Replacing old stuff

I came home from golf the other day, and there was a brand-new garden hose sitting idly on the front porch. Hmmm, I thought, I wonder what that’s all about.

Then I looked to the side of the driveway and spotted one of the bladders to our waterbed. Oh, this can’t be good, I said to myself.

It seems Dale woke up with a wet butt, assumed it was a leak in the waterbed and didn’t tell me, because he didn’t want to mess up my golf plans. What a guy! He drained the leaky bladder and managed to drag it downstairs, although he said it was quite the ordeal.

We’ve been talking about replacing the waterbed for a couple of years now. No time like the present. I tend to research and overthink everything, and I did not want to go that route this time around. Our guest room has a nice Beautyrest mattress we both tested to our satisfaction, so that’s what we went with for the master. While making the purchase, we had to decide between standard height box springs or low profile. Standard sounded good to us.

The bed is fantastic, but we didn’t realize standard box springs are nine inches thick. No big deal, except the bed is kind of up there now. At first, I didn’t like the looks of it, but I actually prefer getting in and out of the higher bed. It’s easier on my back.

However, our nightstands are hobbit-sized. It’s weird to reach over for something, and the reading light needs to be raised. A book on the floor is unreachable. Dale decided he likes the higher bed as well, so we’re looking at other solutions. I’ve been eying up bedside caddies that hold books, electronic devices and such.

Taller nightstands are probably going to happen as well. Ours are more than 30 years old and not in the best of shape. I looked online and can pretty easily get what we need, but I don’t want a wobbly nightstand and have been wondering if we should buy something from an actual furniture store, assuming they still exist.

The question, dear reader, is about quality. We hang onto everything as long as we possibly can and only replace when we absolutely have to. Some of our older furniture is well-made and has been hanging around more than 40 years … old and beat up, but hanging tough. Sounds like us!

We also have a few unique pieces bordering on junk that have lasted just as long. So, who knows? More recent additions are internet purchases from discount places – mostly shelves and stools. Quality varies, but it’s relatively cheap stuff, and we like it just fine.

However, we have been known to drop money on fancy kitchen essentials … pots, pans, knives. But that’s because we are passionate about cooking. We also enjoy our Ekornes Stressless chairs, which are outrageously expensive and worth every penny. Because we are passionate about sitting comfortably every single day.

For us, this isn’t about style or status. It’s more of a philosophical question. Does quality even exist anymore? Is it worth paying for? Always or just sometimes? Is cheap ever good enough?

It’s rather macabre, but I think about our mortality. As my 85-year-old golf buddy jokes, he doesn’t even buy green bananas anymore. Do your priorities change when you realize this thing might outlive you?

Our stuff will go to an estate sale when we die, and charities and/or surviving family members will inherit our assets. I don’t see the point in spending big bucks on a nightstand.

I’m thinking cheap but sturdy, serviceable and not hideous. Doable or easier said than done?

23 thoughts on “Replacing old stuff”

  1. I buy all my furniture at antique stores. I wait until I see what I want. There is a store in town that has a lot of mid-century American and Scandinavian items.

    In my humble opinion, all new furniture sucks, with some exceptions if you really are on the watch. Old stuff is made out of actual wood with fine joinery.

    You could never pry my Ekhornes Stressless chairs from me!

    1. I never thought of that, but it’s a great idea. I’ll have to see what stores are nearby.

  2. Great post! I can totally relate. My solution was to check out the local consignment/resale shops. A lot of quality pre-loved pieces at great prices. Sweet dreams in the new bed!

    1. I’ve actually been to a furniture consignment store, and I’m thinking they might have just the thing. Thanks for the idea!

  3. Thrift stores, second-hand stores, yard sales or even cruising the streets on garbage day…I’ll bet you find better quality there than in a furniture store. They might be dinged up and not matchy-matchy, but perhaps you will be inspired to wood burn and paint them into magnificence?
    Another thought – if you are able and have the room – I have a high bed also, and the tops of my dressers placed on either side of the bed make beautiful and perfect nightstands.

    Deb

    1. Dinged up and not matchy matchy is right up my alley! My dresser would be the perfect height, but it doesn’t fit. Good try.

      1. I don’t know if you are on social media, but Facebook Marketplace is a great resource for finding this kind of thing. Lots of people are using FM to sell their stuff. I recently bought a daybed from someone via this platform. It’s the new garage sale!

        Deb

        1. I’m not on FB, but a lot of people who read this probably are, so thanks for sharing this idea with everyone! We had some old bar stools we were going to donate, but the thrift shop was closed. Then I remembered our neighborhood was hosting a community garage sale, so I put them out with a sign that said, “Free.” They were gone in five minutes.

  4. We have several really good consignment shops in our small town including two run by animal shelter organizations which get donations, and, the Habitat for Humanity store, which gets donations. Although we furnished the living room and second bedroom from a local furniture store, we picked up some very nice pieces at the consignment stores for great prices, to fill in the rest. We had more fun doing that than shopping at the furniture stores. It was like a treasure hunt. I was sorry when we ran out of things we needed to buy.

