Most large towns have stores where you can rent expensive household items like furniture and electronic equipment. It's a lucrative business because consumers, especially younger military personnel, can afford the rental on nicer furniture or more advanced electronics for a fraction of the initial cost. Ask about the total cost of the material for the length of time you own it. It may be cheaper to buy than rent.

Merchandise Rental Outlets
Aaron's and Rent-a-Center are the two largest merchandise rental outlets in the nation. You can either rent items for a longer period of time or purchase it in a shorter period. As with renting an apartment, if you decide you no longer want the item you can return it without paying any additional charges. You cannot do this if you pay with a credit card. Be careful not to get in over your head on the monthly payment amount—late payments or insufficient funds will result in penalty fees. Chances are you can get a low- or no-cost financing deal with a local electronics or furniture store.

Here is an example:
The local rental store has a digital television available that can be

• rented on a monthly basis for $54 each month
• purchased within 90 days for $3,000
• purchased with 110 monthly payments totaling $5,940 (about twice the shorter payment plan price.)

If you rent at $54 per month, the payments are smaller, but you will have to rent the television for over nine years to be able to own it outright.