Sharn's cheapass guide to: Office furniture

[bigsharn]

Alright, so your chair has just snapped in half, or you've played MW2, got a 24 headshot streak with your nuke on and been killed, therefore putting your fist through your desk... So you need a new desk or chair, and this is my guide to getting one on the cheap.

1. Freecycle
Basically, people get stuff that they don't need, then realise they don't need it, so give it away for free, because it's so worthless. Freecycle is the perfect thing for this.
The idea is to make sure less goes into landfill, by giving your stuff you don't want to people who might need it more than you do, so you can pick up anything on there: computer chairs, desks, books to fill your bookcase, whatever, you cna usually get it on there

2. Ebay/Gumtree/Craigslist
Again, there can be some gems to had on these sites, just make sure you get pictures at all angles before buying any piece of furniture... I've got a desk lying about that has blue stains from when my ex spilt Morrisson's own vodka/alcopop all over it for example, so make sure you give them a good looking over before handing money over

3. Make your own
Ok, maybe this list isn't copypasta as such, as this is a new one, but making your own chair or desk isn't difficult, and can end up quite comfortable. There's allsorts you can use for a chair such as car seats, old recliner chairs, even cushions. Head down to your local scrappies and grab a few bits you think you can superglue together and most of the time it'll be all good (though sometimes Bondo will be required). Desks are the same if you head down to the local recycling centre, get a few bits of wood together, clean them off, re-varnish them and screw them together (after all, who actually sees your computer desk?)

4. Second hand/Charity shops
As obvious as it sounds, some people don't bother going around their local second hand shops because of misconceptions about stuff falling apart and setting on fire if you have it within a yard of a radiator, but most of the time you can get hold of some good stuff from the local second hand shops. Mark's chair cost £60 off Ebay, I saw one in my local 2nd hand shop at £20 with a couple of scratches on the arms.