Buying Furniture

TexasEx11 · January 2014

I need some advice on bedroom furniture. Looking to buy a set soon because we really need sturdy dressers and places to put everything. We would like furniture that will hold up for quite a few years until we want to buy a really nice set Looking for some advice on the following:

1. Whats a reasonable amount to spend a bedroom set (queen bed, nightstands, dresser w/ mirror and chest) what is too low to expect?
2. Where are some good places to look for good quality but not outrageously expensive furniture?
3. Is it ever a good idea to pay over time if there is no interest (or no interest until a certain day)? Does this help build credit? have a credit score in the upper 700s but my husband is still building his- its all good credit, he just doesnt have a ton. Should we just pay cash?

Any other suggestions/help welcome. Thanks in advance!

vlagrl29 · January 2014

I bought a queen sleigh bed, 2 night stands and an armoire. the night stands had small drawers and the armoire had 2 larger drawers and that's all I needed. I would say it was probably 3k or so, but it's hard for me to remember an exact amount because I also bought a living room set the same day. I bought my stuff at Kays Furniture, I'm thinking they may not be a chain, but it was way better quality and cheaper than Nebraska Furniture Mart. We have since bought a small dresser for the insides of our closet that we got at IKEA....nothing major, just about 4 pull out drawers. You might try IKEA if you have one. If you have the cash, I would just go ahead and pay cash....that's what I did and they gave me a discount for paying all at one time.

Mom987 · January 2014

Not sure about the first two, but we love the 0% interest deals as long as they are paid off early and then don't have any interest at the end.

vlagrl29 · January 2014

Then when DH and I married he had a king bed so I had to sell my sleigh bed on craigslist and buy the exact same style but in king which was slightly more expensive, but I don't think I could ever go back to queen again.

hoffse · January 2014

The problem with the 0% interest things is most of them have a balloon attached to the end - so if you are $1 short of paying the thing off, you suddenly owe interest on the entire loan from day 1.

I personally wouldn't do it - you never know what might happen in life that could cause you to delay payment. Some of them have a balloon attached that gets activated by missing a single payment. Those you REALLY want to avoid.

I know a lot of people do the loan thing, but we prefer to do the IKEA thing when needed to get something functional until we can save for real furniture. At this point I've decided to wait to replace the IKEA stuff until after we buy a house so we have a sense of size, space, and dimensions. Regardless of how much I could afford for furniture, I would still probably go with IKEA to furnish a kid's room at least through the preschool years - then if they color on their dresser with marks-a-lot (my H did this when he was little) you've only spent $200 instead of $2000 on the thing. That's basically disposable.

Good brands - well, you can spend just about anything. I would just make sure I'm buying something that primarily real wood. Look for things like dovetailed drawers in the dresser, etc. to see if the construction is good. Right now Costco has a set of real wood bedroom furniture in their stores that would cost like $2200 for the king bed, dresser, 2 side tables, and a lingerie chest. The bed is a storage bed, so you have two deep drawers in its base as well. And the side tables are nice - they are wired so you can plug in lamps and such directly into the tables, and they have a space to hide cords. I really liked that feature. It's not Henredon or anything, but it's solid construction, and it's a great price for what you're getting. It's also attractive (at least, I think so). That's about as low as I would hope to find just paying retail for solid wood. When H and I replace our current bedroom furniture, our budget will probably be higher than that - $4K or so - to give us some flexibility when searching. However, we did talk about just buying the costco stuff right now because we liked the style and the price. If we weren't going to be in the house market so soon, we would have done it.

Xstatic3333 · January 2014

We got a decent queen bed with our wedding gift money. Had we gotten the full set, it would have run about $2000. Now we are in a HCOL area, so you may be able to do better. I've used IKEA a lot in the past and if you're on a tight budget (like under $1,000 for the whole thing) they're probably the way to go. Just be aware that there may be some little issues such as crooked drawers, chips on the plywood, etc. IKEA keeps prices so low by skimping on the manufacturing, although they will do returns and exchanges if you find any big issues.

I'm not a fan of 0% down offers for all the reasons PP mentioned. We just got out of $6000 in CC debt, and a good chunk of it was built on 0% down offers from Sears that ballooned. I'd pay cash for the furniture, and build your H's credit by having him use a CC for routine purchases and pay it right off.

As for the where, all the best stores in my area are local chains. Your friends and family may be best able answer that question!

irishfemme · January 2014

I think we spent about $3500-$4000 for our solid oak set (chest of drawers, large dresser with mirror, two nightstands, and king bed with under bed storage drawers), plus about $700 for a really good mattress (I got it at a huge overstock sale, regularly like $2800, I think).

