Where I Got All My BIG First Apartment Furniture From While Sticking To A Budget + Popular Options For You To Shop Too!

First apartment furniture can be EXPENSIVE so I am telling you where I was able to get all the big furniture pieces while sticking to a budget and some amazing options for you to consider too!

Way before I started really planning for my first apartment I wrote out a rough estimate of how much I would need to save for all the different apartment furniture I would need.

I was being a little generous with how much I was allotting for each piece of furniture but it added up to be over $6,000!!! I nearly 💩 my pants when I added it all up HAH!

I knew really quickly that I would have to find affordable apartment furniture that looked cute but wouldn’t add up to be $6,000. I did hours of research to make sure I was getting a good deal on my furniture pieces while making sure that they still fit the “look” I wanted for my apartment decor.

In this post, I am going to show you exactly where I bought all my big apartment furniture pieces while sticking to a budget as well as some of the current most popular ones to buy for yourself!

To complement my findings, I also sought the expertise of a skilled carpentry service, a handyman near me, who effortlessly transformed some of my existing pieces into bespoke creations, adding a touch of uniqueness to my decor. This blend of smart shopping and skilled craftsmanship not only saved me a significant amount but also ensured that my apartment reflected my style sensibilities.

This post is all about the best apartment furniture to buy while sticking to a budget.

MY APARTMENT FURNITURE:

Before we begin, I realize that there are varying levels of what is considered inexpensive and what is not. Everything that I bought for my first apartment, fit into the budget I gave for myself but I am also not naive enough to say that I couldn’t find these things cheaper.

For the big items that we’re talking about in this, you easily could find them extremely inexpensive at Goodwill or another thrift store to save you more money.

I created an Excel First Apartment Budget Template for myself to allow me to know exactly what I can spend on everything for my apartment.

I have that exact excel budget template I used for my apartment that you can download for free here!

1. Beds

I have two beds in my apartment. One for my bedroom and one for the guest room. When looking for bed frames, I had two criteria (high-maintenance can you tell?!).

I wanted the headboards to go tall so they looked more expensive and I wanted them to also include a footboard so I wouldn’t have to mess with a bed skirt.

If you want to save money, just buying the headboard and getting a bed skirt WILL be a lot cheaper. I personally just thought the headboard and footboard combo looked more expensive, which makes sense since it was more expensive HAH!

Shop my apartment furniture:

My guest bed was from Walmart and this bed cost me $177.87 with tax included.

This was such a good deal that I bought it last summer and kept it in my parent’s garage for literally almost a year before I moved in.

I liked this bed for three reasons, the price (duh), it had the foot railing, and the headboard went high for a bed this price. The headboard on this measures 54”.

Shop my apartment furniture:

My master bedroom bed looks like this. I LOVED this bed when I saw it. It had a tall headboard, foot-rails, and was really inexpensive for how it looked. I got this bed from Macy’s for the total price of $420.29.

NOW, if you’ve looked at beds, you know that this is a good price HOWEVER I thought I was getting this for $299 which is a lot better than $420. So, you need to know two things about this bed.

First things first, this is ALWAYS for sale. Never ever ever buy this full price. Second thing, once you get this bed to the cart and are almost completely done checking out, they get you with a $100 delivery fee. You have to pay for this. The bad thing about this is the price of it obvi, but the good thing is that two people come set it up for you so you don’t even have to lift a finger.

Another place that I would highly recommend looking for beds from is Wayfair. They have SO many options. I almost bought a few beds from there.

To help you choose, take a lot of pictures and videos of the different beds. Make sure to get a video of the footboard, headboard, overall bed, and more. Maybe get one of you measuring the height of the headboard.

APARTMENT

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DECOR

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2. Couch

I’m going to be honest- I had a VERY specific criteria for my couch. I wanted it to be white (don’t judge…I felt like it was the only time in my life where I could get a white couch without kids hahaha), have squared edges, and had an L-shape or somewhere to put my feet.

I searched for HOURS for a couch. Literally hours. I couldn’t find anything I liked without spending an arm and a leg.

After realizing how expensive a couch was, my boyfriend and I decided to split the couch 50/50 and get something a little nicer that will last…

Shop my apartment furniture:

We ended up getting this couch from Ashleys for $1,300ish. Is that expensive?! Uhm yes absolutely. Do I think that’s a good price for a couch this large? Yes.

Both my boyfriend and I say that this is one of the best things we’ve ever spent our money on because it’s so comfy and perfect for entertaining since our friends can spread all around.

PS! – Ashleys has this on their website for over 2,000. Don’t listen to that price. They ALWAYS go on sale. I think we got the couch for 60% off.

PPS! – Be careful with Ikea couches!! I was going to order one from there for the longest time and I went to actually see it in person and it was completely different. Super low to the ground and not comfy at all.

