Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Are you sick of talking about furniture yet?

So after the loveseat broke last night, I just sat there pouting.  First off, sitting on furniture and it breaks does NOTHING for your self-esteem.  Second, I already made a decision....no furniture (and yes, I said "I" because G-man was coming up with every cliche in the book to justify the purchase.....we work hard, we deserve it......)  And third, August is just not a good month for all of this.

Long time readers may remember that August is when our twin daughters died.  It is also Bossy and Sassy's birthday, and while that is great, the events surrounding their birth are still difficult for me.  It is an emotional month....and it is easy to emotionally spend.

So now that the furniture has decided that IT is done, we have some decisions to make.

Options include:

  1. Go all out and get what we WANT (before coupons or sales, about $3000, including tax and delivery)
  2. Go a little out, and get the piece that will go where the loveseat currently sits (about $1000, inc. tax and delivery), and continue to save for the other pieces
  3. Get something new, but not exactly what we want, but will have to do (price to be determined)
  4. Get secondhand (price to be determined, but may include slipcovers.  Also factor in cleaning)
Honestly, I don't know right now.  Not thrilled with Option 4.  Option 3 has potential, but in order to get what we really want down the line, Option 3 would have to be really cheap. Obviously Option 2 could lead to problems (now I want the rest of it....different wear on furniture....different dye lots on the fabric).  Option 1 is the most fun and gives into our inner brat, but is $$$.

We will continue to discuss it and figure it out.  I really don't know. 
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29 comments:

  1. TaniaAugust 1, 2012 at 8:49 AM

    Nope, not sick hearing about furniture yet. It is a tough decision, and #2 seems the riskier one, since maybe you buy the loveseat, but they stop making the rest of the set by the time you are ready to buy, or they've moved their merchandise so you have to pay extra. I myself would go with #3 or #4, and set a date! Knowing that you will have #1 by December will make #3 and #4 sting less.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:28 PM

      Option 2 is definitely risky. And I am not a fan of it. It was just on the table because it would replace the piece that broke, and with some real scraping, we could probably pay for 2/3 of it in cash.

      Delete
  2. KarenAugust 1, 2012 at 8:52 AM

    Be sure to check out Craig's list - sometimes you can happen on really nice things for a fraction of the original cost.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:28 PM

      I have been watching CL for months...just in case some great deal came along. So far....not so much!

      Delete
  3. Out My windowAugust 1, 2012 at 10:16 AM

    Oh my Mysti, just love your brat and go for broke. I am sorry for your sad feelings during August, but look what else you received! I used to feel the same way about February. I lost a daughter February 10th 1980, then had a little girl February 13th 1981, lost another Franka on February 13th 1985, so even though the oldest living daughter was born in February I was a little shy of the month. But then my first grandchild was born on February 15th 2011 and I was ecstatic. Can't be blue any more, still miss my babies but love that grandson.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:20 PM

      I have no idea how you did all of that. But thank you for helping me see that it can get better.

      Delete
  4. Jesse R.August 1, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    My opinion is go for #1! Yes it will cost more now but good quality furniture will hold up longer. When it comes to furniture I spend more where it counts. I am not hard on my bedroom furniture so I got our set at Bobs and love it and it still looks new. Knowing my kids would be harder on their furniture I splurged on that. Our couch, same thing since we are heavy set and watch a lot of TV/play games in the LR plus 2 lil ones who jump on everything we went with the color, fabric, design we wanted instead of the cheaper options and we are very grateful we did. This isn't frivilous spending IMO because you literally used your couch till it fell apart and will probably do the same with the new ones. You're not replacing furniture just because your neighbor did or you just stopped liking the old set. I would say you got your money's worth on the old set now go enjoy a new one.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:26 PM

      We are heavy LR users as well, and you are right...we need something of quality or in the long run we will have to replace it AGAIN.

      Of course the catch right now is can we squeak just a little more time so we can save up for it!

      And we bought our LR set in 1997....yeah, it lived its life.

      Delete
  5. ChelleAugust 1, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    Can you get a store credit card with 0 interest for 24 or 36 months? It's free credit and gives you time to pay for it without interest charges. Just make sure you pay enough each month to pay it off before the time period is up. This is how I got our new living room furniture and it worked out perfectly.

    Our ice maker in our refrigerator is broken and has been for some time, so now I am the ice maker. I want a new refrigerator badly, but my husband won't give because we are finally making progress on the last credit card. Boo hiss. I want to indulge my inner brat and have an ice maker, damn it!

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:31 PM

      We talked about the store credit with 0 interest a few weeks ago. And it was a consideration.

      Of course, where we found the furniture (again, on-line...we have to check it out in person), is not a full furniture store. So a store card would have MEGA interest.

      Don't jinx our fridge...it is 20 years old!! And we already know that it will go kaput at some point too.

