Help me with not “keeping up with the Jones’”

[Anonymous]

PP above who posted pictures of their mom legs and their kids, WTF?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:West Elm is barely better quality than IKEA, but C&B and PB are definitely better built furniture.

General rule of thumb, C&B and PB furniture is tongue and groove furniture, with solid wood veneers at least and delivered fully assembled. These pieces will last 40 years and multiple moves, no problem. Now the style may die, but the piece is built for the duration.

Wayfair (which is just a drop shipper), IKEA, are stuff you buy when you are young and poor. The furniture probably won’t survive a move, or if it does, you will need to glue some things back together.

We are done moving, but we have young kids so still have a LOT of IKEA, b/c the kids ruin everything, so need to wait till they are older before getting “investment” furniture.

Pottery Barn can be REALLY hit or miss, I would highly recommend looking at everything in-person first.

Even at Crate and Barrel, we bought the Aspect modular storage cabinets and they did not look any nicer than some of the BRIMNES cabinets we have in the basement.

Restoration Hardware is $$$ but pretty much everything they make is heirloom-quality and beautiful.

[Anonymous]

West Elm is ok for nonupholstered pieces, but I would say only a step above ikea. Would it buy a couch there. Even Pottery Barn is hit or miss depending on the style. I agree you are not middle class but UMC. Regardless, I would just buy something you love that is well made. I like to buy vintagen or antique pieces that usually weigh a ton and are well made. I generally think of “keeping up with the Jones’s” more akin to buying trends and constantly changing them.

[Anonymous]

No one cares about your car. No one cares about your couch. No one cares about your cellphone.

You are not your khakis. Forget materialism. You know what's sweeter than driving a porche? Retiring 10 years earlier specifically because you didn't buy a porche.

[Anonymous]

Similar bracket and stats, our hh income is lower ($220). Recently reading the guidelines about how all basic money guidelines can fit on an index card and this has helped me stop obsessing because if i can pay cash for it or pay it off in a month i consider it if i have thought about it and really love something for the house. We have a big old beautiful house and i am a house person. Having said that...i like the hunt and i have patience so I buy a lot of furniture used. Like craigslist dc and consignment. For example our family room couch was from crate and barrel, slipcovers can be washed, it was $300n i bought it from a young single woman leaving dc. instead of $1600. I just got a new striped wingchair, high end upholstery for $175. It's adorable. So yes, buy, but balance out end with used if you are not strongly opposed. I get things like hurricane lamps for candles, coffee table trays, design books, etc. at a really nice goodwill in my neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Its pretty easy for me. The material things are what you see. However it is what you don't see that really matters. If we all wore our investments on our sleeve I'd stack up pretty nicely. It's a nice feeling at 42 that I'll be retiring in 10 years if I choose. Its a good feeling that we already one our retirement home and a renter is paying it off for us. It's a good feeling knowing that I won't need to sell my home when I got to retire to buy a new one and I'll get to walk away with 1M+ in my pocket.

My house isn't a shack, but I so buy most my furnishings from Costco, including updates like vanities. I accessorize at homegoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A someone who is sitting on my sofa eating popcorn playing super Mario Brothers with 3 other humans, I don't spend much on furniture we use. All that matters is comfort.


upload photos

Sexy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:West Elm is barely better quality than IKEA, but C&B and PB are definitely better built furniture.

General rule of thumb, C&B and PB furniture is tongue and groove furniture, with solid wood veneers at least and delivered fully assembled. These pieces will last 40 years and multiple moves, no problem. Now the style may die, but the piece is built for the duration.

Wayfair (which is just a drop shipper), IKEA, are stuff you buy when you are young and poor. The furniture probably won’t survive a move, or if it does, you will need to glue some things back together.

We are done moving, but we have young kids so still have a LOT of IKEA, b/c the kids ruin everything, so need to wait till they are older before getting “investment” furniture.

Isn’t Pottery barn the same company as west elm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about your car. No one cares about your couch. No one cares about your cellphone.

