What would you give?

[cheshireqt]

That is so sweet of you. Sounds like she needs everything from kitchen gadgets to dishes to bed and bedding to cleaning supplies. Where does she like to shop and where is most convenient for her to shop? If Target then sounds like a great choice!

 

[disykat]

I'm trying to wrap my brain around people buying someone expensive ($250!)gifts because they are moving into an apartment and I just can't.

Whatever happened to making do and collecting things over time?

I can beat momxx5, I was on the floor for 9 months. I also used cardboard boxes for my dresser, etc! My dishes and pretty much anything else in my apartment were hand me downs. I did have a brand new folding table and chairs that my parents bought me for my birthday. (I still use it occasionally 30 years later.)

 

[Ephany]

We were in Ikea yesterday and they had a plain double bed frame for $50; the twin was even cheaper. It was sturdier than I expected and the matching night stands were only $15. Even when you add slats and a mattress, that's still a pretty good price.

 

[Sagginit]

i just moved out on my own. i was able to take my bedroom set which was great. i would get her a bed because i spent three months on an air mattress at my brothers and towards the end it was awful. i had back aches and slept terribly. after that target and/or walmart. i love target but walmart saved me a ton on basics. those little things add up. also definitely do ask around. my brother & finance got a ton of kitchen stuff from my mum for their first place. they passed it on to her sister. just passed on a some things to me as im the newest one to get a place (the stuff got after they gave the other to her sister as their new starter stuff). people can be incredibly generous with stuff. my roomate furnished her entire bedroom at goodwill.

 

[disneyofcourse]

We were in Ikea yesterday and they had a plain double bed frame for $50; the twin was even cheaper. It was sturdier than I expected and the matching night stands were only $15. Even when you add slats and a mattress, that's still a pretty good price.

Do you know the name? I'll try to find it online! We actually got to go to Target at noon today and she was just beaming with joy.

We spent just under $50 and got her some basics and she is just overjoyed. Got some basic cleaning supplies too. I also had 4 of those $5 target gift cards I got to use. She already got a few basics that others have gifted her so that really helped the process and the needs list.

I might be able to go to Ikea this weekend..maybe..

Most everyone I know doesn't have extra furniture laying around so the idea of asking friends didn't work out. We all donate as soon as something new gets put in.

 

[momxx5]

Are you near any universities or colleges?

Final exams are coming quickly and so will be move out day. We live in a small university town. It was not until last yr did I realize what a great thing it was. I was driving through town to get somewhere else when two guys were carrying a wicker shelving/basket type of storage unit/thing. I just had to stop and ask what they were doing with it. "Putting it out on the curb, because after 4 yrs its not worth hauling it 400 miles home". Do you mind if I take it? No, of course not....they even loaded into my van. It is 6ft tall with two shelves that hold 4 baskets and 4 shelves that each hold a larger basket. We plan to spray paint it white, make basket liners and put into DD's bedroom as storage for her AG dolls for yrs ago. Three dolls fit into the larger baskets and outfits/accessories will fit into the other ones.

SO.....check out what day is moving out day and start driving around. Desks, lamps, tables, etc are all quite popular.

The 6 drawer long dresser that DD uses is not painted white, but for yrs it was brown wood with kinda Queen Ann feet. Oh, about 25 yrs ago my boyfriend at the time was driving over, saw it on the street and brought it over. Since I had no dresser it was perfect. As a young lady with a new job I was so excited and I was able to splurge on Victoria Secret drawer liners.

The I got tons of hand me down furniture from my aunt's mom. She lived in a retirement village. As people passed on, well lets just stay, their furniture was passed along too.

Again, ask/tell any and everyone you see that you are looking for stuff for Suzie's new place. You never know who has old pictures/art work, lamps, etc.
It doesn't hurt to put the word out.

 

[Suz D]

Maybe take her to some Goodwill types of stores to see what kinds of furnishings you can get. While I'm not fond of second hand upholstered furniture when you don't know who gave it (too many risks of different kinds of bugs IMO), you can get cheap furniture like dressers, dining tables with chairs, book shelves, etc this way. You can also go over with her how Freecycle works; she might be able to get some good stuff for free. If you don't find anything that you like at these stores then Ikea and Target are both great places for gift cards since they both carry reasonably priced stuff for furnishing a new place.

You're doing a great thing being there for this girl in so many ways (not only money but more importantly your time).

 

[Suz D]

I'm trying to wrap my brain around people buying someone expensive ($250!)gifts because they are moving into an apartment and I just can't.

Whatever happened to making do and collecting things over time?

I can beat momxx5, I was on the floor for 9 months. I also used cardboard boxes for my dresser, etc! My dishes and pretty much anything else in my apartment were hand me downs. I did have a brand new folding table and chairs that my parents bought me for my birthday. (I still use it occasionally 30 years later.)

 

[RitaE]

I'm trying to wrap my brain around people buying someone expensive ($250!)gifts because they are moving into an apartment and I just can't.

Whatever happened to making do and collecting things over time?

I can beat momxx5, I was on the floor for 9 months. I also used cardboard boxes for my dresser, etc! My dishes and pretty much anything else in my apartment were hand me downs. I did have a brand new folding table and chairs that my parents bought me for my birthday. (I still use it occasionally 30 years later.)

My husband and I slept on a twin mattress on the floor (no bed frame or box springs) for the first year. And yes, we actually kind of enjoyed it and hardly ever fell off.

To make it even better we really couldn't afford much in the way of heat either, just enough to keep the pipes from freezing. But we had sub-zero sleeping bags as covers and we often had two cats in there with us.

What would I buy? Probably an IKEA gift card or something.