Categories: Spending

Expensive Furniture – Worth It?

The following is a post by staff writer Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff. Her blog covers living expenses, saving for your future, and the fun stuff along the way.

College Furniture

Mr. BFS and I met in college. We had college furniture and enjoyed it for what is was. A couch was where you could watch tv comfortably. A computer desk held up the monitor. A loft was a space saver.

Then we got married and moved into a tiny 550 square foot apartment, where we didn’t have much money in our wedding budget allocated to furniture. The college furniture worked fantastically and still helped us watch tv, type, sleep, and save space. We never bought one single item of furniture for that place.

After the tiny apartment, we moved into a large one – 1050 square feet spread evenly between a living area, kitchen, and one big bedroom. We bought a few particle board bookshelves and were happy. It didn’t feel like a permanent home, so we didn’t splurge. Why buy better things when you’re just going to turn around and move them, right?

Home Furniture

3 years ago, we bought our home. We had 1750 square feet to fill. We tried not to go nuts.

Thanks to generous families, Mr. BFS and I were able to move in and have nice hand-me-down furniture right off the bat. Our leather couches are super comfy and still look great. Our dining room table is sturdy, perfect for gaming, and is in perfect shape. Our guest bed is the same IKEA special my husband had in college. Our computer desk was a wedding gift and the couch in the office has moved with us twice.

The Splurge

BUT, our bedroom is filled with brand new. Not just new, but expensive and new.

I think my husband and I lost our minds temporarily on the day 2 years ago when we went to Gallery Furniture for a chest of drawers and came back with a complete, solid wood bedroom set and queen size Tempur-Pedic mattress set. Our new bedroom looked magnificent, the bed was cushy and firm at the same time, and our bank account was $6,000 lighter – all in the matter of a few hours. I sort of freaked out and had mini-brain melts every few weeks.

Fight Regrets

Skip ahead with me 2 years. My stomach still freezes up when I think of that $6,000, but the bedroom has grown on me too. I still look at the grain of the stained wood when I use my dresser. I love the end tables that bring all the pieces together. I have even become a slight Tempur-Pedic addict and dislike other beds when I have to use them. In fact, our mattress works exactly as described in all of those commercials and the only negative is that it gets a little warm in the summer. My husband’s back pain is completely gone.

So yes, we splurged. We spent way more than necessary on unnecessary items. Thankfully, despite the fact that I didn’t do any bargain hunting or deal making to get the whole set, I’ve stopped kicking myself every time I walk upstairs. I could have made a better deal and I will have to get over that eventually, but the furniture is well made and beautiful and the bed is nearly perfect. Overall, yes, it was worth it to us.

Have you ever spent way too much and found that you didn’t mind? Or do you have any stories that you still kick yourself for?

Sweating the Big Stuff

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