Beds and mattress buying ideas

[Alison in KY]

Hi everyone, first another apology because I really don't spend near as much time here as I would like...I used to be addicted and then I found a cure, but now I just don't seem to have the time :). Okay, whining and an apology is over.

Now, I'm just wondering where you go to buy beds, bedroom furniture, and mattress for your kids on a limited income? I prefer new; I really don't want a used mattress and can't seem to find the right used beds.

I priced a mattress I liked for all 3 kids, but it would be 1200 to just get the mattress and springs. I really also want to get them real beds instead of just a frame...

We currently have a 9 and 7 yr old boy and girl sleeping together in a full bed which the mattress is way sagging, and a 5 yr old still in bed with me (although I'm really going to miss her, my dh won't so much).

I'd like to get them all set up with beds, mattress, and maybe even functional dressers, shelves, etc. Right now we aren't very stylish...way opposite, but it's also just not functional. We dont' have a real spot for toys or even clothes. I have two bedrooms that I plan on painting and buying for, with both girls in the bigger room and my son in the other. I know this will take quite awhile to do, since I'm going to be paying a little bit at a time...but I'd like to get them into something decent yet affordable. I definitely can't do high dollar, but I don't want the furniture breaking down until they are hopefully grown. And bunk beds are ruled out by dh...by reason of safety statistics.

Oh, also, I can't decide if I should buy twin beds or go ahead and buy twin XL beds...since I'm hoping they will have the same bed through the time they turn 18? But I looked around and I really couldn't find and XL twin bed, just the mattress, so I didn't know how that works.

Please help...also if anyone has any mattress suggestions, please let me know.

Thank you so much.

Alison in KY

[Marie in Oh]

of very sturdy birch bunk beds at Cosco.com for a very reasobable price. They are great and we plan to get another set of the same when our baby is ready to be out of the crib. We got the mattresses at the Original Matress Factory-- the high end ones were only 120.00 each. With the biunk beds, you don't need a box spring so it is more economical. I think the bunk beds were 600.00-- I think they were the McKinsey (not sure about spelling) style. I think they have sigle beds in this same line-- the bunk beds do come apart if you don't want to bunk them. We couldn't have been happier with the quality.

[KH_]

Well, we got our kids' mattresses and box springs at Sams Club - each piece was under $100, and I think the box springs were less than the mattresses. We just went with regular sized twin. Ds' bed has a solid piece of wood under the mattress, so he just has a mattress and no box springs.

I got dd's bed from JC Penney online - I don't remember if there was a deal on shipping or what, but it is white with carved flowers in the head and footboard and was $150. Ds wanted one from Walmart with drawers underneath and a bookcase type headboard and it was under $150. I don't know if they'll hold up til their grown (and even if they do, I'm not sure that my kids won't decide they want something different as teens - and then they'll probably be responsible for helping pay for whatever they want.)

Their dressers are used - I repainted dd's which used to be olive green, but we also have some nice, antique dressers for when they get a little older that we got from an estate sale very reasonably.

[Ferdie]

For the furniture you can save a lot of money buying second hand. Check to see if there are consigment stores in your area. Usually the owner will have a customer wish list. Also don't completely rule out bunk beds because many of them will come apart and make two nice beds with head board and foot board. There is also a website called Craiglist that has second hand items by area and I see a lot of kids furniture and desks on there.

For brand new furniture you might want to check out Ikea, Costco or Sam's Club. Also do you have any box furniture store near you like Ashleys or Rooms to Go. They run sales around holidays.

Another option is to make your own fabric covered headboards. They are super easy and there are directions all over the internet. You need someone to cut plywood for you, then you staple gun padding and fabric on top. The headboard can be attched to the bed frame or wedged between the wall and bed. They are great for reading in bed and more comfortable to lean against then a wood frame. The other big advantage is that your dresser won't have to match so you can hunt around for a bargain for the dresser and bookcases.

Good luck!

[OnTheBrink]

Don't rule out furniture stores. They often have clearance corners and they might haggle with you if they need to get the pieces out of their store. You can ask about scratch and dent items, too. We once got a $1200 fridge for $800 because it was a discontinued model and they only had 2 left and needed the space for newer models. So, it pays to ask sometimes.

[Claire]

I really like Ikea for bedsteads and dressers. They have worked well for us and are relatively inexpensive. Their mattresses aren't ones I would buy. For children, I would go to a local place that sells mis-matched bedsprings and mattresses and buy just a good-quality mattress there (no box springs), or buy mattresses at Sam's Club. We have placed just a mattress in each of our Ikea beds and that has worked well for us. Without the box springs, you can spend a little more on the mattress for better quality. I have heard that mattresses don't last as long without box springs, but so far we haven't noticed any degradation (over 3 years). Plus, children don't have a lot of weight so I would think they tend not to wear out a mattress as fast.

[mcconnellboys]

Sam's Club here in Lexington generally has decent things at decent prices.

Regena