Surprise Sofa Sale

By Staff

The same day I posted my ideas for a debt repayment rewards system we stumbled on a successful garage sale in our neighborhood with an sofa sale offer that was too good to refuse. For the last several months we’ve been casually keeping an eye out for a new (used) sofa. Nothing elaborate, but something in better condition than the hand-me-down sofa we inherited after a family member moved several years ago.

Hard to turn down a free piece of furniture, particularly when you are just starting out, but our family has outgrown the three small seats on that old couch. When we got it a few years back one of the legs was broken, so I propped up one end with a few pieces of wood. Over time, the stress on the remaining three legs began to take its toll, and I found myself turning it over and adjusting the legs on a weekly basis.

Two weeks ago, we discussed saving for a new sofa as a reward for paying off all but one credit card. At the time we decided we would save and pay cash for a new sofa and loveseat, or sectional, to increase seating space on the occasion family or friends dropped by.

Simmons Paris Wine Leather Sofa Overstock.com

Then it happened. We rounded the corner Saturday morning and saw a sign “For Sale: Sofa and Loveseat.” Across the street was a large yard sale, and I suspected the owners of the sofa were hoping to piggyback on the attention it drew. In our case, it worked!

In the driveway we saw two wine-colored pieces (I’m not good at describing colors, but it looks very much like the one shown above) – a reclining leather sofa and loveseat. The owner told us one of the reclining sections was broken and “would not stay in.” Fine with us; I’d figure out a way to “lock” it in the closed position. We could live without one seat reclining for a good price.

We offered $50 less than the asking price and it was ours. After some struggle getting the pieces in my van, and out at our house, we managed to get everything in place, and the old sofa out. We’ll probably offer it to a family member, and if they aren’t interested, we’ll donate it to a local shelter or Goodwill. With a little work the legs could be repaired or replaced and it might suit a smaller family, or single person, just fine.

After making a relatively large purchase I tend to suffer from buyer’s remorse. Before I could even sit on the new sofa I started thinking I had made a mistake. Had I fallen for the trap of an impulse purchase? Couldn’t our old sofa last a little longer? Should we have waited until we were completely debt free? But then I reminded myself of the positive aspects of our purchase.

  • We paid for the sofa and loveseat with cash (unlike our bedroom furniture purchase a few years ago).
  • We bought it used and saved several hundred dollars off the price of new, retail furniture.
  • Though there was some spontaneity to our purchase, it was something we had decided we would like to buy for a long, long time.

My wife and I both agreed that this was not a purchase to lament. We should be proud of our purchase because we finally did it the right way. We could make the argument that it was a little too soon, but sometimes you have to take advantage of these types of deals and make adjustments accordingly. With our schedules compressed we’ve decided to postpone a mini-vacation until the Fall, leaving us plenty of room to save up for the trip.

Between now and then we’ll enjoy more comfortable seating. In fact, I’m off to renew a Sunday afternoon tradition – time to catch a quick nap. I’m getting in shape for football season!