3. Bar stools

This was something that I definitely didn’t expect to be as expensive as it was. I wanted a bar stool that had a back to it since my apartment wasn’t big enough for a table so I would be sitting here for a long time.

I had a hard time finding any barstool I liked for under $120. For just ONE bar stool!!!

Shop my apartment furniture:

I ended up finding these at Target for a set of 2 for $140. That’s $70 each!! Such an amazing price and they come in white also.

Overstock also has some great options!

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4. Nightstand

Lastly, where I was able to find inexpensive nightstands. This was another thing I was really specific on (which now can tell how my brain overthinks literally everything hahah). I spent a long time looking at interior designers I liked and the bedrooms they designed.

I quickly realized that all of them use large nightstands so then I wanted a large nightstand (hah!). Plus, it gave me a lot more storage to put clothes and whatever else in.

I couldn’t find large nightstands that weren’t stupid expensive for the longest time so I started widening my searches.

Shop my apartment furniture:

I ended up finding these on Walmart and they are actually baby changing tables.

I’ve talked about these a lot because I thought they were such a good find but I was able to get each of these for $150 and they are the perfect size.

You can tell they’re not the best quality (the drawers don’t open the smoothest) but I am obsessed with them and they are perfect for my first apartment!!

APARTMENT

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ORGANIZATION

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BEDS:

There are literally a million styles to choose from when picking out a bed so the one you buy is completely up to your personal taste!

But, I included some of the most popular options that are neutral enough to fit into any apartment no matter how you choose to decorate!

1. Emmett No Tufting Low Profile Bed

Platform beds are a go-to option when shopping for apartment furniture for your bedroom. They are sturdy and look super expensive but you can actually find a ton of options for a great price!

This non-tufted platform bed is a sleek, simple option that will never go out of style so you can use it for years to come!

“This was the perfect piece of furniture for our new bedroom! Couldn’t be happier!”

2. Holst Upholstered Bed

Birch Lane is usually a little pricer than other furniture stores but this platform bed is only $800!

Now, is that still a little pricey? Yes. But, for the quality you get with this bed it’s totally worth it. You really won’t find another bed that looks as luxurious for this price!

“Our new bed is beautiful, exceeding expectations!”

3. Frame Canopy Bed

If I could have my dream but it would hands down be a canopy bed like this one. Canopy beds do tend to be a little more expensive but this one from CB2 is an amazing price for such a stunning piece.

If you want a bed that is really going to make a statement but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, this is an amazing option.

“I’ve had the frame canopy bed for a year and a half and I’m still super delighted by this beautiful statement piece.”

4. Low Profile Standard bed

Wayfair has thousands of stunning beds to choose from including this low-profile bed.

This bed will give you a similar look as a platform bed would but still allows for under-bed storage which is always good to have when living in an apartment.

“Beautiful bed. Love the richness of the fabric. It is great quality and fits perfectly with my new style!”

5. Metal Platform Bed

You really can’t go wrong with a metal platform bed when shopping for apartment furniture especially if you’re really trying to stick to a budget.

This bed is a simple but stylish option that is guaranteed to look amazing in any apartment bedroom.

“This is a quality product! It is easy to install and feels very durable! I would say this is a steal for the price!”

COUCHES:

Like I said before, I am super picky when it comes to couches. I wanted to keep it simple when it came to picking out my apartment furniture so that I had more room to play around with different colors and patterns with my throws.

But, I obviously understand not everyone loves white couches as much as me HAHA! You definitely want to take all factors into consideration such as how often the couch is going to be used, who is going to be using it, if you have kids, roommates, etc. especially when it comes to making big purchases like apartment furniture!

That being said I included some of my favorite neutral couches for you to shop if you are kind of in boat as I was when shopping for my couch. All of these are honestly great options for any guy or girl’s apartment and are all super reasonably priced for the kind of quality you get with them!

6. Russell Reversible Sectional Sofa

If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a couch, my friend Taylor who is also moving into her first apartment, just bought this couch from Amazon.

She just ordered it so she doesn’t actually know the quality or how comfortable it is but it’s cute and a great price!

OSP Home Furnishings Ivory Fabric Russell Reversible Sectional Sofa with 2 Pillows and Coffee Finished Legs

“Love this sectional! It’s perfect for my tiny space and the ivory color really brightens up the room.”

7. Modern Velvet Sofa

This sofa is pretty different than what I would normally go for but if you are looking for a seating option that is really going to WOW then this is the one.

I love the gold legs on this sofa and the tufted back is super popular right now!

“This sofa adds so much charm to my living room! It was easy to assemble and turned out beautiful.”

8. Bonaterra Sand Sofa With Reversible Chaise

This is another quality couch to choose from if when shopping for your living room apartment furniture. Not only am I in love with the modern design, but the ivory color of this couch is amazing too.

