Decorating Your Box

You’ve moved in. The boxes are in the corner, your bed is set up. Now how do you start furnishing your new box? 

Different people have different tolerance levels for being unsettled, so it does depend on your personality. One of my friends hates change, so when she moves, she will order everything (decorations included) and work like a mad woman for 24 hours until everything is set up! That is certainly one way, especially if you are a Taobao aficionado (she is). 

Getting settled quickly is appealing, but I have a little more tolerance for being unsettled, and I prefer saving money and getting things secondhand, so it often takes me several months before I really feel settled. I usually prioritize big furniture and cooking items. Useful but less used items (like irons or stools) come next. Then finally I work on decorations. 

Fridges are pretty easy to find secondhand, and they tend to be light, but bulky. If you have a few friends to help out, they are ideal to look for on Carousell or Facebook Marketplace. Couches, tables, chairs, and desks all fit in this category. One time I bought a fridge and a washing machine from a secondhand seller because they delivered and set them up for me (and I am not confident in my ability to set up a washing machine). 

There are a lot of random household items that you can find for cheap or free on Carousell, Facebook Marketplace, GeoExpat, or Asiaxpat (although I noticed Asiaxpat has just updated their website, and it seems less user friendly now). The best is when someone is moving out and just wants to get rid of things. Then you might score a lot of good items for free or very cheap! The downside is that it can take quite a bit of time to find the items you need and gather them. If I can’t find something vital like a frying pan, then I just have to suck it up and buy it new. 

Two things I almost always buy new are wardrobes/shelves and mattresses, just because they can be such a pain to move and set up. If you buy them from a store, they will take care for that for you. Of course if I have one from my previous place that will fit in my new place, I will move it. But by time you get enough friends to move a wardrobe and then get a truck (because they usually don’t fit in a van), it’s really not worth getting a wardrobe, even if it’s free. Just my two cents. I suppose if you found a REALLY nice one that is free AND you appreciate a good workout, then it would be worth it. 

Curtains are another thing I am now willing to pay for. In the past, I have used Ikea ones that don't quite fit, and they always annoyed me. I've also had ones the landlord provided, but they tended to be very ugly and not colors I would choose. The last few times I had a curtain-maker make me curtains, I was very happy with how it turned out, and I've decided it is more than worth it to have a color you like and curtains that are the right size. But of course that is your call. 

Decorations come last for me, since they are not necessities. Lamps go a long way to making your place more homey, and they are easy to find secondhand. I have a bunch of art that I have collected over the years, and a friend helped me order custom frames for them, so in that area I am good to go! I like the idea of buying art secondhand, but it seems like people are pretty delusional when selling art (WAY too expensive), so I stick to Etsy or in-person markets for reasonable but beautiful pieces. I’ve always wanted to get some beautiful stick-on wallpaper. Every time I move I spend lots of time looking up different patterns, but in the end abandon that idea because of the cost. 

Unfortunately, I am an idealist, so I’d rather go without than have something that doesn’t look as good as I want. Life is hard when you have champagne taste but a beer budget.