Furniture Hunting in Auckland, a guide for thrifty noobs
Where to get cheap furniture in Auckland? Here is a list of shops I go to. If you know any other good shops, please share.
- Mocka (http://www.mocka.co.nz/)
- KMart
- Warehouse
- Briscoes (only on sale)
- Spotlight (only on sale)
- Salvation Army Family Store (200 Dominion Road)
- Harvey Norman (only on sale)
Salvation Army is a good place to search for a good furniture bargains and help the less fortunate at the same time. I got a good dining set for $100 from Salvation Army, a coffee table for $40 and a wooden bedside cabinet for $40. Delivery cost $35. What you do NOT want to buy from Salvation Army are sofa sets. Why? Because they are dirty and a nightmare to clean. The dirt is stuck within the seams and the covers need to be cleaned thoroughly. Utterly gross. Needless to say, I didn't use the sofa as much after seeing what I have seen. In the end, I gave it back to Salvation Army. I'm planning to repaint and upcycle all my Salvation Army furniture so they will look just like new :)
As a renter, I learned that sofa sets are not wise to have because they are too big to fit into doorways and heavy to move up staircases. I made a conscious choice to buy only armchairs as they can be easily packed into a mover's van. Through forums, I found Mocka, a Christchurch furniture company. They make beautiful pine wood furniture. I bought an armchair and a highchair from them. Best thing about them, free delivery!
Another fantastic place to shop is KMart. You can get kitchen organisers, clothes dryer, bedside tables, baby stuff, shoeracks etc etc. Best thing about them? They sell beautiful furniture at a very cheap price. A place not to be missed!
Most of time, I will look out for sales at stores like Briscoes and Spotlight. Once, I caught a 70% sale at Spotlight where I furnished my bedroom with a wool blanket, warm bedsheets and an electric blanket. Yeap, the cold is my enemy.
I frequent Asian thrift shops too. They sell everything from A to Z. They don't stock the prettiest stuff but as long as they are functional and cheap, it's fine with me.
