New or used? Which apartment staples Penn State students should buy | Blog | Lifestyle

You just moved into your college apartment, but there’s one problem: You have no furniture, no lights and no decor.

Buying high-end, new furniture isn’t realistic for many students, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for the cheap stuff — or buy the same Target lamp as everyone else.

Purchasing furniture, lighting, decor and even kitchenware secondhand is a great way to shop sustainably — and you’ll save some money, too. Not to mention, you’ll often find unique, vintage pieces that no one else has.

But, sometimes it’s good to buy new things. Splurging on items you can bring with you through multiple moves can be an exciting investment — and it doesn’t always have to be crazy expensive.

Sometimes, buying things new is also better on a sanitary level, especially since the last thing you want in your new apartment is a bed bug infestation.

I’m here to help offer you some advice on the best home decor pieces to buy new versus used — when to save and when to splurge.

What to buy secondhand:

1. Pretty much anything made of wood or metal

Anything that you could store things in, put things on or kick your feet up onto can be found in abundance secondhand.

One Facebook Marketplace search will bring up a ton of local, affordable options for bedside tables, dressers, TV stands and bookshelves.

Often, you can even find genuine vintage pieces. I especially love all of the authentic mid-century furniture you can find secondhand — and it’s usually made of high-quality woods like teak and oak, so it will last you a long time.

It’s an investment without some of the outrageous prices you’ll find at a high-end furniture store.

I personally have a secondhand wooden coffee cart — with a little wood stain and some creative restoration, it’s become my favorite piece of furniture in my whole apartment.

2. Mugs, cups and other kitchenware

While I am a little hesitant to thrift kitchenware items like forks and spoons, I have found some of my favorite mugs at my local Goodwill.

Searching online for funky drinking glasses and unique wine glasses is one of my favorite pastimes, and eBay often has a huge selection of these.

When thrifting glassware, it’s important to be aware that vintage pieces can sometimes contain lead. Because of this, I usually stick to newer kitchenware when shopping secondhand.

If you do fall in love with a vintage tea set or a beautiful crystal wine glass, you can easily purchase inexpensive lead test kits to make sure they’re food-safe.

Personally, I scour the internet for high-end pieces being resold secondhand. While I may not be able to afford a full set of glasses from Anthropologie at its original price, I’m happy to take it off someone else’s hands for a resale price (even if that means one of the cups or bowls is missing from the set).

3. Lamps and other light fixtures

Recently, lamps have become my obsession. Finding lamp bases is often very easy, and there is always something for everyone.

While it’s sometimes difficult to find a nice secondhand lamp base that also has a nice secondhand lampshade, purchasing an affordable lampshade to go with your thrifted lamp base is still a great way to save money.

Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to find standing lamps or other light fixtures when shopping in person at Goodwill or local antique stores.

This is when online resources like Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Craigslist come to the rescue. These are all great places to find cheap and sometimes almost brand-new lighting.

If you’re willing to splurge a little for something authentically vintage and entirely unique, Etsy has a wide range of lighting fixtures and lamps, but they can often be a bit pricier than other online secondhand retailers.

4. Knick-knacks, clocks and other decorative items

These are some of the easiest pieces of home decor to find secondhand, and there are so many different things to be found when you are hunting for the little trinkets to fill your shelves and open spaces.

They are also a key part of making your apartment feel more homey and personal.

This is when it’s great to go to an actual thrift store and scour its shelves for the perfect little items to make your space feel complete. If you know exactly what kind of things you want for your home — say, a specific style of clock or a certain trinket — it’s also easy to search on Etsy and eBay for these.

If you want to decorate your apartment for holidays, thrifting these decorations is also a great way to celebrate the season without spending too much on items you only bring out once a year.

5. Outdoor furniture

If you’re lucky enough to have a patio, deck or other outdoor space, thrifting outdoor furniture is a great way to turn that space into the perfect hangout spot.

New patio furniture can often have a hefty price tag. But, luckily for us, places like eBay have a whole category dedicated to outdoor furniture.

I find that this can be one of the trickier things to thrift, but it’s definitely worth saving the money on. Think big: Patio swings, hanging hammocks and other fun outdoor pieces are sure to transform your space.

Hunt for items you and your roommates love. By the time you split the cost, you will all have saved a great deal.

What to buy new:

1. Mattresses and bed linens

Mattresses and bed linens are two things that are important to buy new — both for sanitary reasons as well as for the benefit of investing in quality, long-lasting products. If you buy a good mattress, you can easily keep it long after graduation.

A mattress will always be a mattress, no matter what the current trends are, and if you have nice, neutral sheets and a quality duvet, you’ll be able to use these for years.

Along with this, purchasing a good quality duvet means that when your tastes and trends change, you can just replace the duvet cover — often a more affordable way to change up the look of your room.

2. Cloth couches and cloth chairs

When buying secondhand furniture, it’s important to think about what you lounge and lay on the most.

While you’re not going to relax and sink into your wooden bedside table, you probably will end up falling asleep on your couch a few times. Because of this, purchasing a new couch (or at least a newer, fairly unused couch) is worthwhile.

I’m also weary of bringing home large pieces of secondhand furniture with so much cloth, as these are often much more difficult to clean. You don’t want to run the risk of bed bugs or other infestations from that cheap couch you found at Goodwill.

With that being said, you can probably get away with buying used leather couches and chairs, since they can be easily cleaned.

Though there are affordable options for new couches, another way you can find some is by keeping an eye on friends and family who may be moving or upgrading their own furniture.

While the thrift store couches may have some mysterious stains, your aunt’s old couch from her basement probably isn’t harboring many scary secrets (especially nothing too scary for a thrifty college student).

3. Throw blankets and decorative pillows

If you’re comfortable with just throwing blankets or pillows into the washer on sanitizing mode, then by all means save your money and do it. Personally, I’d rather cuddle up in a blanket that I know a stranger hasn’t used before me.

Throw blankets and decorative pillows are usually easy to find for reasonable prices. Finding a fun patterned blanket or a cozy knit one is a good way to feel like you’re “splurging” on something that doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. It’s also an easy way to bring personality into your space.

Along with this, buying new blankets or even just a new cover for your decorative pillow inserts is an affordable way to change up your apartment without spending a ton of money.

While replacing a trendy couch each time popular styles change is expensive, changing up the blanket on that couch isn’t.

4. (Some) electric kitchen appliances

When stocking your kitchen, you can usually find great secondhand cups, plates and bowls, and there are cheap cutlery options, too.

One thing that’s worth splurging on is new electric kitchen appliances. With this, I mean things like blenders, toasters, electric mixers, coffee makers and more.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to find these items secondhand, but it’s often difficult — and honestly, not worth the trouble. There’s always a chance these items won’t work as well as a new one would, and people often try to sell these items at retail price.

I find that these are also things you can acquire easily from friends and family. My air fryer is from my grandfather because he had two; my Keurig is from my uncle when he moved, and my toaster is my old roommate’s that she left behind. Sometimes, these items find you.

5. Art pieces that you really love

Art pieces made by independent or local artists are an amazing thing to start collecting. Over time, buying prints you really connect with here and there will suddenly transform into your own art collection.

Art is also something that can travel with you through multiple moves, so buying pieces you love means you can cherish these works throughout your life.

There is plenty of affordable art to buy, but I suggest staying away from buying art from large companies like Target or IKEA.

Finding smaller artists and unique pieces can still be budget friendly, and it allows you to give your money to someone who is making works you really love.

If you don’t want to splurge on art, consider asking people you love to make you something, or put art you made yourself in frames — this is a simple way to make your work look 10 times better.

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