Congratulations! You’ve closed the deal on the new home. Now, to fill it full of new stuff. So, so, so much new stuff.
Buying your first home is obviously a massive financial investment. However, you might not be prepared for the hundred-or-so little purchases that you need to make to fill the home. A new bed frame here, a new toilet seat there, and before you know it you’ve spent a few hundred dollars on one Saturday afternoon.
To help you get the absolute most from your budget, here are a few places that first-time homeowners can save money.
1. Your Beds and Mattresses
If you’re upgrading your home’s size, you might also be thinking about upgrading your bed. Or you may have to put new beds in guest bedrooms.
We don’t have to tell you how expensive department store mattresses can be. The good news is that you can save a lot of money if you buy a PerfectSense Mattress directly from the manufacturer.
You can get an amazingly comfortable mattress without paying for all of the extra costs that come with big-name department store mattresses. They are shipped directly to you and you will save a fortune.
You can also use this site to find great deals on bed foundation and bedding to go with it.
2. Look Beyond the Brand for Baby Items
New parents often want nothing but the best for their child. However, that doesn’t always mean the most expensive brands.
In fact, many experts have pointed out how wasteful that buying nothing but brand-new and brand-name clothes can be. You can get a lot of quality and brand-name baby clothes at secondhand stores. At the same time, a number of these stores will actually give you money for your old clothes!
3. Discover Secondhand Chic
Baby clothes aren’t the only place where you should be looking at secondhand goods. You can also easily fill your home with secondhand furnishing.
While the prospect of an old mattress or couch is understandably not appealing, you can purchase quality tables, lamps, or end tables for almost no money.
This can make really great starter-furniture and help you fill your guest bedrooms or rumpus rooms.
4. Be Frugal with Your Moving Expenses
The actual process of moving can be expensive, especially if you hire movers. By following some simple yet effective moving tips, you can make the process of moving into your home as efficient and cost-effective as possible.
5. Unsubscribe to the Unnecessary
From how to pack to when to move, these tips help you cut time and money out of your moving budget so that you have more of both to furnish and decorate your new home.
How much do you think you pay every month for those tiny little $5.99 – $11.99 subscriptions to things like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Google Play Music?
When asked to think about it quickly, the average American thought they were paying about $79.11 a month for their various subscriptions. But, then they were given time to add it up properly and they were actually paying closer to $111.00 every month, which was about 40% more than they estimated.
That’s basically a “missing” $30.00 a month that would go a long way for first-time homeowners.
Of course, budgeting and tracking your spending is always the answer when trying to save money. However, if you want to save a lot of money in that tight first year of homeownership, take a good look at the money-wasters we’ve mentioned today.