    And we too, spent the bucks on two Ekornes chairs for the den. We did due diligence and drove down to Albuquerque to every furniture store there, trying every kind of chair, but with my back/leg issue, the only chair that completely supported my back was an Ekornes chair. We wouldn’t be without them.

    We are in our early 70s and yes, we spent $40K last year completely re-doing our front courtyard and large backyard, which are now beautiful, because we are outdoor people and figure (or hope) to be in this house for at least 10 more years. I love every single moment that I spend in those two oases. That every piece of original art that we have bought, including a modern piece, is a landscape, kind of tells you what is important to us. Are there things inside that can be improved? Yes. We occasionally visit those issues but we also have to feel that to make any improvements inside will bring us enough pleasure during our remaining time, to spend the money on it. Whether you go quality or “good enough,” as long as you like how your new bed stands look and work for you, that’s all that matters.

    1. I’m definitely going to start looking through the consignment and used furniture places.

      I like your approach to spending money on what gives you pleasure. Maybe that’s the secret. We’re trying to get some work done on the yard, but it’s slow going with the contractors.

      1. We got lucky with an imaginative landscape guy and his crew who created, on the fly, with our input, amazing makeovers to our yard. Started at $30K but my husband and I kept adding more to it as it evolved. Worth every penny spent. We, on the other hand, have had terrible luck with contractors for the house improvements so we keep putting off more indoor things, dreading the process.

  5. Hi, Donna – I completely agree with your plan to go with cheap, sturdy, serviceable and not hideous nightstands. I believe this should be very easy to accomplish at second-hand stores, estate sales or newspaper ads. Keep us posted, I’d love to see what you choose.

    1. I really hate the shopping part, but I’m going to try to reframe it as an adventure.

  6. I concur with Deb & Nancy – something second hand that you can apply your touch to. You might also consider a non-traditional bedside stand. I use a 5-shelf ladder stand with the middle shelf at just the right height. The smaller shelves at the top hold a small light and decor while the bottom shelves hold books. It’s been a number of years since the water bed was traded for a traditional mattress, a decision I don’t regret. I know what it’s like to wake up thinking you’ve wet the bed and then wishing you had when you discover the leak in the other bladder!!

    1. I enjoyed your story about the other bladder! Too true. We’ve had multiple waterbeds over the years and liked them a lot, but after our last move, we couldn’t get it filled properly, so it was uncomfortable. The traditional mattress is great. Easier to make the bed, too.

  7. I’ve never thought about shopping at second hand stores for furniture, but I’m not opposed to it. I don’t know that we have many around here. We do have antique stores, but antiques have never appealed to me. I agree that furniture today is not meant to last. It’s really pretty sad. It’s like that with appliances. But I do still like to find quality stuff that lasts, even if I have to pay a little more. Good luck finding what you need!!

    1. I looked at a furniture consignment store today and didn’t see anything. I don’t want to make a full-time job out of this, so we’ll see. I did go to Target and bought a little bed tray with legs that raises up to the right height. It actually looks OK to me, and at least it’s functional and gives me more time to find a permanent solution.

  8. When it comes to non upholstered furniture I first look at antique stores, good quality thrift stores and Amazon marketplace. I’m looking at an entry table this evening. I imagine you’ll live being up higher. If you’re a bit short it can make getting dressed sitting on the edge s bit dicier but other than that fantastic

    1. We’ve both decided we like the higher bed. You just kind of roll off. We have another bench for sitting down to tie shoes, etc. You’re right, the bed would be too high for that.

  9. I love the thrill of the hunt in thrift stores,furniture consignment stores, and Craigslist. I bought the bed frame with built in bookshelves for our guest room, for $60 on Craigslist. The nightstand is a $25 purchase from a used furniture store.. it is unique and sturdy. The lamp is also a unique piece I picked up for ten bucks. I love resale! For now, if your lamps are too low, make a stack of books and put the lamp on top of ther books to bring it up to where you need it.. till you get your new nightstands.

    When we downsized I had to sell some larger furniture and I bought two living room end tables on Craigslist for pretty cheap— thinking I would replace them with something “better” down the road.. but it’s going on 10 years now! I like them!

    1. I wish I loved the hunt. I was going to use your book idea but found inexpensive bed trays that fit perfectly on the nightstand and raise it to the right height. As you said, it buys me time as I work myself up for the hunt!

  10. I found some unusual night stands on eBay a while back. Turns out they were part of a headboard from a fifties set. I saw them & knew they were exactly what I wanted. Fortunately they are great quality & absolutely perfect, as our journey to collect them was quite hellish (my car lost reverse gear when we were a long way from home). I still have them and they’re an ideal match for my high bed. My daughter still has the fifties German sideboard from a set I bought via the small ads when setting up my first home. All the pieces which didn’t fit have new homes & are still going strong & right on trend. Maybe add eBay & local freecycle/small ads to Deb’s suggestions?

    1. I hadn’t thought of eBay! Now that I have a temporary solution, I’m going to look around and see what’s out there.

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