Sensible Buys: Couches

The first months of being engaged I think it hit me: We can't get married! We literally don't have ANYTHING and definitely not a lot of money to buy what all needs to go into a house! I panicked. And then I opened up a savings account (this was probably the smartest thing I have ever done) and I started to put away a little money at a time. If you're engaged out there, do this. You'll be happy you did.

Anyways, it's for this reason (panicky brides or even new homeowners) that I'm going to start posting about "Sensible Buys". This is a new... i guess 'feature' you could say, to help others out there that are in the same position we are :-)  This is not to say that we are amazing at smart buying and maybe some of the things we post you could find cheaper elsewhere- awesome- please share!

So Post #1... Our Couch

When searching for couches, I knew I wanted a sectional and I knew I wanted something traditional. Quite honestly I wanted this Pottery Barn couch...

Sigh... $3300 was definitely not in our budget. And I could see our future rug rats staining and tearing this couch up.

That's when we checked out Ikea... and though Ikea has some great deals and maybe even some great couches, we decided we wanted quality for the money we were spending and the sectional selection at Ikea was a little less than comfortable.

Then Isaac's parents suggested American

They have deals all the time, and this particular time they had "for every $600 you spend, you get $300 worth of furniture free".  And although they didn't have a Pottery Barn look alike, they had this one...

It is dark, so I'm not worried about stains or spills, and it's super comfortable, AND right in our price range. Since we spent $1200, we got $600 in furniture, which we spent on a reclaimed wood coffee table...that i LOVE.

This picture shows it a little light- ours is a little darker (as seen in the picture above).

So there you have it; a sectional and coffee table for under $1200.

Tips:

• Do some research so you know what you're looking for, and so you know what is and isn't a good deal for the specific kind of couch you're looking for
• Don't be too concern with the pillows or accessories that the couch may come with; these things can be switched out easily
• Check for specials going on or deals they're advertising at local stores
• Look for stores that have free delivery
• And check out stores you wouldn't normally think to check. They may surprise you!