Congrats on the new place! It’s exciting to walk around an empty apartment and dream of all you can do with it. But reality can hit hard when you see the actual price tag for a new beautiful couch.

However, you don’t have to sink all your money into furniture. You can furnish an apartment on a budget. Use these tips to help you fill your new home in style without suffering the hefty price tags.

Ask Around

You’d be surprised how many people can help you if you simply ask. Apartment living can be expensive if you don’t have a budget for furniture and necessities, but letting people know you’re moving and what you need can go a long way. Many people have extra furniture, microwaves, or odds and ends they cycle through, and they won’t know you need it unless you say so.

And talking to friends doesn’t have to stop at furniture, if you’re looking for more ways to save with your apartment, there are options. Consider your rent and where your money goes each month, along with things like your internet, water bill, and others. Friends who live in apartments and homes already may have good advice on how to save.

Shop the Neighborhood

You’d be surprised by how much excellent furniture ends up on the curb. Whether you’re looking on trash day or going to garage sales, these options can be more fruitful than you expect. And shopping garage sales will get you excellent deals on some gently used items, plus you can try it before you buy it.

Sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are also great options to find furniture you can buy for cheap. Often you will find cool pieces you wouldn’t see elsewhere and get some great price tags. Other sites like Offerup and  Letgo can provide you with additional cheap or free goods to help get your interior decor started.

Thrift City

Thrift stores are often filled with clothes, but most of them also have some interior design elements as well, if not full dining and living room sets. Start searching around at different stores and add a few new ones to your list if you think you know most of them in the area. You’re bound to find some good items if you put in the time to look.

With thrifting and many of these other options, you do need to be prepared to transport things yourself. Finding budget furniture may be the least of your worries. So don’t forget to plan how you will get your new used couch from point a to point b.

Furnish an Apartment for Free

Okay, you may not be able to furnish an apartment for free exactly, but you can do a lot for less. In many cases, you can build your interior decor from the ground up without entering a regular furniture store.

You may want some items from a store like Ikea to help fill out a space, but many items you can find in the places above. If this helped you get some good ideas when building your budget for furniture, keep reading for more tips and tricks.