A total of 5 reviews of this product on Reddit.
·
Here’s the one I got a year ago. It’s been a good purchase for me. Just a heads up, it’s metal that looks like wood but it looks as advertised. Tribesigns Modern Simple Style Computer Desk PC Laptop Study Table Office Desk Workstation for Home Office, Teak + Black Leg https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3Y0HTI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P9T12TC2HF0HVBNPSHDY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
·
They break easy. They’re flimsy and can’t hold much weight. You can’t clamp monitors to them or mount monitors because they wont’ hold the weight. You can accidentally hit the unlock through long-term use and all your shit comes crashing down.
Oh, and did I mention a decent table only costs $110? A 12 foot plastic table costs about $90…is it worth $20 to not only inconvenience and limit your options but also risk breaking up to thousands of dollars of equipment?
Also, that table I linked can come back apart if you need to move it.
·
Alright my man. Since you have such a low budget ($700) but don’t want your apartment to look like crap, your best bet is going to be minimalism. You’re in a great sub for minimalist inspiration. Take this recent post, for example. Not everyone was super impressed, but I’d say he did pretty good for a budget of $195. At the very least we can say with 100% certainty that it looks better than the average undergrad apartment.
I took the liberty of checking out the Halifax craigslist offerings and they are far and few between. However, I did find a potentially decent desk: see here. You might be able to haggle down the price a little with some luck. Otherwise, you might want to look at Amazon for desks (example 1 and example 2). For a desk chair, you could look at Amazon, but you might be better off going somewhere local (even if you go to Walmart) because you want to make sure a desk chair is going to be comfortable.
For a mattress, I’d again suggest Amazon. I’m just not sure you’re going to find any better deals than what they have to offer. Mattress buying also involves a lot of personal preference, but “big box” mattress stores are incredibly overpriced. It seems that memory foam mattresses (such as this) are the most inexpensive, so I would look around Amazon to see what you think you’ll like. I think I saw a mattress for as little as $99.^(though personally, I’m not sure I’d trust it…) Keep in mind that you will either need (a) a box spring and bed frame or (b) a platform bed in addition to the mattress. With your budget, a platform bed will probably be your best bet. You can even get one with a “headboard” for pretty cheap (the headboard will definitely up your apartment’s style a little bit and keep it further away from “garbage apartment of undergrad” level): see here and here.
Alright, I’ll break down what we’ve done so far. I’m in the US and don’t know that much about Canadian dollars, so I’m doing this in USD – hopefully it’s close:
- $150 for desk
- $50 for desk chair
- $180 for mattress
- $170 for bed frame
That leaves you around $150 for other items. I assume you have basic human needs covered (bed sheets-do not sleep on a bare mattress!– and towels), so you could use this money for more furniture or for decor. I would probably try get some attractive and functional bedding (please do not get anything polyester!) in a minimalist pattern. Ikea is really unbeatable for this – see here and here. For a couch, I would either consider Amazon or start scouring Craigslist every day. I would probably forego a coffee table until you have other things that will improve your quality of life (dining chair/table, television, etc.); you really don’t need one.
Anyway, these are just a couple of suggestions. Hope this helps!
·
·
I absolutely love my wooden desk from amazon but they appear to be out of stock. I have the teak one. Simple, yet elegant. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3Y0HTI
