Furnishing your home? Here are 13 places to get creative with furniture purchases without breaking the bank.
Topics Covered:
Shoe-string budget? Here’s where to find pre-used items: Allston Christmas, Buy Nothing Groups, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Thrifting.
Want new, but budget-conscious? Go to: TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, HomeSense, Marshalls, IKEA, Amazon.
Looking for a little upscale without the upper price tags? Check out these furniture outlets: West Elm, Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel.
Boston transplants, get ready to get furniture- if you’re looking to rent, know that Boston landlords rarely lease their properties furnished and you’d best brace yourself to do some furniture shopping least you find yourself living on the floor.
Fret not; America thrives on consumerism so there are plenty of avenues for shopping. If you get creative, you could even pay nothing! Here’s a map of stores mentioned; read on for the best tips on getting furniture without breaking your bank.
1. Shoe-string budget? Here’s where to find pre-used items: Allston Christmas, Buy Nothing Groups, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Thrifting
Allston Christmas
Allston- home to students of Boston College, Boston University, the young, the old and the many who rent. For the fact that Boston rentals typically start anywhere between August-September, the streets would come alive with the sound of music moving trucks come mid-Aug. And where people move, people discard!
Allston Christmas is where one man’s trash become another’s treasure. This unique period presents an excellent opportunity for zero-spend shopping if you’d roll up your sleeves and roll up with a friend and vehicle to help transport your finds.
For some tips on navigating Allston Christmas, check out this guide from Roaming Boston as well as this article from MassLive.
Photo credits: MassLive
Location: Allston, Brighton. Delivery offered: No
Thrifting
This site has a list of thrift stores, but you could always rely on the classics: Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Location: Various towns. Delivery offered: No
Facebook Marketplace
People sell all sorts of items on Facebook Marketplace! In in some cases, they may even provide free pickup or delivery. If you're doing a meet up, pick a public place for safety reasons.
Delivery offered: Case-by-case basis. Be sure to ask.
Craigslist
Craigslist’s "Furniture" and "Free" categories are self-explanatory goldmines calling your name. Craigslist has the advantage of allowing buyers and sellers to negotiate directly, so you could sweeten your deal. Like Facebook Marketplace, pick a public places if you have to meet!
Delivery offered: Case-by-case. Be sure to ask.
Buy Nothing Groups
These are local, hyper-specific community groups in which members can give or request items for free. Unlike Facebook Marketplace which is geared toward buying and selling used goods, Buy Nothing Groups are solely focused on gifting items within a community, such as furniture, kitchen supplies, décor, and occasionally even food. It is part of a larger movement known as the Buy Nothing Project which aims to reduce waste, foster community relationships, and encourage sharing over consumption.
Buy Nothing Groups serve a specific neighborhood or area, allowing members to coordinate pickups and drop-offs. These groups are usually run on Facebook, where members can see images and descriptions of the items they're giving away or looking for.
Looking for a local Buy Nothing economy? Click here to get started.
Delivery offered: Yes and No
2. Want new, but budget-conscious? Go to: TJ Maxx, Homegoods, HomeSense, Marshalls, IKEA, Amazon
TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, HomeSense & Marshalls
If second-hand isn’t your thing, Massachusetts knows first-hand about off-price stores- Framingham is the headquarters of The TJX Companies, Inc which is the largest off-price retailer in the US!!
TJX is the parent company of TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, HomeSense and Marshalls. I have scoured their shelves since day one and still do.
These stores have a rotating inventory, so don’t count on online shopping - go in person. If you’re looking for a furniture-centric spree (tables, chairs...) go to HomeGoods. You’ll find only smaller items in TJ Maxx, HomeSense and Marshalls - think accent pieces and decor.
Location: Various towns. Delivery offered: Yes
IKEA
IKEA’s a no-brainer for first-time nesters, though the downside is that there’s only 1 store in MA, and that’s in Stoughton... which is quite a distance from Boston. You could take the commuter rail to town, but would eventually need a ride-share to get there.
Location: Stoughton. Delivery offered: Yes
Amazon
If you’re gonna be living in the US, you’re gonna at some point cave and get a Prime membership when you see sweet sweet deals on Prime Day. I guarantee it. My friend, cut to the chase; get that membership, and let your fingers do the shopping. Prime now.
Amazon’s brands to get: Rivet, Stone & Beam, and Amazon Basics.
Delivery offered: Yes
3. Looking for a little upscale without the upper price tags? Check out these furniture outlets: West Elm, Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel.
West Elm Outlet, Wrentham MA
West Elm is mid-century modern, which is just about the most fluid style to dress a starter home. You could mix and match pieces from Amazon’s Rivet line, IKEA, or even a vintage item from thrifting.
Note that outlets do not source missing parts or hardware, so items should be thoroughly inspected before purchase- all sales are final. Payments must be made in-store; they do not accept payments over the phone or through Instagram. Additionally, if you intend to purchase any larger items, remember to bring your own wrapping supplies as they do not provide wrapping services.
HOT TIP🔥: Follow West Elm on Instagram (@westelmwrentham)! As soon as you see something you like, call and have the store hold the item for you. Store policies state that items can be held for 1 hr, but I’ve heard friends (shoutout to Fabi and Jose for this tip!) share that they’ve had theirs held for up to 12 hours before, so check with the store.
Location: Wrentham. Delivery Offered: Yes, via a third party company at a cost.
Restoration Hardware Outlet, Foxborough MA
Hard to pinpoint a style for Restoration Hardware (RH), though I’d interpret it as transitional glam. RH furniture tends to skew towards filling larger spaces, in my observation. FYI this outlet is a stone’s throw from Gillette Stadium where our football team plays, so you could definitely combine a game with a furniture trip.
PS, the RH shop in Back Bay - an 1863 French Academic style building that was formerly the Museum of Natural History - is worth a visit.
Location: Foxborough. Delivery offered: Yes, but for larger items, check with the store for specific details.
Crate & Barrel Outlet, Kittery ME
This outlet has got small and large items alike from sofa sets to tableware and even carries products from its sister stores CB2, as well as Crate&kids. Contemporary offerings. Steep discounts with some extras on seasonal items. They restock FOUR times a week, so definitely follow their instagram (@cboutlet_kittery) for the latest drops.
All sales are final and on first-come-first-serve basis (i.e. they do not hold items for later purchases).
Location: Kittery, ME. Delivery offered: No
