r/BuyItForLife • u/Complex_Emergency454 • 5d ago

[Request] $500 budget to set up a first apartment with things you won’t have to rebuy. Where would you spend it?

Hey all. 24, currently sharing with two roommates, hoping to get my own place next year. last time i moved i bought everything cheap at once and replaced half of it within a year

so i’m planning this time. hard limit around $500 for the long-life basics, the stuff you use every day. stuff like:

  • one good pan or pot
  • a knife
  • bedding
  • a basic tool kit

where would you put the money first, and what’s fine to buy cheap? would like to know what people prioritize when they can’t have the best of everything

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u/whiteguywhocandance 1d ago

It’s so strange to me that nobody ever mentions second hand anything even though by far it is one of the best ways to get quality stuff for an affordable price. Facebook marketplace, goodwill, Craigslist, some people give stuff away for free. Look up the brand of the stuff you find online and check that it’s of good quality. Used mattresses are SUPER hit or miss and I don’t really recommend unless you find a travel nurse who furnished a room and then is moving within a few months but that’s less common nowadays with furnished platforms. Either way, 80% of the stuff I had in my apartment of 8 years was purchased second hand.