You are not your khakis. Forget materialism. You know what's sweeter than driving a porche? Retiring 10 years earlier specifically because you didn't buy a porche.

+1

And? Craigslist.

[Anonymous]

If you’re saving 4k a month with that income you must not have a mortgage or student loans.

[Anonymous]

I have bought furniture from Target, Macy's, JC Penney, Marlo's, Costco, Ikea. (I do use a lot of wood glue when assembling Ikea dressers because the bottom of the drawers need to be sealed IMHO).

I have a beautiful home with fantastic interiors and everything is done very inexpensively. Brand names do not matter to me as long as furniture looks good and is durable.
The only furniture I spend big bucks on are mattresses and s and a good arm-chair. We have not moved with our furniture at all so we have not seen any damages. Our furniture looks and feels as good as before. In fact, we have given away our extra furniture to friends who wanted to furnish rooms in their homes.

What are y'all doing that your furniture falls apart? If you do not have dogs and cats in your home or if your kids are not jumping on the furniture or you are not an obese/overweight/large family or you are not smoking at home or you are not filthy hoarders or you are not moving very frequently or you are not throwing furniture around - your Ikea furniture should last you a lifetime.

We are pretty well-off BTW. Save a whole lot on 350K HHI and a SAHM. In our 50s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re saving 4k a month with that income you must not have a mortgage or student loans.

OP here. Why do you say that? Our PITI is abt $3200/mo.
Bring home a little over $12k/mo after 401ks and other withholding and we spend about $5k on top of that mortgage.

[Anonymous]

I’m cheap but have dreamed of a high end couch for 18 years. Finally bought one-$4k! Ack!!!!! But it wasn’t a - “keeping up” purchase - I just love couches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have bought furniture from Target, Macy's, JC Penney, Marlo's, Costco, Ikea. (I do use a lot of wood glue when assembling Ikea dressers because the bottom of the drawers need to be sealed IMHO).

I have a beautiful home with fantastic interiors and everything is done very inexpensively. Brand names do not matter to me as long as furniture looks good and is durable.
The only furniture I spend big bucks on are mattresses and s and a good arm-chair. We have not moved with our furniture at all so we have not seen any damages. Our furniture looks and feels as good as before. In fact, we have given away our extra furniture to friends who wanted to furnish rooms in their homes.

What are y'all doing that your furniture falls apart? If you do not have dogs and cats in your home or if your kids are not jumping on the furniture or you are not an obese/overweight/large family or you are not smoking at home or you are not filthy hoarders or you are not moving very frequently or you are not throwing furniture around - your Ikea furniture should last you a lifetime.

We are pretty well-off BTW. Save a whole lot on 350K HHI and a SAHM. In our 50s.

LOL what!?! Your IKEA furniture should last you a lifetime? 😳
We’ve had a Macy’s couch for about 8 yrs and it’s on its last legs. Kids occasionally jump on it (as kids DO and should!) but none of your other weird categories apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have bought furniture from Target, Macy's, JC Penney, Marlo's, Costco, Ikea. (I do use a lot of wood glue when assembling Ikea dressers because the bottom of the drawers need to be sealed IMHO).

I have a beautiful home with fantastic interiors and everything is done very inexpensively. Brand names do not matter to me as long as furniture looks good and is durable.
The only furniture I spend big bucks on are mattresses and s and a good arm-chair. We have not moved with our furniture at all so we have not seen any damages. Our furniture looks and feels as good as before. In fact, we have given away our extra furniture to friends who wanted to furnish rooms in their homes.

What are y'all doing that your furniture falls apart? If you do not have dogs and cats in your home or if your kids are not jumping on the furniture or you are not an obese/overweight/large family or you are not smoking at home or you are not filthy hoarders or you are not moving very frequently or you are not throwing furniture around - your Ikea furniture should last you a lifetime.

We are pretty well-off BTW. Save a whole lot on 350K HHI and a SAHM. In our 50s.

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