My husband and I live in a charming, TINY apartment. I love the character of the older apartment complex but have serious issues with the electrical bill and the limited space. I don't have any ideas on helping out with the electric bill, but being a maximizer and an adapter I do have some ideas on how to cope with the limited space. Being a designer I have a high standard for the way it looks and being a newly wed I am picky about how much it costs. So for starters I get everything from estate sales, antique stores, flee markets, and re-sale stores. The goal is to buy the "skeleton" not the prettiest piece of furniture in the store. Then once you get it home just clean it off if it's dusty and buy a $3.00 can of spray paint and you are good to go! You can also sand down the furniture depending on the finish and re- stain it. It's so affordable and then you have an awesome piece of furniture made of solid wood and great quality for a great price. I have found that at the same price if you go to places like IKEA and target for furniture you will end up with laminate finishes (or fake wood) and poor structure. Don't get me wrong there are some things I love at IKEA that you would have a hard time finding at estate sales - for example a clean, unused, white over sized chair. We bought one not too long ago which we really enjoy, and we got it for a great price. After studying textiles I have a hard time buying used furniture unless I know I am going to re-cover it, and then at that point its getting expensive again. So long story short you can have a pottery barn looking piece of furniture for an incredible price. Our entertainment center was $30.00 from an estate sale we spray painted it black (2 cans @ $3.00) and distressed it (free). For $36.00 we have a functional entertainment center that has all the space we need and looks great.
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