You'll never know what you'll find on Reddit. The other day, I learned that doorways just might contribute to memory lapses. (That could explain one awful day where I forgot my laptop at home, which would be like Dolly Parton going out without her false eyelashes. We both need these things to go about our days successfully.) Today, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of furniture shopping tips by the good people on the personal finance subreddit. I highly encourage you to take a trip over to that part of the internet to read the whole thing. In the meantime, here are a few great takeaways for furnishing your home on a budget. Don't buy furniture at places that offer "0% Down"-type deals. I wish I had the wisdom to seek this kind of advice when I bought my house. I had never had to furnish a place on my own before, and ended up getting one of those 0% interest two year loans a lot of places advertise to buy $6500 of furniture, basically furnishing a four bedroom house all at once.
I bought into the logic of the 0 interest loan, forgetting that I could have saved more money by buying used over a longer period of time. I was just too eager to get all the furniture shopping done. So my advice is: Be patient! Seriously, don't buy furniture at places that offer "0% Down"-type deals. The problem is that they offer 0% interest because they are building in the cost of financing into their pricing model up front. Any place that offers you 0% interest financing is selling you goods at a significant markup and counting on you to not notice the terrible deal you are getting because it feels like free money. Go for quality, not quantity. Buy a piece or two at a time and make your choices carefully. Do not buy garbage if you can avoid it. As recent college grads, you will undoubtedly need to buy some things at places like Ikea, but if you can wait and buy nicer things, they will last longer (a lifetime) and look better. You will not regret it. You can find this stuff on Craigslist.
Try to buy American made if you can. Do not spend as much on upholstered furniture, as it will invariably have a shorter life span. Try estate sales to get the best quality at the best price. Buying new is expensive, and you'll likely get poor quality compared to what you'll be able to buy used. A $200 plastic and plywood table from Ikea will fall apart much faster than a $200 solid pine table that you buy used. Everything I bought from West Elm fell apart, but the desk I bought at an estate sale for $150 I'll probably be able to pass along to my grand children. It's stunning, and super sturdy. Ignore sales -- except when it comes to floor samples. Don't wait for sales. Sales are just an artificial means to drive traffic. How many times can a furniture store close? The answer seems to be infinite. The same deals can be had any day of the week. Floor model sales are the only exception. If you have your eye on a floor model, ignore the special sale price and start your negotiations at 50% off the price it would normally sell at – not the regular price.
Expect to end up at 40-30% off. This means your paying just a little more than what they paid for it so they're making a little money and getting some floor space and you get a great deal, everybody is happy. If it's really marked up you might be able to get it at or below cost, but it's rare. If there is no profit in it, the salesperson isn't motivated to sell it, unless they are also in charge of merchandising, in which case floor space may be a big motivator. This "test" will reveal an upholstered item's true quality. On upholstered pieces, rap the center of the sides and back with your knuckles. You're feeling to see if the piece is framed in. You may feel nothing (bad news) or even cardboard (still no). You want a solid piece. It'll make a huge difference. In your seat cushions, try to find cushions that have coils inside (like an innerspring mattress). It will keep your cushion from developing that butt dip from sitting in your favorite spot. In your back cushions, you'll want "bags and baffles".
The foam in the back cushions should be in a bag (bagged) and have horizontal seams running across it to keep the foam higher up in the cushion (baffled). This will prevent all the foam from settling to the bottom of the cushion, giving you too much lower back support and not enough shoulder support. What are your secrets to digging up the best deal on furniture? Some new homeowners are passing on furnishings that used to be a staple. I guess that's one way to save money, but hey, we do love a good coffee table. See below to find out what's becoming "extinct."(PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.) HuffPost Lifestyle is a daily newsletter that will make you happier and healthier — one email at a time. On Monday, I mentioned that Kris and I are ready to replace our 15-year-old mattress. I don’t sleep well on it, though I sleep fine on other mattresses.
I only mentioned this to illustrate a point, but I was surprised at how many readers commented on my situation. Jason’s comment was typical: I’ve found that sleep is the absolute root of everything. With decent sleep, I’m a better man, father, athlete, spouse, employee and all around person. With poor sleep, I’m just getting by at best, an irritable mess at worst. I’d replace that mattress yesterday, as others have already said. Think of the other things you “just do” when they wear out and become unsafe or function poorly — car tires, toothbrushes, sponges, knives, ladders, etc. The mattress very easily fits into the same category. Unfortunately, “an irritable mess” pretty much describes me lately, and I’m sure that a lot of this stems from poor sleep. I don’t need more convincing. I’m ready to purchase a new mattress. But how do I go about it without getting ripped off? For some reason, I think of mattress shopping in the same way I think about shopping for a used car.
In the same discussion, EBYT wrote that she sold mattresses while attending university. She offered the following tips for mattress shopping: Mattresses are hugely marked up (at least here in Canada). I bought one for staff price (brand new, not a display model) that cost 50% less than what we were selling it for. They still made money off of me. Either wait till they go on sale, or make sure you ask for a good deal. Good mattress/box sets start around $1,500 “regular” price. Make sure you buy a mattress pad so you get full warranty. The salespeople will try to sell you on the manufacturer’s 10-year warranty, but they don’t always tell you the warranty is void if you stain it. To go along with the warranty thing, always buy the matching mattress/boxspring set. Mismatching usually voids the warranty. The boxspring is usually only about 10-15% of the mattress set’s price so don’t try to cut costs there, or by using your old “perfectly good” boxspring. Don’t be afraid to test the beds on the showroom floor — that’s what they’re there for.
Another reader suggested buying a mattress from a warehouse club. Kris and I made a trip to Costco the other day to look at their mattresses. As always, the prices are great but the selection is poor. Plus, there’s no way to “sleep-test” the mattresses (which are just in a big stack in the middle of the store). Would it be bad form to sleep test at a mattress store and then buy from Costco? Could I even find the same models? Finally, here are some articles about mattress shopping from other sites: Birds and Bills: Braving mattress sales, which says: “After a few glances at the mattress sales tags, which featured minimal text and explanation, I ended up giving up entirely on trying to “shop” by feature — latex? I had no idea which I wanted — and just road-tested a few. And … they mostly felt alike.” MSNBC: Don’t lose sleep buying the perfect mattress, which says: “Offer the retailer a couple of hundred dollars less than the one on the price tag.
Be prepared to negotiate from there. If the mattress feels good to you, then that is the right mattress for you.” Slate: Going to the mattresses, which says: “If you can’t tell the difference between a $200 and a $900 mattress (I couldn’t, but maybe you can), get the cheaper one. They’re nearly the same, anyway. Anything over $1,500 and you’re just paying for prestige.” USA Today: How not to lose sleep over buying a mattress, which says: “The ‘best’ mattress comes down to personal preference — consumers are urged to test mattresses before buying. It also pays to know what’s inside each type — and why.” In any event, it seems that Kris and I will soon be sleeping on a new mattress. I have my fingers crossed that this will give me better rest and, in turn, make me a less irritable mess! Photo by The Truth About. GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve their financial goals. Savings interest rates may be low, but that is all the more reason to shop for the best rate.