My husband and I are moving from California to North Carolina this weekend. We are packing our little Honda Civic and driving, as well as packing some larger boxes and shipping out via Greyhound. But most of our furniture and larger belongings are being dumped, donated, or have sold on Craigslist. We lived in a small 400 sq ft apartment for three years, so we didn't acquire much furniture and what we did get was Craigslist or dumpster finds. We did this so we could pay off all our student loans and pay cash for a wedding and honeymoon. Plus, we always knew our time in California was temporary, so it didn't make sense to buy expensive belongings that we would just have to ship later.
So now we find ourselves pretty much starting over and in need of new furniture, kitchenware, a tv, etc. This is our final move - so we're ready to "buy things for life" at this point. I'm finding myself tempted to buy nicer quality items that will last longer and work better, but I'm also getting sticker shock for prices on things like new couches. I want to go into this with a strategy so we don't just run out to Target and buy everything we need at full price because we didn't have a plan.
So if you woke up in my shoes next week and found yourself in an empty apartment, what would be your strategy for refurnishing the place? (on everything from tupperware to TV's to mattresses)