Furniture

[Whisper9999]

I need to replace my couch.  I don't care how what it's made out of just so it looks half way decent.  I've been to a consignment store and I can pick one up for $400-500, but I don't really want to pay that much as I'm trying to plough all my money into savings.

Any suggestions?  (I don't really feel like looking all over at garage sales.)  What about covers for old ones?  What about Mexico? Online stores?

Any tips on saving $ on a couch (and furniture in general) would be much appreciated...

 

[Whakamole]

How about a futon?

 

[Whisper9999]

Great idea, but I had a futon once and very was pretty allergic to it as I think they're usually filled with raw, unprocessed cotton or something like that. I guess I could buy different cushions but I think those would be as costly as the futon. But it's a good idea - I'll have to check into it...

 

[John Lee]

You might try IKEA if you have a store close to you. They have some good stuff at reasonablr prices.
JL

 

[John Galt]

We just bought a futon recently (at BIG LOTS).
Pretty cheap and quite comfy. Anyway, shortly after
we had a big storm and the windows were open.

It got soaked. I was going to take off the cover and try to dry it. Big surprise that it was filled with that cotton
batting stuff. I bought a replacement pad and threw the wet one in the garbage. My wife came home and hung it outside until sufficiently dry. It is now a
deluxe dog bed. My black lab loves it. The futon is one
piece of furniture/appliance in our home which
was bought new. I would guess 90% was acquired used, scrounged, donated by relatives, came from my
old office, etc etc. My desk was given to me by a
former tenant who was late on his rent. You get the
idea.

John Galt

 

[Whakamole]

You can get "real" mattresses for futons now - springs, etc. Less expensive than even a cheap sofa.

I got mine inexpensively - $100 for the queen-size pine frame and an inexpensive cotton mattress. It's easy to buy a new cover if you want a new look. The two reasons I got it was: easier to move than a regular sofa, and could be converted into a bed.

Around here, you can probably find a decent frame for free if you just drive around the apartment complexes.

If you live in an area covered by craigslist.org, that's also a good place to look for used furniture if you are so inclined.

 

[KB]

Check online to see if there is a Freecycle near you.  It is a website where people give away their stuff, and can ask for stuff too.

I recently gave away an old working freezer and 2 dressers.  You never know, you might find a sofa that is in good condition and someone just doesn't want it anymore.  

If you want new, try Sam's or Costco.  Their prices are less than at the furniture stores.

For covers, try Linen and things or the Penneys catalog to see if you can find the size for your sofa.

 

[Whisper9999]

Great ideas guys. I truly appreciate and am going to check them all out...

 

[Sheryl]

Check online to see if there is a Freecycle near you.  It is a website where people give away their stuff, and can ask for stuff too.

I just joined our local Freecycle group a few weeks ago. I have a lot of "misc." to get rid of, it's great.

Regarding the couch - ever think of a built-in? If you're retired and a little handy at building and sewing, you can make a daybed type platform and just buy the cushions for it.  

 

[Whisper9999]

Great idea, but I'm not retired yet and am in an apt actually. I'm living lean 'n mean...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Check another consignment store!

I bought some extra furniture for my home theater a couple of years ago...two love seats and a chair with ottoman. All nice looking and in nearly new condition. $200 for the whole thing.

 

[johnblake]

In my opinion cheap furniture usually isn't a bargain. It ends up looking terrible, being uncomfortable, and being worthless after a few years. A quality sofa can last 10 years. In my experience, futons become hard, lumpy, and uncomfortable after two. If you can find high quality used furniture, that's probably your best bet. I just sold a houseful of furniture. The cheap stuff sold for 10-20% of my cost, the nicer furniture sold for 60% of my cost.

 

[ordway]

I'm a big fan of used furniture. New stuff just costs too much for me to stomach! Plus, as someone else said, you can get *good* stuff used for less than it would cost to buy cheapo stuff new. I have a enormous and gorgeous cherry wood desk (built of solid wood - it's like a tank) that cost me $75 about 12 years ago. Our dining room table and chairs are solid oak, built to last about a gazillion years. Apparently they were made in the 1970s, but in any case I picked up the set about 5 years ago for $100. Having some dog chew marks on one of the legs is a small price to pay for getting such a nice set for a reasonable price.

Sometimes even the not-so-great furniture lasts a long time. As new graduate students, we bought a couch at a flea market. Being the Yankee that I am, I haggled the guy down to $20, and even got him to deliver it for free. Who knows how old the couch was at that time, but it was fine - kind of a nondescript gray velour that didn't show the wear. Anyway, it served us well for ten years, except that it was a bit saggy in the middle, and a bit too soft. New couches just were too friggin' expensive though! After paying $20 for a couch, how could I stomach $500?!?! Anyway, we hauled it out to California with us a couple months ago (move was paid for by the company, so no out-of-pocket cost for us) and finally decided to get a futon instead. I listed the sofa for sale on craigslist, and sold it for $50 (more than I paid for it!) to a couple of college kids outfitting their summer digs. They were thrilled with it, and the gray velour couch is off to its new adventures....

