Money College: First-class bargains with second-hand furnishings

Signing the dotted line on the first apartment is only the beginning of independent living. Gone are the luxuries of furnished dorms, but then again, so are those hefty on-campus housing rates.

You might be glad to leave behind that standardized wooden dorm furniture and express your inner interior designer. Your checking account doesn't need to determine your new pad's appearance either. Before you run out to the nearest IKEA, consider buying used.