Why is it very important for a college student to save on furniture in the first place? The reason is pretty simple; some college students spend lots of money on buying their dorm room furniture and the cost in many cases is more than the tuition fee of their school.

As a college student, you should consider saving money on your furniture and what you save should be put away for a rainy day. With lots of cheap alternatives to costly wooden or modern furniture these days, buying an overpriced item to decorate your dorm room is definitely not a good idea. Below are 5 simple ways for which you can save considerable amount of money on your college furniture.

1. Always be constantly updated about special offers and discount sales happening at furniture outlets nearby your place. Most of the furniture companies often come out with flat 50% discount sales at seasonal times, so it’s important for you to know what these furniture outlets are up to. That way you can be the first to grab the best furniture they have. You should remember that even though the furniture companies guarantee that all furniture items will be available for discounts, the truth is that the ones who show up first get to pick the best.

2. Search websites like Craigslist and/or your local IKEA. These websites are known for selling very affordable and second hand furniture with a keen eye and good search ability, you will be able to get THE furniture you want for unbelievable rates. Since everything happens online, it’s important for you to check the legitimacy of the seller before even thinking about ordering the furniture, and also bargain real hard as most of the sellers who have listed the furniture items in these websites want to get rid of the furniture one way or another. Visiting your local IKEA you can find cheap items in the return and one-off section.

3. Ask your friends. It’s always a good practice to ask your college buddies about ways to purchase cheap furniture if you are stuck for ideas. There might be students who would like to sell their gently-used furniture to others because they’re graduating or moving out. If you’re lucky enough to find someone like that, you can save lots of money as many college students will be willing to give you the furniture they have at very cheap rates.

4. Check the landfill or recycling centers near your place, even though some of you may not find this a good idea, the chances are that you might end up finding some groovy furniture not found elsewhere for dirt cheap prices or even free. This is a great way to go green as you would be upcycling goods destined for certain death in a landfill.

5. Buy cheap but re-usable. When it comes to small dorm room items like plates and cutlery, buy items you can reuse over and over again and find them at low cost stores such as Dollar General. There’s no point in buying costly utensils, accessories and the like as you might not be taking these to your new apartment after college. For now buy small dorm room items that are inexpensive but reusable.

These are our top five ways that will help you save considerable amounts of money on your college furniture. Hope we have helped you in your frugal journey toward a fabulous apartment that won’t break your bank.

Guest Author: This guest article was written by Missy Diaz who works for several clients including an online retailer that sells white furniture from New England Lifestyle. When she’s not writing for the web, she loves to cook, bake, walk, scuba dive and hike.

photo credit: Keoni Cabral

Guest post by Mallory Pickard

Getting your security deposit back and obtaining a good reference from your landlord when you move out is easy if you know and follow a few simple guidelines. With the number of tenant disputes on the rise, there’s no better time to take in these quick tips on being a good tenant in order to avoid undue stress, conflicts with your landlord, and even legal trouble.

1. Read your lease before you sign and agree to it.

Be aware of what is allowed and not allowed.  If the lease says no pets and you’re dying to get a puppy, don’t sign your lease and try to sneak in an animal later on.  Go over the rules about noise, garbage, guests, and on-property car repairs.  Breaking your lease even on one occasion is a permanent mark on your reputation as a good tenant.

2. Be considerate of your neighbors.

Respect the fact that they may have different work hours and sleep schedules than you.  They may get migraines, have a baby sleeping, or may just not have the same taste in music, so save the blaring tunes for your headphones or your local nightclub.  If you sit outside late at night on the phone or with your friends, keep it down.  Noise complaints are one of the most common and most frustrating complaints for a landlord. Even if you aren’t that disruptive, complaints are considered a hassle by your landlord.

3. If pets are allowed, clean up after them.

If you have a cat, clean the litter box regularly and dispose of the trash as soon as possible.  If you have a dog, clean up after it when you take it on a walk around the property.  Always keep your dog on a leash outdoors.  Not everyone loves dogs or knows how great your dog may be, and you risk making a neighbor feel uncomfortable or being reported to the landlord if you let your dog run around without restraint.

4. Know that you are responsible for your guests.

If you have friends who are disrespectful or who tend to get out of hand at parties, keep this in mind. You and you alone are responsible for any damage to your apartment and the common areas caused by your guests.  If you decide to have a lot of people over, know that any resulting damages or complaints are ultimately your responsibility.  Be smart.

5. Keep your apartment presentable.

A clean apartment shows that you have pride in the place you live, and landlords will be less likely to worry about or anticipate damage to the property while you reside there.  Keep food properly stored to avoid attracting insects and rodents, and don’t let your trash sit for more than a few days. As a courtesy, don’t leave your trash bags outside for your neighbors to see.

6. Be considerate about parking.

Parking outside your assigned spot is another frequent complaint that you don’t want associated with your tenant history.  Use common sense.  If there is guest parking, don’t let your guests make excuses about parking in other people’s spots.  Imagine how you would feel if you came home and found that your spot was occupied by some random car.  If there is no assigned parking, park properly between the lines and never leave trash from your car on the curb or in the parking lot.

7. Avoid being high maintenance.

If it’s an easy fix, don’t immediately resort to calling maintenance or your landlord.  Keeping buildings safe and running smoothly for tenants is a full-time job, and regularly calling to have something like a light bulb replaced or your sink unclogged, when you can just as easily do it yourself, may seem a little demanding.  On that note, never try to fix a leak, a furnace, a faulty dryer hookup, or anything that has the potential to get complicated.  You risk exacerbating the problem for maintenance and getting yourself into trouble.

8. Prior notice.

Give the proper notice as stated on your lease agreement to your landlord when you decide to move on.  Keep in mind your landlord will serve as your reference to the next. A tenant who communicates with his or her landlord will find it easy to get back their security deposit and transition smoothly with good references for future living situations.

9. Pay On Time (The Golden Rule for Tenants).

Do everything you can to pay your rent on time. That being said, some landlords understand that things happen sometimes.  If you’re going to be late on your rent, give the property manager as much advanced notice as possible.  Be honest about the situation and try to give them a reasonable time line for when you will have your rent.  Avoiding your landlord or lying to them will cause you to quickly lose credibility in their eyes. Making them chase you down is never a good idea, and doing so will only make the situation worse for you in the long run.  Be an adult and confront the issue head on.

Author Bio: This article was written by Mallory Pickard.

photo credit: Son of Groucho