We invested in our furniture with the intention that we will have it "forever." I looked on-line for quite some time and comparison shopped at local and chain stores. I ended up finding what I wanted on-line and ordering it. They only did freight delivery, though, so we were responsible for getting it in the house and up to our bedroom.

We put it on a credit card for the points and then paid for it with our tax refund that year, but I am not opposed to 0% finance deals as long as you know you can pay it off at any time if you need to (I would rather leave my money in the bank to let it grow a little bit and use "their" money for a purchase).

Erikan73 · January 2014

If you have an IKEA within a decent distance and don't mind doing assembly, they have some nice simple affordable options. I wouldn't consider it necessarily my dream furninture, but you did say that you wanted to get something nicer down the road, and stuff like this would fit your current need.

Key to doing 0% interest deals, figure out yourself how much you have to pay each month to have the deal paid off by the end of the time frame. If you just pay the amount listed on your monthly statement, you won't have it paid off in time (that's where they catch you).

maple2 · January 2014

We've had good luck looking for furniture in local consignment stores. I don't know if there are any in your area, but they can be a great place to find high quality items at relatively low prices. I know some people are squeamish about pre-owned furniture, but I wouldn't have a problem buying a used set of all wood bedroom furniture. We haven't purchased a bedroom set, but I have seen nice ones for <$1,000, though they can be more than that too.

hoffse · January 2014

OP, on the Ikea suggestions... the Hemnes dresser gets great reviews online if you need a place to store stuff. It's $300 and LARGE. The mirror that matches is $60. You seriously won't do better than that unless you go to a consignment store or buy something from a garage sale.

Or you can spend a couple grand on a dresser from a mid-range furniture place like Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel. Those are pretty good, but you're also paying for the name. Or you could spend even more for something really nice.

In general I love really really nice furniture. My parents have a couch that has lasted quite literally 25 years of constant use (nearly every day) that still looks brand new. They paid about $1500 for it back in the 80's, and it's been worth every penny. That said, it was a lot of money for a couch (especially back then), and you have to be prepared to pay if you really want "forever" furniture. So I would consider what sort of time frame you're really hoping to get out of it and then go from there. It's also not wrong to buy a less expensive set and then replace things piece by piece over time. Buying a full set of forever furniture costs a small fortune if you do it all at once.

TexasEx11 · January 2014

I may looks at ikea. We need furniture for functional purposes but between law school loans that will start soon and trying to save for a house, i think it would be better not to spend a few thousand on furniture!

vlagrl29 · January 2014

we are finally getting an IKEA in our city this coming fall! Can't wait. We've always either had to travel to another IKEA to get stuff or have someone else get it for us. We have several IKEA pieces that I don't think we will ever have to replace. I think they have great quality things. When we finish off our basement we plan on getting stuff from there.

hoffse · January 2014

If you aren't in a house yet (but plan to buy soon), definitely go the Ikea route. Otherwise you might find yourself struggling to make the pieces you own fit into a house, and that will restrict your search. Ikea is so inexpensive that it's basically disposable if you need it to be - and you might, depending on what house you buy. H and I have found that our apartment, which is new construction, has a much better and more efficient layout than many houses we walk into that are several hundred square feet larger. You don't want to find yourself struggling to fit your $2,000 china cabinet into a house that has no room for it.

CuriousKiddosMama · January 2014

One place you may also want to look that may sound odd is Big Lots. We have bought our last 3 mattresses from there, and my sister has bought a living room set. It's pretty good quality furniture that they buy discounted from the manufacturer so you can get a great deal on it. Plus they run some pretty good sales. We just upgraded to a king bed, and they had it on sale, plus that weekend they had 20% off the entire store coupon running so we got it for cheaper than the last queen size bed we bought from there for our guest bed room. I'm talking we got a nice king size bed for $600. I am thinking about going back in there for our bedroom set- the only thing is that they are hit or miss, the only king size thing they had when we bought the bed was a leather headboard that I really wasn't into, but next time I go in they may have something that's perfect.

CuriousKiddosMama · January 2014

Oh, and if you live in a major city. search for clearance centers or even distribution centers. We have a Rooms to Go distribution center not too far from us on the edge of the city and they have a clearance/ scratch and dent section. Have also gotten some amazing deals from them, and sometimes the only thing wrong is a dresser is missing a drawer pull or something stupid like that which is easily fixable.

TexasEx11 · January 2014

We live near high point, which is the furniture Capitol of the world. However it's super nice furniture so while it may be nice it's still expensive...but we plan to check there just in case.
I had forgotten about big lots! We bought a couch there a few years back. We will have to check that out

TexasEx11 · January 2014

Also can anyone attest to the quality of rooms 2 go? Does it hold up well? Is it worth it? How much should I pay at a store like that. Thanks!