This will give you the light and bright feeling that a pure white couch would but with a more comfortable and inviting feeling than you would get if you were to go with stark white.

“Comfortable and good fabric quality! It’s reversible so it gives me the flexibility to configure my living room any way I want.”

9. Nest Sofa

Other than the price, the best part about this white couch is the sleek design that the arm shape, fabric texture, and back cushions provide. If you are thinking about buying a white couch but are worried about it getting dirty, a couch like this one is the perfect option.

Of course, it won’t hide all spills but the ivory polyester upholstery on this couch is easy to clean and hides imperfections much better than a standard white couch.

“One of my best furniture purchases! The color was just what I was looking for and the couch itself is so comfortable.”

APARTMENT

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BAR STOOLS:

When shopping for bar stools you have just as many options as you do when picking out the rest of your apartment furniture.

The main thing you need to take into consideration when choosing which bar stools to purchase is the height of your bar. You don’t want to buy ones that sit too low to the ground or ones that are so tall your knees are touching the bottom of the countertops. But, once you have the height figured out, you can really go anywhere from there!

In the end, which style you end up going with is totally up to you but these are some basic options that are both reasonably priced and neutral enough to fit right into any apartment!

10. Square Velvet Padded Stools

If I could go back in time I would 100% be purchasing these bar stools. While modern, they are simple enough to really fit into any design style.

Could you find bar stools that are cheaper? Yes. But honestly, the price is still not too bad especially when you take into consideration what other stores are charging for similar designs. And, they really do look stunning so you are totally getting your money’s worth.

“Sleek, stylish, and super comfy! These were the perfect addition to my kitchen.”

11. Northwood Metal Cafe Barstool

If you are looking for simple bar stools that will still add style to your space these are perfect.

These are only $90 apiece which means you could get a set of 4 for under $400! This is way less expensive than a ton of other sets available online. Plus, they can be purchased separately if you need more or less than what is generally included in bar stool sets!

“ I bought six and, all-in-all, I am super happy with them! Would definitely recommend.”

12. Harlowe 2-Piece Bar Stool Set

If you are a fan of gold then you are going to absolutely love these bar stools in your apartment.

These are the perfect way to add gold accents into your kitchen without being overly flashy.

“I was so excited to open up these bar stools!! They were super cute and made a great addition!”

NIGHTSTANDS:

When purchasing apartment furniture, one thing you always want to take into consideration is storage. If you are more of a minimalist, you probably don’t have to worry too much about clothing storage. But, if you are anything like me, you are going to want to consider buying apartment furniture that doubles as storage especially in your bedroom.

Nightstands are one of those purchases that you may not have thought too much about until it comes time to actually move in. But, coming from a recent first apartment furniture shopper, you really should put some thought into them! Not only do you want nightstands that look great, but you also want pieces that provide ample storage space and will hold up with lots of use! These options will give you all of the above.

13. 2-Piece White Nightstands

If you are looking to buy your nightstands as a set then this pair from Home Depot is right up your alley. They aren’t anything too exciting but sometimes simple is the way to do when picking out apartment furniture!

Plus, you can always replace the hardware which is a super easy and cheap way to enhance the look of your nightstands.

“These nightstands are not only stylish but also an amazing price. Overall, a great value!”

14. Room Essentials Modern Nightstand

When I started shopping for my apartment furniture, I was honestly shocked at how expensive nightstands were.

I ended up finding this white nightstand from Target for $50 and sprucing it up by drilling in hardware from Home Depot. After I added the hardware they honestly looked just as good as some of the other nightstands I had found (if not better) and I was able to do it for 1/3 of the cost.

“This blew away my expectations. I got 2 of them in white and they look so modern and heavy-duty. No one would ever think they’re $50.”

15. Open Shelf Nightstand

Like I said, if know you’re going to need the extra storage space, buy your apartment furniture accordingly. But if not, you can totally go for an open nightstand like this!

Plus, if you decide you need the space later, you can totally use a couple of baskets to organize your things with this $39 option.

“Perfect! Just the space I needed to keep a few extra outfits and night time essentials in my room!.”

16. Wood 3-Drawer Dresser

I’m not a huge fan of the silver hardware on this dresser but for the price, that can totally be overlooked. And like I said before, that is a super cheap and easy fix if you do decide to switch out the hardware!

The dresser nightstand itself is super sleek though and is the perfect size for storing extra clothes!

“This fits perfectly next to my bed and the multiple drawers make it easy for me to keep my stuff separated and ready.”

That wraps up this post where I showed you where I got all my first apartment “BIG” furniture pieces and a few other super popular options to buy on your own!

Like I said earlier, it really depends on your budget and you can definitely get things cheaper than what I have but you can also spend A LOT more money too.