<p>DD and roomie are moving to an apartment off campus for the fall. This can add a whole lot of expenses. What is appropriate in terms of how their “nest” is feathered? Roomate’s parents seem happy to buy new furniture as if they were adults with jobs paying for it themselves. DH and I think that for college students, milk crates work well as bookcases.</p>
<p>start checking craiglist now as students move out after graduation - move that furniture into the apt. if possible…</p>
<p>Targets futon for about $150 was decent looking (the one with the wooden legs, not metal)- dd’s roomie bought cuz they HATED the sofa that came with the apt.</p>
<p>Both of my kids did the SAME thing when they moved into their off campus apartments. They asked the CURRENT tenants (who they were replacing) if they wanted to sell their furniture. In both cases the departing tenants were MORE than happy to do so…for a good price. It was a win win situation. The departing students didn’t need to advertise or worry about moving furniture, and my kids didn’t have to worry about buying any…or moving it. When my kids moved out…they sold their stuff to the folks moving in to replace them! </p>
<p>I would suggest that your students contact the kids living in the apartment NOW. Clearly they are not returning. Maybe they want to sell the furnishings.</p>
<p>If you do end up buying…go with Craigslist or have your kiddos post a “needed list” on their Facebook page. Their friends, and friends of friends might have just what they are looking for. Buying new is not all that great an idea and is unnecessary for undergrads.</p>
<p>Second craigslist…and recommend being a minimalist as well. D did very well on Craigslist buying a love seat, book case, tv stand computer desk, and small round kitchen table and two chairs. Except for the love seat cushions which we examined thoroughly there was no risk of bedbugs…and we wiped down everything before bringing it into the apartment. It was all she needed. Several pieces were Ikea and came apart and put back together easily. She reversed the process at graduation since she was not close to home and sold most of her pieces for a little less than she paid. She was careful about having a friend with her while picking up and selling pieces. She started with a bed and dishes…took about two weeks to get the place together and looking decent. It’s exciting for independence, but can be a hassle. The reason she was in an apartment…she did not win the housing lottery senior year. And yes, milk crates make good book cases…and good bedside tables!</p>
<p>My daughter did what Thumper’s kids did. She bought all her furniture from the kids who were graduating and moving out for a reasonable price. If that’s not an option, I agree with the plan to buy from other students that are leaving. It’s silly to buy new stuff because then it’s just a hassle to move later on.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Older ‘donated’ furniture/stuff (utensils, kitchen stuff, sheets, blankets, etc.) from home and possibly friends/family. Many view it as a favor to be rid of some items in this way - items they were reluctant to throw out but would be happy to see it go to a good use.</p></li>
<li><p>Garage sales - a great source of stuff that’s sometimes very inexpensive</p></li>
<li><p>Craigslist</p></li>
<li><p>Furniture for sale or free by people moving out. Often these are students who are moving on and don’t want most of their stuff. They’ll sometimes gladly give it away or sell it very inexpensively. Some apt complexes have bulletin boards that advertise the stuff being gotten rid of. Also, some school papers (including online versions) have stuff advertised in them.
When I did this back when I was in college I never paid for a couch and I ended up with a few - I just always found one people were giving away or trying to throw away and if I saw one better than mine I’d do the trickle down - I’d take the better one and someone else would end up with mine.</p></li>
<li><p>Cardboard boxes - make adequate end tables and dressers</p></li>
<li><p>The old ‘board and cinder block bookcase’ - I don’t know if people do this anymore but it works well and is cheap</p></li>
</ul>
<p>It’s best to not ‘share’ purchases of household items (TV, fridge, sofa, etc.) between roomies since it presents a problem a bit later when the roomies split - i.e. what to do with the shared purchase. If they’re going to buy stuff it’s best that they each purchase complementary items and it remains the property of that roomie when done even though it was shared while roomies.</p>
<p>Ditto all above-- get what you can from the current tenants. That said-- each of my kids got a new bed. Old beds can be creepy and one from craigslist that a roommate got came with…critters :eek: . You can get inexpensive beds from IKEA (especially the scratch and dent section) or Sears. Both boys took stuff we no longer needed from the house (mostly kitchen stuff, George Foreman grills-- a MUST!!), and toaster ovens. Roommates divided up who was bringing what. With guys its mostly about electronics and food!! </p>
<p>You can get inexpensive new cookware, so while we did send them with old cookware, I also splurged and spent $15 or so on a set of 4 frying pans (sale at macys plus a coupon) and some new silverware (from Burlington coat factory or somewhere like that). The biggest hit was the inexpensive fake suede cover for the futon that I ordered from overstock.com. They spend a lot of time on that thing and apparently the previous cover was really groty.</p>
<p>Spidey, I know when I moved out of my apartment senior year I gave two couches to some random kids who were moving in near by. It was either that or set them out on the curb because they weren’t coming with me. I had inherited them when a previous student gave them to me after she graduated. </p>
<p>I remember freshman year I gave away two area rugs when I moved out because I couldn’t fit them in my vehicle for the ride home. My dad was SOOO mad at me because he paid for them and they weren’t cheap. When I went back sophomore year he told me if I wanted a rug for my room I was on my own for funding it! I took carpet scraps from their basement, duct taped them together on the bottom and had the coolest rug of them all. It made it super easy to take apart and bring home for the summer, lol!</p>
<p>In my world college apartments are best designed in “Early Garage Sale”. Perhaps today I could stretch it to be “Craigslist Provincial”~</p>
<p>When my kids get an apartment, they are welcome to shop at CountingDown’s Basement – am collecting stuff that I would otherwise donate, but realize they may want in the next couple of years. Yard sales, buying stuff from the current tenants, Craigslist with care, etc. This goes for after graduation, too. I figure if they have old cr*ppy stuff, they will be motivated to work hard to afford better.</p>
<p>I bought furniture from a friend who was transferring to another school halfway across the country and the U-Haul rental was more than the furniture was worth. We had that stuff for quite a while after we were married, too. :eek:</p>
<p>As a parent and potential help-the-kid mover, I was all for him buying from the previous tenant. He got an almost new bed, large corner computer desk w/hutch, chest of drawers, and nightstand for $150. The only problem is it’s better than his home bedroom furniture and I’m not having good luck in talking him into selling it to the next guy :(</p>
<p>^^^^Funny! I did my old stuff, a wood frame for sofa from Goodwill (made a new cushion and pillow backs), new wood IKEA chairs with detachable cushions all unified by colors. I am fine with old furniture except for anything with fabric. I though it look pretty cute and homey 2 years ago. Now it looks pretty beat-up. Never send anything you want to get back is my motto.</p>
<p>I agree with all the above, plus look for thrifts stores - Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, local churches, etc. </p>
<p>We bought a beach house 2 years ago and bought everything (including dishes) but the mattresses (agree that these MUST be new) via the sources & Craigs list - furnished a 3br house for under $750, including a Ethan Allen cherry DR set for $250.</p>