When I was pregnant with our third child, John and I decided to buy new beds for our 2 older children. At the time, we didn’t have much money. After extensive shopping, we selected beds that looked decent, but were very budget friendly. This would have been a good plan, except that we should have been less concerned with looks and more concerned with quality. It turns out that the old adage is true – you get what you pay for.
Within a year of purchasing the furniture, we were having problems. We didn’t realize it at the time, but the furniture wasn’t made from real wood. It was compressed wood, with a fake wood veneer glued on top. The veneer was pulling away from the board beneath, and the bed looked awful. I instantly regretted the purchase, but we continued using the furniture. We didn’t have the money to replace the entire set, and structurally, it was still very sturdy.
Fast forward to last week. I decided to help my oldest daughter clean her room. I was looking at the headboard of her bed. The finish was bulging and wavy. As my eye traveled down, I noticed a big rip in the veneer. In that moment, I decided that it was finally time to get rid of her furniture. It was a bad purchase, and we lived with our mistake for 10 years. It’s safe to say, we have paid our dues.
Last Saturday we went to a few furniture stores. The plan was to just replace the bed frame. Our daughter has always talked about getting a daybed, so that was what we were looking for. I was expecting the purchase to be well under $1,000. Unfortunately, our daughter decided against the daybed. And things spiraled from there. We ended up buying her a completely new bedroom set. The total cost was $2000. Yikes!
I left the store feeling a little sick to my stomach. I know that her furniture was junk, and that this new bedroom set is much better quality. Nonetheless, I do feel a little guilty about spending so much money on a whim. Hopefully this bedroom set will look good and last for a long time. I have to keep reminding myself that you get what you pay for.