me – sales assistants at these places are prepared to throw in discounts to win your business. If you want to pay a little less for that dining room furniture set, just ask them to knock some money off. You’ll be surprised at just how often they agree.

4.    Go online. The past few years have seen a lot of online furniture suppliers spring up. They can very often save you a lot of money. Often you can find the same pieces on a web-only store as you do in the big showrooms, at a much cheaper price. Don’t take my word for it – just look at the stats. In 2009, online furniture sales increased by 31% when compared to the previous year.

5.    Find a local supplier. You might not have thought so but smaller furniture suppliers can often be cheaper than the big chains. For starters, they tend to be friendlier and more willing to get you a good deal. Also, you often find beautiful handmade furniture made with solid wood rather than the mass produced veneer you get in the big stores. I’m speaking from experience here – I recently came across a gorgeous showroom close to where I live, offering great white bedroom furniture and accessories. I ended up stocking up my entire bedroom from there!

So don’t be too quick to dismiss those big purchases because of the financial crisis. You could end up with a great deal

Doing your home up properly is almost always a big drain on resources and is even more difficult for those who are not so well off. If you add to this the fact that everyone is struggling with finances in the current climate and the result is a large amount of households who are living without even the most basic furniture items. There may be an answer to this problem however in the form a government initiative which will ask those more fortunate to give their unwanted items to poorer families, instead of disposing of it or selling it on.

Local events, magazines and radio will all be used to advertise the government’s initiative, which is thought to begin later this year. They hope to appeal to the Samaritan in all Americans and are aiming to help out around 200,000 households initially. The furniture that is most in demand is bedroom furniture such as children’s beds, wardrobes and bedside table. Living room furniture is next on the wish list, with items such as couches, coffee tables and lighting being highest in demand.

There are a number of individuals and groups who have been quick to criticise the idea, saying that as industry is struggling most in the recession, people should be being urged to make new purchases to kick start it. Organisers of the initiative have responded by saying that the economy will in fact benefit from the scheme as it will encourage those from wealthier backgrounds to get rid of their old furniture and buy new pieces. George Yapton, the governments head of consumer spending stated “people will always continue to buy new furniture, we just want to stop it going to waste and instead go towards helping those whole really need it”..

The government has said that all furniture, regardless of condition will be accepted for consideration, including painted furniture, kitchen furniture, bedroom items, really anything that people don’t want.

If you don’t have a lot of money in the bank, its usually pretty difficult to get the things you need for your house. Now consider the very weak economy and you can easily see how lots of families are struggling without the standard furniture they need to live. A proposed government campaign to get those with more money to give away any furniture they do not need or want to those less fortunate may be one effective solution to the problem.

Local events, magazines and radio will all be used to advertise the government’s initiative, which is thought to begin later this year. They hope to appeal to the Samaritan in all Americans and are aiming to help out around 200,000 households initially. The furniture that is most in demand is bedroom furniture like children’s beds, wardrobes and bedside tables. There is also a high demand for living room items, with many families lacking tables, book cases and couches.

Some critics have spoken out against the campaign, suggesting that the economy needs people to be spending at the moment rather than recycling old items. Organisers of the initiative have responded by saying that the economy will in fact benefit from the scheme as it will encourage those from wealthier backgrounds to get rid of their old furniture and buy new pieces. “People will always be looking to update their furniture by buying new pieces, but that is not to say that their old items should go to waste” says expert of consumer spending Doug Wallace..

The government has said that all furniture, regardless of condition will be accepted for consideration, including dining furniture, kitchen furniture, bedroom items, really anything that people don’t want.