JoanE2012 · January 2014

We bought a house recently, so we've been buying new furniture. We just got our king bedroom set a few months ago and paid upwards of $5k. This is our "forever" bedroom set though.

We did the no interest for 6 months, but you need to be disciplined. We are paying it off at 5 months just to avoid the chance of any problems. We also have the money in our savings to pay it off, so we're not worried about funds.

nicolen08 · January 2014

I would try to find used stuff and paint it. We have a lot of used furniture. We got it from: stores that were selling furniture that was used in model homes and friends who were upgrading. We got new stuff on clearance from high end places. You can also go to the swap meet.

We just paint most of the used stuff we get with black gloss spray paint, and it looks fine. We have a black and white and red room that looks amazing, and it was super cheap. I also like to mix and match different woods because I like the eclectic feel. So, that helps us to get things on the cheap because I don't care if things don't match, so long as they look alright when placed together.

dragonstarjk · January 2014

It looks like I might be in the minority because I am a HUGE fan of 0% interest offers. However, I would never, EVER use this if I wasn't 100% sure I could pay it off before it's due. H and I have bought every appliance, piece of furniture, and large home improvement project using 0% interest offers, but have always paid them off on time or early.

As far as furniture, I guess if it's not going to be your 'forever' furniture, I would just get something dept. store cheap. Our dresser was $50 at K-mart, it's not pretty or great quality, but it fills a need and we've had it about 8 years. Some day, we will replace it with the dresser that we really want.

I like the idea of buying used and re-painting it too!

cbee817 · January 2014

dragonstarjk said:

It looks like I might be in the minority because I am a HUGE fan of 0% interest offers. However, I would never, EVER use this if I wasn't 100% sure I could pay it off before it's due. H and I have bought every appliance, piece of furniture, and large home improvement project using 0% interest offers, but have always paid them off on time or early.

As far as furniture, I guess if it's not going to be your 'forever' furniture, I would just get something dept. store cheap. Our dresser was $50 at K-mart, it's not pretty or great quality, but it fills a need and we've had it about 8 years. Some day, we will replace it with the dresser that we really want.

I like the idea of buying used and re-painting it too!

This for us too- we always use 0% offers for big items and it works out great. We financed a $15,000 complete kitchen gut from Home Depot for 0% for 12 months.. it was awesome not to have to take it out of savings and it was paid in full without an issue. We just bought our forever dining room chairs (the table was purchased 2 years prior from Stickley) a few months ago this way too- got a 0% capital one card and we'll have them paid off by June. It's a great deal as long as you get everything paid off in time.

JoanE2012 · January 2014

cbee817 said:

dragonstarjk said:

It looks like I might be in the minority because I am a HUGE fan of 0% interest offers. However, I would never, EVER use this if I wasn't 100% sure I could pay it off before it's due. H and I have bought every appliance, piece of furniture, and large home improvement project using 0% interest offers, but have always paid them off on time or early.

As far as furniture, I guess if it's not going to be your 'forever' furniture, I would just get something dept. store cheap. Our dresser was $50 at K-mart, it's not pretty or great quality, but it fills a need and we've had it about 8 years. Some day, we will replace it with the dresser that we really want.

I like the idea of buying used and re-painting it too!

This for us too- we always use 0% offers for big items and it works out great. We financed a $15,000 complete kitchen gut from Home Depot for 0% for 12 months.. it was awesome not to have to take it out of savings and it was paid in full without an issue. We just bought our forever dining room chairs (the table was purchased 2 years prior from Stickley) a few months ago this way too- got a 0% capital one card and we'll have them paid off by June. It's a great deal as long as you get everything paid off in time.

What a great deal! Sometimes I go with the 0% option, sometimes we put it on our credit card and immediately pay it off just to get the miles.

vpine · January 2014

Regarding the interest question: we've bought several things with 0% interest and had no issues.

jessica490 · January 2014

I still have Ikea furniture that has lasted about 9 yrs (only moved once). Some of it is starting to fall apart but its doing the job for now. It will get tossed once we finally buy a house and start buying good furniture.

My suggestions for getting nice/affordable furniture would be at places like Macy's, Target online, and JC Pennys. I've bought a few things from each of those places and they are holding up well!

Trixeetrix · January 2014

I find that estate sales have a lot of really nice furniture for a really good price. Sometimes I repaint it, other times it is fine as is. Garage sales also have good buys. Even thrift stores every once in a while have a good piece! I can't really say how much is a good price - because that will depend on your area. I found that places like IKEA did not have good strong solid furniture that would last very long for the price they charged. As for 0% interest - I never had a problem - but always paid off before the interest free period was up. Good Luck!

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