For the cheapest legit stuff, start with Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, Nextdoor, and your local Buy Nothing group. Set your search radius to 5 to 10 miles, sort by price low to high, and message fast with a pickup window and cash ready. Best value items new are a metal platform bed frame and a basic foam mattress, often under $200 total if you watch Amazon Warehouse, IKEA As Is, or Wayfair Open Box. Hit Habitat for Humanity ReStore, thrift stores, hotel liquidators, and university surplus for solid wood tables, chairs, and dressers that outlast particle board. Time your hunts for end of month and end of semester move outs when people are dumping furniture cheap, bundle from one seller to cut trips, and ask nicely for a discount if you take multiple pieces.
Watch for bed bugs and smoke or mold. Avoid upholstered curb finds and inspect seams and tufts with a flashlight for black specks or live bugs, and check under dust covers and in screw holes. If you do buy soft goods used, bag them tight for transport, vacuum with a crevice tool, steam clean if possible, and add a full mattress encasement. Measure doors, stairs, and elevators before you buy a couch, and bring a tape measure and ratchet straps if you rent a U Haul cargo van for an hour. Prioritize a decent chair and mattress, then add a folding table and milk crates or a board on bricks for shelves, and anchor tall dressers with L brackets while skipping rent to own stores.
