Most US rentals are unfurnished. You can furnish a home for little money if you buy used.
Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp: people sell used furniture near you. Prices are often negotiable.
Thrift stores: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore and local charity shops sell donated furniture and kitchen items cheaply.
Buy Nothing groups: local Facebook groups or the Buy Nothing app where neighbors give things away for free. Post what you need and offer things you do not.
Moving sales and garage sales (yard sales) on weekends, often posted on signs and online.
University move-out sales and free piles at the end of the school year (May to June).
New and cheap: IKEA, Walmart, Target and Amazon sell flat-pack furniture that you build yourself with simple tools. Delivery and assembly cost extra.
Refugee resettlement agencies and community groups often help new arrivals with donated furniture.
Buying safely on Marketplace
Check the seller's profile and how long it has existed.
Meet in daylight, in a public place, or bring a friend if you must go to a home.
Pay in person, after you see the item. Many sellers take cash, Zelle or Venmo.
Do not pay a deposit to "hold" an item or for "shipping" from a seller you have not met. These are common scams.
Do not share codes sent to your phone. A buyer or seller asking for a "verification code" is trying to take over your account.
Ask whether the seller can help load. You can rent a pickup truck by the hour from home improvement stores and truck rental companies, or use a moving help app.
Curbside furniture and bedbugs
People sometimes leave furniture on the curb for free. It can be a good find, but:
Do not take mattresses, box springs or upholstered sofas from the street. They are the most common way to bring home bedbugs.
Check wooden items for small dark spots, eggs or insects in seams and joints.
Clean everything before bringing it inside.
Also be careful with used car seats, cribs and helmets. They may be recalled, expired or damaged. Check recalls at cpsc.gov and SaferProducts.gov. For a mattress and baby gear, buy new if you can.
Mattress and bed frame, a table and chairs, a lamp, shower curtain, towels, sheets, pots, plates, a trash can and cleaning supplies. Add the rest slowly.
Buying a lot in week one, then needing a moving truck again when you move.
Not measuring doors, stairs and elevators before buying a large sofa.