Well readers, it's been a minute. And what exactly have I had going on? Oh, you know, just moving into a house that is five times the size of my old studio! One of my closest friends bought a house last year and invited me to live with her (which I enthusiastically said yes to!) and now we have the task of filling up an entire house with furniture we don't have. What's a girl to do? Hit up Facebook Marketplace and end up with the furniture of our dreams for a fraction of the price. Here's how we did it.
FYI the photo above is not the new place. If I could be that together 10 days after moving I would give myself a medal. Buying furniture is much easier than actually decorating. Especially with these simple tricks:
Click on everything you like...even if you know you won't buy it
When I first started shopping on FB Marketplace everything seemed like junk. None of it was my style and the entire concept felt like a low rent virtual garage sale. Then I started clicking on anything that caught my eye - mid-mod tables, unique vases, gorgeous armchairs, etc. The algorithm quickly learned my taste and suddenly I wanted to buy everything. The more you click on certain items, the more your feed learns what you like and shows you similar listings. Maybe I didn't want to buy a borderline broken dining chair, but since I clicked on it I now have 30 other dining chairs I'm much more likely to purchase. The internet is tricky, use it to your advantage.
Check the main feed often
It may seem simple to search for 'end table' because you need an end table. But there's so many hidden gems you aren't searching for. Once the algorithm has picked up your style, check out your main feed for items you didn't know existed. One of my best finds was the exact chip and dip bowl my mom has (that I've always loved) that randomly popped up on my feed for $15. Or the Crate & Barrel wine rack I got for $80. Wasn't searching for them, but they found me.
Know your budget and stick to it
Just because it's selling secondhand on FB Marketplace does not mean it is cheap. People love to upsell to get their extra dollar (I am guilty of this). So before you go to buy something, think about what your budget is and barter. At the end of the day sellers wants to get their junk out and some money in their pocket. So if you only budget $200 for a desk and you see the perfect one selling for $250, reach out! You never know who is willing to cut a deal and you're not spending money you wouldn't have normally.
Search for pieces you love
When shopping at IKEA with my roommate we found armchairs we liked, but we're a thrifty household and wanted to see what we could find secondhand first. Every couple of days I would search the name of the armchair on FB Marketplace. No dice. But then I noticed that my main feed suddenly had more Scandinavian armchairs popping up (see point 2). We ended up going with more traditional armchairs - that we scored almost brand new for $200 - but we were able to find nearly identical chairs to the IKEA ones for much less money. Why spend the money for new when you can find even better for cheaper? I'm also obsessed with West Elm and I find like new WE pieces all the time now.
However you decide to decorate your home - full price or not - there is no wrong way. But if you want to make your budget go farther and find pieces you normally couldn't afford, these tips will get your house looking Architectural Digest ready in no time.