Every time I move, I swear never to waste money again on furniture. In the ten years of my marriage, I have lived in four different apartments, and nothing ever fits right from apartment to apartment. Seemingly classic pieces like my solid cherry Thomasville desk become unwieldy encumbrances that have to be wedged into the spare bedroom corner, and ultimately sold at a fraction of the original cost to make room for a crib.

Urban apartment living, like in Hoboken, further limits my options because I have to be smart about basically every inch. I start my home decor plan with permanent pieces of furniture, like the king bed in the master bedroom and the queen one in my daughter's room. Once those pieces are in place, I measure the available space and try to find pieces that have the right dimensions and fit our needs. I also choose gender-neutral pieces that can be used after infancy, like a white dresser with changing pad on top.

New Jersey abounds with outlets, but I don't drive much and don't have the time to take chances on hit or miss shopping endeavors. I always start my shopping searches online, and 90% of the time complete the purchases there. Every once in a while I will take a trip into a store to check out the quality, appearance and comfort.

There are certain stores I head to first depending on how long I intend to keep an item. I divide those stores into two categories: high quality (pieces we will keep long-term) and stopgap (short-term items for a specific apartment). Depending on what I am buying, there is some overlap between those categories.

I sometimes purchase used furniture from other Hoboken moms via a local online group. Pickup is a giant pain since I have to hire movers, but the quality and condition are unbeatable since Hoboken is an affluent, transient town. I have gotten very good deals on bulky items like wardrobes, and the sellers are always honorable, which is why I opt for purchases through this site rather than Craigslist.

To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://hobokenmomcondo.com/momblog and follow her at http://twitter.com/zhobokenmom