I found a local cheap furniture store and picked out a new sofa/loveseat set there for less than $1000, including tax and delivery. I had to drive out into the suburbs a bit to get there, though. Your furniture scouting will be limited without transportation to go look at things, even if you're getting the furniture delivered. I'd consider a Zipcar membership for occasions like this. (And, you can get a pickup truck or SUV through Zipcar, too, if you want to move things yourself.) Or you could rent a car for a day and go hunting
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I would recommend going to IKEA first and testing the models, then ordering it online or buying it at the IKEA and having it delivered. It will often be less expensive. All of the stuff I bought from IKEA (dresser, bed, desk, nightstand) the website would've charged me $200 to ship to my house because they used UPS and UPS shipped by weight; when I went to the IKEA itself, they only charged me $90. I just loaded the stuff on my cart, brought it to the check-out, paid, and then dumped it all on the delivery staff; they delivered it a couple of days later. You pick the day and time.
All of the furniture in my bedroom is from IKEA, Target, or Wal-Mart. And all of it I had delivered, because I wasn't about to drag any of it up the four flights of stairs to my walk-up. I got to know my UPS guy pretty well.
You're not going to get free delivery on heavy stuff off the Web. I'd check wherever you're moving, a lot of college towns have futon shops or other cheap furniture places that will deliver your furniture for free, though. In this case, buying local is your best bet.
As for an elliptical... I gotta be honest, this is one of the few times in exercise equipment that you get what you pay for. A cheap elliptical is most likely going to be wobbly and difficult to work with, difficult to put together and generally more hassle than it's worth. The cheap ones are nothing like the ones at the gym, you don't get the same workout from them at all. However, there's nothing wrong at all with used exercise equipment! I'd check Craigslist for this one, and buy a used one for under $500 that's gym-quality.
Because a futon is a large piece of furniture, it can't be shipped long distances. I know this because my dad used to work in a furniture store. Your best bet is to find a local shop that delivers.
For the elliptical, I agree with ladykathryn about quality. There are other problems with owning an elliptical - it is a very heavy piece of equipment and could damage the floors of your apartment and the ceiling of the apartment underneath yours. Also, the sound and vibrations could affect other neighbors (this happened to my ex-boyfriend's family). Also, the machine has to be maintenanced and that could cost. What about when you move? That is going to be a pain to move. You might want to consider getting a gym membership instead; the university you are going to probably has cheap membership and good machines.
Agreed on the gym membership; you can get 3 or 4 years of membership at even a premium gym for the price of a decent elliptical machine! Plus, you get a pool, sauna and scenery to go with it.
Don't most universities offer free use of their gym facilities? Or at least the basic things like an elliptical, cardio and weight machines?
[Sorry if this is an "idiot" question, I've just never heard of a school charging directly - maybe through general student fees - to use the gym. My undergrad didn't, even though it was very small; every other school I've visited for research programs didn't charge students to use the gym. The only time I actually had to pay - though it was a discounted rate - was when I went with a friend to her school's gym. She got in free b/c she was a student.]
Check IKEA. I just got a couch from there on sale (I think they were getting rid of older stock) for $350 and the delivery was just under $50. My biggest mistake was buying a $100 futon from Wal Mart thinking it would be just fine and I could deal with it for a year or so, but after 3 months of sitting on a flimsy mattress and feeling the metal bars underneath, I bit the bullet and got the IKEA couch. Be careful with IKEA because some of their really cheap couches are total junk - I've seen them literally break in half from normal usage - but the sturdier ones are ok
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If you end up having trouble finding an elliptical that suits your needs, it might be worth looking in to what kinds of benefits your student fees pay for. I know that at my undergrad institution, undergrads and grad students have gym fees as part of their student activity fee and can use any gym they want on campus with a student id card.
Also, craigslist can be hit or miss, but I was able to find the MOST comfortable, actually decently nice couch set (full couch and loveseat) for $30 on there, but I did have my own transportation to pick it up. I second looking on Craigslist to hire someone to pick things up for you.
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All of the furniture in my bedroom is from IKEA, Target, or Wal-Mart. And all of it I had delivered, because I wasn't about to drag any of it up the four flights of stairs to my walk-up. I got to know my UPS guy pretty well.
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As for an elliptical... I gotta be honest, this is one of the few times in exercise equipment that you get what you pay for. A cheap elliptical is most likely going to be wobbly and difficult to work with, difficult to put together and generally more hassle than it's worth. The cheap ones are nothing like the ones at the gym, you don't get the same workout from them at all. However, there's nothing wrong at all with used exercise equipment! I'd check Craigslist for this one, and buy a used one for under $500 that's gym-quality.
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For the elliptical, I agree with ladykathryn about quality. There are other problems with owning an elliptical - it is a very heavy piece of equipment and could damage the floors of your apartment and the ceiling of the apartment underneath yours. Also, the sound and vibrations could affect other neighbors (this happened to my ex-boyfriend's family). Also, the machine has to be maintenanced and that could cost. What about when you move? That is going to be a pain to move. You might want to consider getting a gym membership instead; the university you are going to probably has cheap membership and good machines.
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[Sorry if this is an "idiot" question, I've just never heard of a school charging directly - maybe through general student fees - to use the gym. My undergrad didn't, even though it was very small; every other school I've visited for research programs didn't charge students to use the gym. The only time I actually had to pay - though it was a discounted rate - was when I went with a friend to her school's gym. She got in free b/c she was a student.]
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Also, craigslist can be hit or miss, but I was able to find the MOST comfortable, actually decently nice couch set (full couch and loveseat) for $30 on there, but I did have my own transportation to pick it up. I second looking on Craigslist to hire someone to pick things up for you.
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