Comments on: The Furniture Dilemma

By: Tamara K.Roy

Tamara K.Roy — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:39:36 +0000

If you really want a genuine wool rug for your family and home, first make sure it is made of 100% wool, not some artificial wool imitating fibers. Pay attention to the manufacturer – if it is a reputable company, the size of the carpet and the price corresponding to that size.

By: RK

RK — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:55:25 +0000

Before purchasing second-hand furniture from any source, do a little research into bed bugs which have become a serious problem throughout the United States in recent years. Introducing one infected item into your home will cost you dearly as eradication can run thousands of dollars and it isn’t a do-it-yourself proposition.

There’s a great deal of information about the subject on the Internet. You’ll find information about how to identify an infected piece as well as horror stories of the victims of an infestation who report that, in addition to the significant disruption and financial hardship that results, the physical and psychological damage is significant.

By: TJ

TJ — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 06:24:53 +0000

I bought a Broyhill hide-a-bed sofa @ an estate auction for $40. Yes, fourty dollars! Mattress still had the plastic on it, never slept on. Older gentleman had bought the sofa new and within a year was living in a nursing home. Couch stayed in his house until he passed and family had an estate auction. He had only use it for a couple of months. Looks brand new and luckily I liked the colors/style. Best things to look for @ estate sales/auctions are lamps and rugs. You can save a fortune this way.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:40:03 +0000

Make a list of things you would like and be patient. My husband and I have a mix of new and used furnishings in our home, but all are high quality that we have built up gradually. Check the outlet stores in your area (if you have them). We bought a top of the line mattress for $200 at an outlet store in our area. Also, watch for clearance sales at the large furniture retailers. Usually the sales staff are happy to tell you what time of year they usually occur, and you can get some fabulous bargains. At a recent clearance sale we bought a solid wood dining table at a 90% discount, and my sister furnished an entire living area with new furniture for under $700 at the same sale.

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:52:58 +0000

We went with what we had when we moved and upgraded as necessary when we found things that were the right style, price and quality (and when we could afford them) the only thing we spent significant money on was the sofa and we have not regretted it for a second! Natuzzi might be a bit more expensive than the other brand but it is the most comfortable sofa ever!

IKEA actually does have some quality merchandise, you just need to be careful with what you buy (like you would have to with any store). We bought a beautiful dining room table there and it is exactly the style we wanted and very heavy and sturdy. It also expands to seat at least 10 people comfortably, which was necessary since we often have large dinners with friends and family. So far it has held up well, now we just need some chairs…

By: Louise

Louise — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:47:28 +0000

Spend some money on a few good pieces for the main room. I actually have never bought a piece of furniture new, with the exception of a bed/mattress, desk and electrical goods, and I’ve furnished 5 houses from scratch. Thrift stores are fantastic. Start looking at furniture in a diferent light. For instance a 50’s or 60’s dressing table can often be a fantastic low line entertainment unit – just take off the legs and mirror, remove a drawer and drill large holes for cables. The tv sits on top, the dvd/vcr player sits where the drawer was, and the other drawers are normally a really good size for cds’ dvds, magazines etc. A chest of drawers bought for only a couple of bucks can be put inside a built in wardrobe to provide storage for tshirts and sweaters. A single bed with drawers underneath can go in the family room or spare bedroom as a lounge with the addition of a piece of thick foam for the back – extra sleeping room and storage all in one. Stain different pieces the same colour to tie them together. Don’t paint most of it, that makes it look like a tacky thrift shop find, instead take the time to strip it if necessary in order to stain the wood a nice colour. I consult with people professionally who want to sell their houses on how best to present them and believe me these inexpensive ideas really work.

Check with all your relatives as to what they may be able to spare and don’t forget Freecyle. You can replace less attractive or impractical pieces if necessary as money comes in and then pass them on to someone else through Freecycle.

By: brandon

brandon — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:05:19 +0000

I had this convo with my girlfriend last week. When we move after graduation, the only things I plan on keeping are my TV/Stand, and bed. Everything else is disposable. I suggest picking one room at a time and focusing your efforts on it by replacing things with quality. We’re young and won’t have kids for another 7-8years. All my furniture was given to me over the years by parents or donated from friends who have graduated and I plan on replacing it all, but in the mean time, my crappy college furniture will come with me

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:59:54 +0000

My mantra: Buy used, but nice stuff, if you can find what you want. Craigslist is great, and new furniture is hugely overpriced. If you can’t find it used, then wait for a good sale and buy new.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:07:29 +0000

Don’t buy anything that you don’t consider permanent. Moving used furniture in and out of house is a pain. Just save up and buy one quality item at a time. Start with essentials like a couch.

By: FIRE Finance

FIRE Finance — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:15:52 +0000

Buying furniture on a garage pr “whatever” sale has always saved us hundreds of dollars. Luck along with sales in upscale neighborhoods is a big factor in getting what you wish for. Also, we are pretty focussed in our search for used furniture, this always helps. Sometimes we work hard too. We get furniture which is dirty, clean it up, polish it and make some repairs if necessary and then we have a nearly brand new set! Another trick is to ask friends about moving. While moving if they are doing any furniture give aways we do collect them.

By: Killer Bees

Killer Bees — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:52:30 +0000

Buying used furniture is a good idea in principle. But it wasn’t for me.

