And by this, I do not mean shop for a house, but rather, shop for things that would be put in a house.
I've never lived alone in my life, and I have no idea what to get. I definitely need a bed and a mattress, but what makes a good mattress? I'm going to go to JC Penny today and hopefully pick one out, but I don't know what to look for.
The place already has a desk, couch, coffee table, tv stand, and a few glasses and dishes.
Oh, and do you guys know how long standard curtains are? The curtain rod in my bedroom is so high that I can't reach it. Which makes it over 7 feet high, I'd think. Am I going to have to get special curtains, or something?
But really. I have my own place!
-pH
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
"what makes a good mattress?"
Jump on it a few times and lay on it and see if it's comfortable. Other than that I have no advice. Good luck!
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Do you have a dresser? Or lots of clothes-hangers?
How about lamps? Is there sufficient lighting for you?
Another must-have for me is bookshelves. Or general-purpose storage sheves.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Free is what makes a good mattress for me. Having seen the price tags on a new mattress made me thankful that I have a 15 year old free one to sleep on.
And your curtains don't have to go down to the floor, do they? Mine are about 5'. Are you in New Orleans already?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I'm in New Orleans, in my brand new place. It has bookshelves built-in, and the huge, gigantic closets have dressers built into them as well. As for the lighting...it's good. I think I might want to buy one floor lamp though, maybe the kind that has a table attached to it or something.
The curtains don't HAVE to go all the way to the floor, but I think they'd look much better that way.
And I definitely need to buy a computer chair. I'm sitting on a box right now.
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I almost went there today with some friends from out of town. Weird.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
You should have. You could see my awesome place, with boxes and suitcases everywhere, and come bed shopping with me!
Do it!
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Too late, they're there and I'm in Lafayette.
We should throw you a housewarming party in a few weeks, though.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Curtains that reach the floor is a more formal look, shorter ones are more casual. Places like JC Penny will have long panels that wil be long enough for you, although you should really measure first. I got mine at Target, and I really like them.
If you have allergies or sensitivities at all and an Ikea nearby you should consider one of their beds. They are cheap and good for allergies. But it looks like the nearest one is Houston.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
Nothing is better then comming home to a warm meal. You put in some meat, carrots, potatoes and spice, turn it on and go to work, and you come back to something homemade with no effort.
It is good for beans, soups, and many other things. It is very cheap and requires no cooking skill to make a good meal. The best part is it does the cooking for you while you are away, so you don't need to use any energy for dinner.
CROCK POT
Posted by Rebekkah (Member # 9012) on :
When you buy a mattress, don't fall for the air chamber kind. They're nice at first because you think you have complete control with adjustable firmness. But after a while you realize it's all just varying degrees of ROCK HARD. And sometimes the hoses leak and you wake up in a big hole and think you must have been transported to The Money Pit. Get a nice soft pillow top that's within your price range (if you like soft, otherwise, skip the pillow top). I don't know if they have Room Stores in New Orleans, but they have them in Houston and they have affordable mattresses.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
May I just second the crockpot? Get a crockpot.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I definitely want a Crock Pot. My old roommate and I had one, and it definitely came in handy on the rare occasions that I had to do the cooking. *not domesticated*
I can't find anyplace around here that isn't a specialty store that has bedframes and mattresses. They're all only online. Which upsets me because I want to have it physically in front of me before I spend money on something that big.
So I didn't accomplish anything in Operation Domestic Shopping today. Maybe tomorrow. I definitely need something other than half a pizza in my fridge. Perhaps I should get a Wally World credit card of my own. Hmmmmm.
-pH
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Rebekkah: Get a nice soft pillow top that's within your price range (if you like soft, otherwise, skip the pillow top).
When I was mattress shopping, I found that pillow top mattresses were expensive. And I've been told by a couple of people who have them, that the top doesn't stay all that pillowy forever -- it kind of squooshes down with use.
Better is to get a moderate priced mattress and buy a mattress topper. I got this lovely 3" "Memory Foam" stuff that lays on top of my mattress and makes it super comfy. If my memory foam ever gets old and loses its memory (like senile dementia, I suppose), I can always just replace the topper and keep the mattress.
Other things that you will need, but not realize until you need them (from my experience)
A shower curtain (and rings to hang it with)
Sponges, soaps, paper towels, hand towels -- 'cause you may just want to wash your hands and shower before you are done unpacking.
A bubble level to make sure that the stuff you are hanging (like those curtains) are straight
Posted by Rebekkah (Member # 9012) on :
I love my pillow top. It's like laying on a cloud. But I like extra soft, and yeah, it was kind of expensive. I've had it for about 2 years and have not experienced the squoosh yet, I hope it's not coming up. In our guest room we also have a pillow top mattress that isn't quite as soft that was less than $300 (Queen). Maybe we lucked out and caught a good sale on it though.
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
I like our pillow top, but we've only had it about 4 years now. It seems to do just fine.
Clothes hangers are a must. And I've found the plastic ones don't procreate in your closet, unlike the metal ones, which create millions and millions of offspring.
A lot of home improvement stores carry different types of curtains, too.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Oh! And toilet paper! When we moved in, we found that the old owners had packed their rolls when they moved out. So, almost right away, we needed toilet paper, soap and towels.
And if the former owners are super-stingy, they might just take all the lightbulbs with them, too! So, you might need that, come nightfall.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I've got two rolls of toilet paper, and all the lightbulbs so far are okay.
Do you guys know of some kind of vaccuum...only the bedroom is carpeted right now, so that's not much of an issue, but I need a vaccuum with some kind of attachment that will let me vaccuum the dust out of the air conditioner. Wet paper towels aren't cutting it, and I'm sniffly now.
-pH
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Do you have access to a sewing machine? Simple panel curtains are extremely easy to make and you can make them the exact length you need.
Edit: they'll also be lots cheaper, you can make them out of inexpensive fabric, even bedsheets.
I think I have an allergy to retail curtain prices. My lord, they are expensive!
[ January 09, 2006, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: Belle ]
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
pH, if you aren't picky about your vaccuum, you can get nice cheap ones at wally world, and they come with lots of little attachments. Several of my families seem convinced buying a "Dyson" is the only way to go, but I can't see dropping that kind of cash on something that sucks...
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
smitty.
I really am not picky about the vaccuum, beyond that I would like it to be bagless and able to clean in between the air conditioner's...slat...things.
As for curtains...there are some in there right now, and one of my friends said they're probably custom-made. But the color probably wouldn't match anything that I chose for my bedroom. They're sort of a dark plum/burgandy color. But it's not really an emergency. I don't have a sewing machine, though. I know how to sew, but I suspect that sewing large curtains would be a hassle by hand.
-pH
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
We got a bagless that has attachments that would work on AC slats for a little over $50 at Wally. Bagless is the only way to go... only don't try to suck out blown insulation with one of those. It doesn't work.
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CROCK POT
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Maybe tomorrow. I definitely need something other than half a pizza in my fridge. Perhaps I should get a Wally World credit card of my own. Hmmmmm.![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
smitty.