Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Furniture Shopping - Ug.

My husband and I have a hard time shopping for furniture. (This is the understatement of the new year) We have lived with only second-hand family hand-me-down and creatively make-shift furniture for the last 2 years. (Jen, maybe you should describe our "entertainment center" for everyone ;) We've tried several times in the last 2 years that we've lived together. Know that when I say "it usually ends in tears" that I'm not being metaphorical. (True, I'm a crier by nature, but still!)

We're having our family come out for Easter so we've decided to use that for our new motivation and goal date for new furniture. We decided that we need an entertainment center, a sleeper sofa and a hutch cabinet.

So we went out last weekend to look at furniture. After going to every store in the Detroit metro area, some multiple times, after ordering and canceling pieces, after Tim fell in love with the ugliest sofa ever and we argued about why it wasn't going in my livingroom, after the afore-mentioned tears, after fitting amazingly large boxes into the back of a two-door Mercury Cougar: we finally ended up with a lovely little entertainment center in our livingroom and a hutch cabinet ordered and paid for. Tim's cranky and I'm confused- isn't new furniture supposed to be fun and happy?

We still haven't decided on a sofa and that's what we need to order asap so that it's here by Easter (only 8 weeks away!). He wants comfortable. I want pretty. Ideally, we'd like both. We're also cheapskates so we'd like it to not cost an arm & a leg. One wouldn't think that was too much to ask!

Has this problem afflicted any of the rest of you? How have you dealt with it? On a side note, has anyone ever had leather furniture, and, if so, how did that go and was it worth the cost? Do I have hope for both a good livingroom and a good marriage or need I surrender the fantasy?! ;)

3 comments:

keesh said...

We too share in your pain of having hand me downs. We have only bought 1 brand new piece of furniture in the 7 years we have been together, an entertainmetn center. and once it was ordered (I never saw it in person, only catalog), I hate it. It is way to big! But it works. But we have never ventured out to pick out new furniture before. It would be interesting. we have similar taste in that I don't like too feminine or flowery, but as for comfort, we might have different opinions. I would love to do the buy now, pay later program somewhere, but he refuses. he is much better with money (long term) than I am. So who knows. But you guys will come up with some compromise. Is there a Big Lots over there? they have good deals!

Jen said...

Hmmm. I don't know what to tell you, since Jeff and I NEVER fight... ;)

We shall discuss this over dinner tomorrow. =-)

Jen said...

PS, if you can afford it, then I think leather furniture is great. Except it's not as comfortable on hot days. Easier to clean, though. And you can buy it on a payment plan!

Then again, don't listen to me, as I'm the girl who is now officially bankrupt. (I got the notice today.)