      Delete
  6. Petunia 100August 1, 2012 at 11:05 AM

    You have covers on your furniture, correct? (I think I remember reading that, but perhaps I am mistaken.) Look for a free or very cheap replacement loveseat, and throw your cover over it. :)

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:14 PM

      We have T-cushions and it is a tailored cover. Unless we get a loveseat that is T-cushion...the cover won't work. But good idea!

      Delete
  7. One FamilyAugust 1, 2012 at 11:21 AM

    Not to be a downer, but if you can't pay cash for a love seat, you can't afford it. But, that's just me and my personal experiences talking, because as soon as I'd charge something, thinking I would pay it off in a short time, some other "Murphy" always came along and it wouldn't get paid off and I was stuck with another monthly payment. I do think Chelle's idea is a good one if you are set on buying new right now. I hear commercials for furniture ads on no interest all the time.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:32 PM

      We have almost $2000 in our EF, so hopefully that would cover a true emergency (and for the record....living room furniture is NOT an emergency, so touching that isn't even a thought).

      Delete
  8. TheresaAugust 1, 2012 at 11:24 AM

    If you cannot pay cash for something, I would not do it.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:33 PM

      I agree, except some things (and I am not saying this is one of them) can't wait.

      When my car died...I had to finance it. We couldn't wait to save up, and we couldn't share a car. Nor would public transportation work. So we had to do it.

      Delete
  9. slugmamaAugust 1, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    I'm with the pay cash or make do and it can wait camp.
    We once didn't have the money for furniture and used lawn chairs in the living room until we could afford to buy something better. It's not what the "want it now!" or the "having a nice looking home" person in me wanted to do, but it was what the "being financially solvent and responsible" and "keeping my priorities in life straight" person in my head knew was best.

    Just remember, if you put that Option #1 purchase on credit that it's not REALLY a $3K purchase, it could cost you much much more all the interest/finance charges.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:16 PM

      No lawn chairs for us. First off...we don't even own any! Second, can't have furniture that is too easy for Bossy to throw....or we might be looking for ways to pay for a window, tv, etc.

      Delete
  10. jadellAugust 1, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    could you just do without purchasing anything for a while? that would be the cheapest option (but definitely the most boring, too) :)

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:18 PM

      Yep. Like I originally said....we knew something would have to be done sooner (like, in the next 6 months) than later (after debt is paid off).

      We didn't expect the loveseat to actually BREAK!.

      We are hobbling along, but at some point we will run out of time.

      Delete
  11. Petunia 100August 1, 2012 at 5:04 PM

    Sometimes when I read this blog, I get the feeling that if Mysti posted "I intend to insert sharp sticks into my eyeballs, light myself on fire, and leap from a tall building!" that she'd get lots of replies encouraging her, telling her how great that was, etc.

    I don't think financing 3k worth of furniture is a good idea when you have 77k of consumer debt and are trying to pay it off. Just my opinion.

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    1. MystiAugust 1, 2012 at 5:19 PM

      I hope you don't think that I just want people to help me justify a bad decision. Because there are lots of things I have thrown out there that we have considered, but never did. Sometimes I just need to "talk" outloud.

      I never said financing the purchase was a good idea. It is an option. But I never said it was a good option.

      Delete
    2. Petunia 100August 1, 2012 at 5:59 PM

      "I hope you don't think that I just want people to help me justify a bad decision."

      No. What I think is that a lot of your readers like you, want to cheer you on, and aren't very objective.

      "Somtimes I just need to "talk" outloud."

      Of course. :)

      Good luck, no matter what you and your dh decide.

      Delete
  12. AnnehueserAugust 1, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    If you have some furniture stores you can physically go to, go there and see if there are any floor models available. They are often heavily discounted as they do show a bit of wear but good quality furniture will last a long time. Or see if there are any furniture consignment stores. They usually only take high end furniture but it's considerably less than in the store.

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  13. Gill - That British WomanAugust 1, 2012 at 6:26 PM

    have you got it figured out yet?

    Gill in Canada

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  14. ~Carla~August 1, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    Ohhh.. that's not good. :( I'm sorry but there is NO way i'd slap $3K worth of furniture on a c.c. What *I* would do to get furniture... i'd take $500 out of my EF then hunt at thrift stores, craigslist, newspaper ads, etc.. for a gently used loveseat & couch. You should be able to get both for well under $500 even. Go look before you buy... sit on it, smell it, lift the cusions, etc...

    When I bought our furniture, our old stuff was OLD as well. I saved pennies and bought one piece at a time. I still do that now...

    In the end, it has to be what you can live with, but $3K is a LOT of money to add onto the debt you're trying to pay off, kwim?

    Good luck & let us know what you decide!

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  15. The MerryAugust 1, 2012 at 10:44 PM

    Have you looked at assembly-yourself sofas? You can save a bit that way.
    http://www.homereserve.com/index.cfm

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  16. KerryAugust 2, 2012 at 1:14 AM

    I say #4. Look at Craigslist or Goodwill or used furniture stores for something that will coordinate and go in the space, and realize that you're going to have to make do and tolerate it for a bit. Don't give in to emotion. It's a bad month and you're all on edge.

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