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Set priorities - at the top of the list most likely will be a bed, living-room seating, a breakfast table and chairs, and entertainment appliances (TV, stereo); pieces such as a coffee table, china cabinet and entertainment armoire are probably marginal.

Allot money and make purchase strictly according to these priorities and not on impulse.

Work up a monthly budget with a maximum for furnishings purchases each month. Save for several months if necessary for the big items such as a sofa and stereo.

Buy the mattress new if you can; it’s simply more hygienic to do so.

Think secondhand on other needed items that you can’t afford to buy new, and then visit tag sales, check classified ads, check out online auction sites and ask Mom for castoffs. Plan to replace these items with new ones when you can.

Consider unfinished and ready-to-assemble furniture if you’re even remotely handy. RTA pieces usually represent good value, and they can be disassembled when you move.

Be creative. Camouflage flaws in secondhand goods (put a pretty quilt, bedspread or tablecloth over a worn but clean and comfortable easy chair; paint a wooden kitchen chair whose varnish is scratched); hang textiles (a scarf or vintage tablecloth) and museum posters for inexpensive, high-impact wall art.

Purchase classic-style lamps such as modern halogens or solid-color, neutral-tone ginger-jar styles that will continue to fit in as your furnishings evolve and even as your taste changes.