Yesterday I snuck into a local bookstore and found two books in a clearance bin for $6.99 each and bought them both.
I know some people dislike the Pottery Barn “style”, it can get too matchy-matchy and look as if, well, that you got it from a set. But I really like the furniture and the decor – when I was little I’d flip through Pottery Barn catalogues and imagine that’s what a “grown-up” apartment would look like. (Rich from Queercents like PB too!)
Unfortunately Pottery Barn furniture is WAY outside of my budget right now, but I figured I can look for inspiration within the pages.
By the way, I have set up an “Apartment” fund to take care of my moving-in costs later this summer. Currently I have $250 in it. I’ll be bringing several large pieces of furniture from my home (bed, desk, sofa set, chairs, maybe a table), so I won’t need to buy furniture (but, um, of course I’ll want to). I anticipate spending $250 for my bedding alone (duvet set, down comforter, pillows, sheets, maybe a featherbed?), so I’ll have to add some more money to the fund (I also want to get some soft lighting).
My goal is to get to $400 and not spend a. penny. more. I don’t even know how much face time I’ll get with my apartment once I start working, so I am going to create a comfortable bedroom (hence the down bedding and ambient lighting) and forget everything else! 
Hmm. I went cheap and still spent $700. You will have to do some serious bargain shopping, probably second-hand, and NO POTTERY BARN to furnish an apt for under $400, because you will discover all kinds of things that you need (both really need and want-”need”) in the process. But it’s a super fun process.
Good luck!
Good luck sticking to that budget!
My current apartment’s furniture (what I can remember/ballpark in my head) cost me this much:
Pull out Couch with custom cover: $1800 (including the delivery cost of $200)
Dinette set: $1000 (gift from my parents)
Coffee table: free
Dresser: $420 (includes delivery cost of $20)
Bed, desk: $150 (off Craigslist)
Desk hutch: free
Desk chair: free (permanent loan from a friend)
Work table: free
Cedar chest & side table: $140 (includes a sewing machine)
Don’t even ask me about the artwork I have, some I bought. Some were presents, some I painted myself in high school.
All this and still no real curtains. *sigh*
Don’t look at Pottery Barn stuff. You’ll only wish you had more money to spend. Try the Apartment Therapy website. They have beautiful stuff and Ikea Hacker which shows you fun DIY projects for nifty home furnishings.
Strange bird & mapgirl – I’ve put the $400 towards *only* the bedroom (and maybe some towels for the bathroom). I already have all the major pieces of furniture, so basically all I need at this point is the bedding and a couple of accent pieces like lighting and magazine rack.
I’ll be sharing the apartment with a couple of girls, and we’ll all be working long hours, so I can’t imagine any one of us splurging for things that are not inside our bedroom. And if none of us bring a tv from home for the living room, we won’t have one.
I still have hope that I will find the perfect console table or secretary desk in Craigslist.
You can do it for $400 – you just have to be very disciplined. I remember moving into my apartment (years ago) with my roommate and we realized we didn’t have cleaning supplies or bathroom stuff: towels, shower curtain, bath mat. We didn’t even get that much stuff, but somehow we spent $150 at Target.
That’s why it is important to have a list!
Hi, love your blog. I’m moving into my first apartment this summer as well after 2 years of saving by living at home with the ‘rents. I strongly recommend that everyone do the same – if they can stand their parents that is.
CB2.com is Crate and Barrel’s sister store. It’s kinda modern, but the prices are amazing. Everyone should check it out!
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