After my divorce, my son and I moved into an apartment and we had pretty much nothing and I’d only just started a new job. So I had no savings at all. My mother very kindly agreed to get a credit card and put me as the co-signer. It had a $3000 limit and I bought all new furniture for my apartment including white goods. I also bought linen and kitchenware and school things for my son and new work clothes for me.

I bought mid range price stuff but very good stuff. I didn’t want to have second hand goods which I’d have to replace in a couple of years. I’m very happy I did it that way. I only had one card to pay off and by xmas time this year, it will be all paid off and I can cancel the card.

In the meantime, I’ve been saving as well, so anything I need next year will be paid for with cash.

By: db

db — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:52:44 +0000

My best advice is don’t buy anything until you’re moved in and had a few weeks to bounce around the place and see what’s missing.

Then, as you go buy wherever you want but make sure you’re buying the best quality you can for the purchase.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 17 May 2007 21:35:52 +0000

Here’s a slightly different take on the furniture situation: do nothing. OK, maybe in your case buy a new couch.

You have essentially 2 living areas, the living room and the family room. Designate one for the couch and TV. Designate the other as the playroom, get some big pillows, a toy box, and a bookshelf, and maybe a kids table and chairs. The kids shouldn’t be watching TV for the most part anyway, and it’ll give you someplace to put their stuff that they’ll enjoy being in.

My husband and I stumbled on this idea accidentally. We moved into our house with only 1 couch and 2 public rooms. For the first 6mo, boxes stayed in the front room while we got the rest of the house set up. Then it was empty. Then I put our tent up in it as a joke, and it stayed that way for 2 years. When people would ask why there was a tent in our living room, we would say, jokingly, that we liked camping, but didn’t really like being outside. Friends who visited us often slept in it (and yes, we did on occasion take it down and go camping).

Anyway, we had a son, and decided that room should be his playroom, since it wasn’t otherwise getting much use. It has worked out really well for us. It has a books area, and an art area, and a toys area, and is big enough that he can ride his tricycle when the weather is bad. When he outgrows the need for a playroom, we will convert it into a library. He spends a lot of time there looking at books now, that it won’t seem that different to him.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:25:38 +0000

I totally agree you should take your time. A few twists on what’s already been said:

1) Remember that buying used is always more environmentally friendly that buying new. No new resources were used in making the furniture on your behalf.

2) If there are certain pieces that you know you want relatively quickly, consider picking a deadline for the used route before giving up and splurging on something new. For example, we have a guest coming this weekend and really needed to replace the mattress in our guest room before she comes. My husband and I decided we’d leave ourselves two full weeks to buy a new mattress if we needed to. Sure enough, we snagged a 2-year-old pillowtop mattress for $40 off Craig’s List a few days before our deadline.

3) I paid $5000 for a sofa several years ago. Several stains and cat tears later, it’s probably worth less than the very cool vintage one I found on the side of the road last year. This was brought to my attention when I recently re-did Step 1 of Your Money or Your Life, which is designed to drive home the point: most stuff loses a lot of value pretty fast. Right now I’d rather have the $5000.

4) Related to the above point, a good sofa cover costs about $150 — if you can find a structurally sound but ugly used sofa consider this option.

If as you say so many people are trading down on their houses in your area they may also have to downsize on the expensive furniture they bought to furnish their big houses. Good luck!

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:45:48 +0000

Online classifieds, kijiji, craig’s list.
Honestly, buy used good quality furniture from other people who are “upgrading”.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:25:14 +0000

I’d echo the garage sales comments. Great place to pick up furniture, as most people just don’t want to deal with it anymore. Oh, and as my wife has taught me, don’t ever pay what people ask at a garage sale. Make a lower offer. They want to get rid of it, and they’ll always be willing to give a little.

By: English Major

English Major — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:18:07 +0000

Looks like I accidentally deleted some of the middle of that comment: I meant that they went from living in separate, teeny apartments to living in one big one, and so much of their furniture was doubles (two beds, two little dining tables, etc.) and even if they’d used all of it, it still wouldn’t have filled the space. We had a lot of empty space in that apartment for a long time.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:31:43 +0000

Pay attention to stores like Mattress Discounters. They’re currently running a “buy one, get one free” bed sale. If you’re going to need a new bed when you move, that’s a good way to get a decent bed for yourself, and put a decent bed in the guest room too. Then you can finish out the guest room with cheaper IKEA furniture, which will hold up for several years of inconsistent use.
Also, get good couches. Get cheap end tables and coffee tables (IKEA has great ones for $49 – $149). Especially since kids will put drinks down without coasters, and they’re going to be painting them, and such. But really good quality couches will last 30 years. My mother still has couches that she bought before I was born (I’m 35). And after a reupholstering, they’re as good as new.

Good Luck.

By: English Major

English Major — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:24:50 +0000

This reminds me of what happened when my parents bought and moved into their current apartment. They went from each living in long time. First they focused on renovating the house, and then, eventually, there were some furniture purchases. We didn’t really have a full house’s worth of furniture until I was about 10 or 11.

My sister and I loved it. We used to ride bikes and roller-skate in the house.

I’d advise taking it slow, buying good stuff when you can afford it, but not worrying about having everything you might like right away.

But I’m sure you’ll do what’s best for you.

By: ps

ps — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:12:23 +0000

Oh and one more thing:

If you can find the time and the patience, you might want to go through the smaller / local stores first before you hit the national chains. You might find some great bargains and great quality that way. Also, I find that the smaller stores are more willing to negotiate the price.