 

[unclemick]

After 28 years (single with same girlfriend) I have two kinds of furniture - none and hers. I did buy four plastic lawn chairs a while back. Otherwise I keep my mouth shut. She did come with furniture 28 years ago - a lot of which we still have.

 

[Whisper9999]

Hey, I never thought of that as a solution to my furnishing issues:  just get a girl!  It's so obvious.  

 

[Zipper]

unclemick, you're a great guy and all, but a girlfriend for 28 years! Go to Vegas man and do it!

 

[unclemick]

Her first marriage was enough. Besides - not being married keeps me on my toes - her theory not mine.

We've been to Vegas and Reno a lot - and did it, more than once - but not marriage - ah er gambling.

 

[John Galt]

I have known several couples who were together
for decades, but never knew any who did not get married eventually. I am not sure why, but they all did it. A couple of the guys were older than dirt.
Interesting.

John Galt

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Hey, I never thought of that as a solution to my furnishing issues: just get a girl! It's so obvious.

It appears to have worked for me as most of my stuff is out in the garage and most of her stuff is in here.

Now the twist is I bought most of the stuff for her over the past four years, and its mostly newer than my old crap, so its sort of an investment that paid me back...

I usually go for solid but inexpensive stuff. With 3 cats and 2 dogs, good furniture would be a bad idea. About 8 years ago I decided to get some new bedroom furniture. After looking around for a few weeks for stuff in the 8-10k range, I got ticked because nobody stocks anything, it all has to be 'made' and takes 3-5 months to get it. So I punted and got an inexpensive but nice bedframe and headboard, and a couple of nice tall end tables. From the unfinished furniture store. Finished them myself in the garage and voila. First night I have the stuff in the room, the cats who were used to jumping onto the bed from the bottom encountered the footboard. No problem, just grab on with the front claws and start kicking with the back ones until you get over. Made me glad I bought something inexpensive that I could refinish myself. Next, about 3am one of them decided they needed to chase the other across the bed, across me, and onto the nightstand with a sharp 90 degree turn. My brief waking thought "Thank GOD that wasnt the $800 night stand I almost bought or I'd be fileting cat for the next 30 minutes"...

Oh yeah, and my dog likes to wipe his mouth on the couch after he's eaten biscuits. When he cant find ME to wipe his mouth on that is.

From marketing guru to a dogs napkin. How far I've fallen.

 

[Nords]

Another furniture outlet with great selection...

Goodwill.

I know what you're thinking, but you're able to furnish an entire house if you drop in there every week or so and you're not in a hurry to get furnished. It's a great way to spend an hour on a weekend.

I've seen dozens of brand-new items dropped off by manufacturers or retailers who are getting rid of the product. I've seen companies drop off their cubicle furniture because they just don't have the time or interest in getting rid of it by auction.

When Disney came to film Pearl Harbor, we set them up on Navy property. Shockingly the govt furniture was deemed unsatisfactory for all but the poor wardrobe wretches. (I don't know why-- it'd been used by thousands of sailors for the last three decades). The local production assistants went shopping for couches, desks, chairs, halogen torchiere lighting, boom boxes, office art, you name it. When the production was over a few items were handed out as thank-you cards, but the majority of it went to Goodwill.

We've paid more in annual property taxes than we have for the majority of our furniture...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yeah, while I was there dropping off half my clothes today, I stuck my nose inside. Nothing really super, but this isnt a really nice part of town. They did have a mustard yellow recliner for a dollar and a nearly matching mustardish yellowish couch for four dollars...

 

[Bob_Smith]

Years ago I wanted a couch and I wanted quality. I figured that someone who digs into the guts of old furniture (a re-upholsterer) might know who makes the best. So I found a woman who had been in business for over 40 years and had a long waiting list. She didn't hesitate - she said that Flexsteel and Koehler were best. I bought a Flexsteel couch and it's still almost as good as the day I bought it. That was 20 years ago; I may never have to replace it.

 

[charlie]

In my city, the trash dept allows us to discard stuff
for curb pick-up each month. You would be
amazed at the things people throw away. The scavangers come out in droves and the good
things (like couches) never make it to the trash dump.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[Jane]

Also check with friends, coworkers and family. Some people feel the need to rid off nice furniture just because it doesn't fit their style anymore or something.

I got my wood dining table and chairs from a neighbour. Some sanding, wood putty, paint and fabric and they look brand new. My neighbour comment: "is that the table and chairs I gave you? Look so nice and new!". Amazing what a little paint and elbow grease can do.

I got my bedroom funiture (but I bought new mattress): 2 night tables, headboard, 6-drawer vanity from a relative. Again, some sanding, paintint and new handles from hardware store and they look amazing!

Good luck.

Jane

 

[unclemick]

Post ER - I've noticed a reasonable minority, mostly regular age retiree's get bit by the woodworking bug, including furniture - an even smaller minority of the of minority stick with it. Of course - being in a fish camp - I'm a jackleg so so - 5/8 galvanized threaded rod and 4 X 6's being a favorite material.