Should You Buy That?
I recently bought my very first couch. And then, after about eight months, I got rid of that couch and bought my second couch.
When I bought the first couch, all I knew was I didn’t want it to be a bland neutral (which ruled out almost everything on Craigslist), and I had a budget of $500. What I ended up with was impossible to clean, just slightly too big to adequately fit on the rug I already had, uncomfortable, and ended up breaking after just a few months of use. I couldn’t even reupholster it or make it more comfortable because of the way it was put together.
My new couch is made of real wood; the cushions are removable as are the covers for easy cleaning, and I could reupholster it in the future if I want to; it first perfectly on my rug and is comfortable enough to sit on for hours as well as sleep on. And it cost $500, including delivery.
Before I could receive the new couch, however, I had to find something to do with the old one. Because it was broken, I simply didn’t feel comfortable even attempting to donate it, nor was it likely to even make it to the sales floor. And I don’t live in a place like New York where I can leave it on the street and hope someone snatches it up. So, I had to research. Eventually, I found a company that not only would come get my old couch for a fee, but that was also committed to repurposing, recycling, and responsibly disposing of furniture. Of course, with the fee, the cost of the original couch and the cost of the new one, I’d now spent more than twice my original budget. Therein lies the lesson.
I had settled the first time. But why? I didn’t mention it but, my boyfriend brought a couch with him when we moved in together. It’s a very hard-to-describe shade of tan, and a bit small for the both of us, but it’s not like we had nowhere to sit. But I just really wanted a new couch right now! I wanted one so badly that I wasted hundreds of dollars on something that was just barely “good enough” just so I could have one, when what I wanted was clearly out there and within my budget, I just needed to take the time to look a little harder, as well as keep my actual needs in mind, rather than just look for something that looked “okay”.
Obviously, I just can’t help but relate this to shopping for clothing.