Our e-mail newsletter shares the latest programs and initiatives Consumer Reports will not sell or rent your email address to third parties. See our Privacy Policy.There comes a point in many people’s lives when they realize, “That couch has got to go.” Or maybe their back is starting to complain about the mattress they’ve had so long they can’t remember what year they bought it. Regardless of what your reason may be for wanting new furniture, be strategic about when you purchase new items to revamp your home without breaking the bank. While January is also a great month to buy furniture (post-Christmas sales, new styles are released in February), July wins out over January because: Springtime is when home sales are on the upswing, which means eager furniture retailers want to help people furnish their homes quickly by offering deals and discounts on indoor furniture. Don’t buy outdoor furniture in spring because patio sets, barbecues and poolside furniture are all in very high demand — with higher consumer demand, comes higher prices.
Once summer rolls around, furniture sales seem to slump, especially in July (if it weren’t for discounts bringing in customers, retailers would be in trouble). Use this slump in sales to your advantage, and buy indoor furniture at heavily discounted prices in July before retailers release dozens of new items in August. Although August is a big month for new furniture sets, it’s a great month to buy outdoor furniture too. You just may have to bundle up or wait a while before you and your partner get to share a meal at your new patio table. Looking for a new swivel chair, desk or other office furniture? Fall is the best times to invest in new office furniture, as retailers compete for students’ parents’ money. Buying spring or summer-related furniture — such as patio chairs or grills — is also a smart move during the autumn months. Retailers want to completely clear their shelves of outdoorsy items that don’t stand much of a chance of selling until the weather warms up next spring.
Wintertime isn’t fun for furniture shopping. Before Christmas, people are simply too busy buying gifts and gadgets for their loved ones to be concerned with upgrading their beds, ottomans or recliners. As previously mentioned, January is still a decent bet for favorable furniture prices, even if the weather conditions are, well, frightful. If you have money leftover from the holiday shopping season and want to buy a new mattress or indoor furniture, then definitely look into buying furniture in January. Local furniture stores don’t always follow market trends. Sometimes, they’ll have a sale simply for the sake of boosting their sales numbers for the month, giving you great deals on everything from coffee tables to bed sets. Patience is the key when trying to save on your next furniture purchase. If you can wait, you can find great deals all year long. But still, try to buy in July. You’ll save a bundle.February: The Best Time to Buy Furniture Why: New furniture designs debut in spring, so retailers are clearing out old styles to make room, says Dan Butler, vice president of retail operations at the National Retail Federation.
Scour showrooms for "as is" floor samples in good condition offered at deep discounts. Ashley Furniture typically offers major markdowns.Your savings: Thirty to 60 percent off.Edit ArticleHow to Buy a Sofa Bed Confused by all the choices? Here's a basic guide to help you navigate the world of "convertible furniture." The first thing to determine is how you're going to use it. Have an idea of what you're willing to pay before you go shopping. There are numerous systems for converting a sofa to a bed on the market, but the three most popular are the traditional pull-out sofa bed, futon furniture, and davenports. Traditional pull-out sofa beds are sold in most department and full-line furniture stores. Futon furniture first broke into the mainstream back in the early eighties as an alternative to the traditional pull-out sofa bed. Davenports have been around since the 1940s, maybe longer. There are several other kinds of convertible products available (flip flop, daybed, trundle bed, etc.
And consider the importance of a fitted sheet and mattress pad. Try moving and lifting it in the store. If you can't, you'll have the same problem at home. If the salesperson is reluctant to demonstrate the opening/closing operation of the product, that's a good sign it's not easy. Make sure you try it yourself. When the rep asks you to get up right after you lie down, he or she is probably hoping you won't stay there long enough to discover what's wrong with the mattress. Measure the mattress with a tape measure before you buy it. If if doesn't measure 39"x75" or 54"x75" or 60"x80", you won't be getting a standard size twin, full or queen mattress...which means fitted sheets won't fit.Choose An Air Mattress That Your Guests Will Love Is it OK for Kids to Share a Room While Sleeping? Sleeper Sofas: How to Buy the Best One Giving your guests a comfortable place to sleep has never been easier.In an ideal world, homes would always have full guest rooms, complete with a spare bed for friends and family who are visiting.
But in the real world, that isn’t always the case. And that’s when a sleeper sofa or air mattress comes in handy.There are many reasons to pick a sleeper sofa. They tend to be more supportive than air mattresses (although they are also more expensive—anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars—which is why air mattresses have their place, too ). How a sleeper sofa works: During everyday life, it’s a comfortable couch that’s perfect for reading or watching TV. When guests arrive, the cushions come off, and it transforms into a place for people to sleep.If your memories of sleeper sofa mattresses are thin cushions over iron bars, then you haven’t seen the latest offerings. They’ve come a long way since then, and knowing what options are available can help you get the best one for your home. Follow these tips, below.Check Out Different Mattress Styles. While they used to mostly contain spring mattresses (which can result in getting poked or creaky springs waking you up when you roll over), sleeper sofas now come with memory foam options and air/innerspring hybrids, where there is some air inflated above the traditional spring-style mattress to make it much thicker.
These styles can add between $100 and $250 to the cost of the sofa, so make sure that you test each one out in the store beforehand (just like you would when shopping for a normal mattress).Look For Foam Toppers. Manufacturers now make sleeper sofa mattresses that have comfortable padding added to the top, which makes them much more comfortable to sleep on.Get The Right Size. Measure how much space you have available for the fully extended sleeper sofa. After all, you don’t want to have to move a lot of furniture around to get it open. Sleeper sofas don’t just come in one size—they usually come with queen or full mattress options (but there are even ones available with twin or king mattresses).See if there are any sharp points that might snag your sheets as you’re putting them on. You want the mechanism to be smooth when you’re pulling the mattress out and putting it back in.A sleeper sofa is essentially a mattress inside a sofa, which can make the entire product quite heavy.