Staying with grandparents in empty house
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Anonymous
| We will be traveling with DD to my parents' home for a couple weeks and just found out that they have no furniture. They'll have a bed and crib for us, folding table and chairs for meals, that's it. We stayed with them last Christmas and it was so uncomfortable staying in an empty house. First, it is LOUD because there is so much echo. My parents don't notice because their hearing is not what it used to be. DH and I both started having back troubles (and this is not something normal for us) because we had to sit on folding chairs or the bed all the time. DD plays on the floor a lot, but it's ice cold and there are no rugs. My mom assured me back then that they would have furniture by the time of our spring visit, so I booked our tickets, but she now tells me that they have bought zero furniture. I'm not going to cancel our trip, but I am really not looking forward to being at their home given our last experience. I'm willing to spend some money, like in the hundreds, to make the place more comfortable. Any suggestions? I'm thinking maybe a cheap sofa set and rugs from IKEA? Is there anything we can do to soften the echo? |
Anonymous
| Hotel. |
Anonymous
| What happened to their furniture???? |
Anonymous
| I think you need to have a root causes discussion with him. |
Anonymous
| IKEA or homegoods but I'd be concerned as to why there is no furniture. |
Anonymous
|
I think you posted about this around christmas time. Why the hell don't they have furniture? I can't imagine two 60+ year olds sitting on the ground.
Obviously they don't like furniture, so buying them furniture is probably not going to work (unless the reason there's no furniture is that they're extremely poor, but then there's freecycle/garage sales). I would cancel my trip. |
Anonymous
Yeah, why don't they have furniture? |
Anonymous
| Why are they living with no furniture? |
Anonymous
|
Foam earplugs. Cheap chairs from Overstock or IKEA.
We need more info. Why don't they have furniture? Why don't they care if you're uncomfortable? Can you stay in a hotel? |
Anonymous
|
OP, many people mention that one of the most difficult aspects of moving parents to assisted living communities is having to deal with getting rid of all their stuff.
I think you need to count your blessings and immediately being helping them make arrangements. If they are still healthy and active, they can move into the furnished apartments. Later, when they need a higher level of care, it will be an easy transition. The status quo is VERY, VERY weird. You should not let it continue, and you should not "fix" it by getting them furniture that will only have to be sold off again when they do need to make the move. |
Anonymous
|
This is OP. They have some furniture, like a bed and dresser in their bedroom, but nothing like sofas for the living room. My parents moved into this house a couple years ago and have been getting the Slowest Renovation Ever. They brought over their sofa set from their old house, but according to my mom, the workers ruined it somehow, like maybe left it in the backyard and it got rained on? Not sure. Then there was some "misunderstanding" where the head contractor took their whole dining set (they were going to donate it, anyway) and they were too embarrassed to ask for it back. My parents do like furniture (haha, that made me chuckle), but my mom says they haven't been able to take care of one thing that will cause a lot of dust and she doesn't want to buy any furniture until it's done. Which at this rate, I'm keeping fingers crossed it'll happen before Christmas...
I don't want to stay in a hotel and looking at IKEA prices, it'll actually be cheaper for me to buy them an IKEA sofa, a couple easy chairs and rugs than to stay in one. Not sure how to deal with the echo, though, their ceilings are really high. 
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Anonymous
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OP, if your parents have been this slow about the renovation, what makes you think they will willingly accept your selections of furniture? They seem to suffer from decision paralysis.
Also, they don't seem to be able to mange/handle contractors. I wonder how much $$$ they've given contractors that are "ruining" or "taking" furniture through "misunderstandings"? I know you want advice about your upcoming visit, but I really think you need to look at the big picture here. Everything you are describing is highly odd. I think you need to ask yourself if it's appropriate for your parents to be living on their own in a house. |
Anonymous
| Camp chairs. |
Anonymous
|
Ask before buying anything as they may not want it. If they just dnot want you spending money, tell them you won a $500 gift card to ikea or something and have no use for it so you'd love them to.
If that doesn't work, consider a hotel. ILs buy everything (EVERYthing ) at garage sales. Their home is not comfortable or clean. It's not set up for guests even though they think it is. A hotel is a better choice. Don't judge based on decor (or lack thereof) but rather on safety and comfort. |
Anonymous
| This sounds really weird. Like reverse hoarding. |