Manic: How fast our kids grow and how their tastes and style change just as fast resulting in our daughter asking for a new bed to suit her new style. My initial reaction was no way as her current bed was only a couple of years old and I didn’t want to spend money on something that she didn’t really need. However her trundle bed was starting to fall apart.
Managed: Explained to her that our family is on a budget and that there is a difference between needs and wants, so she took it upon herself to do some research. She impressed us when she found a bed (that is super cool) for only $119 and it is brand new! Read on to get the great details…
First she did her research and spent some time surfing the web. She visited the Pottery Barn Teen site, but she knew that there was no way that we were going to spend that kind of money on a new bed. So she got ideas from that site. That a girl…champagne tastes on a beer budget. I love that!
So after she decided that she likes loft beds, she continued to look online and in catalogs. She then asked if we could schedule some time to visit IKEA. I like going to IKEA for the exercise. The place is huge and you end up walking for a couple of hours. I also appreciated that she asked to make some time for our store visit. She is also learning the value of time in today’s busy world.
We didn’t go there intending to buy a bed, but rather to get ideas that we would work on this summer. Since my girl had done research and price comparisons, she was thrilled to find a loft bed that sells for $119 and I was pleased to see that she understood the value of a dollar and the importance of researching what you want and setting a budget. So we bought the bed and we have all been thrilled with the extra space it gives her in her bedroom. 
We were able to keep the price down by not purchasing a mattress. We used her previous mattress. She also declined the optional desk that can be purchased for extra and placed under the loft bed. This is how we kept the price at $119.
We did decide to go back to IKEA to purchase a small love seat (that folds out into a bed) for a cozy sitting area underneath her bed and it has worked well. 
That sells for $149, so the price is right, but a recent sleep over friend told us that it isn’t very soft. So we will put a sleeping bag over it for the next sleepover.
When it came time to set up her new bed, we had the issue of what to do with her old one. We have donated a lot of furniture in the past, but we decided to sell this time so she could learn about buying and selling. I’m thrilled to tell you about the awesome company we found that buys furniture. Established Buyers has been in the business of buying used furniture since 1958 and I was impressed with how they do business. I emailed a picture of my daughter’s bed and Erick called me back within 20 minutes of the email.
This was her old bed. I still loved it, but she wanted change and more space.
Plus he worked around my busy schedule and came over to buy her old bed on a weeknight at 7pm. I was thrilled. He paid me $75 for her bed, which was fair, because we kept one of the mattresses (it was a trundle) and it had some pieces that were coming apart. While he was here, he took a look at another piece of furniture that I wanted to get rid of, so he ended up giving me a check for $125 for both pieces. That worked for me. I highly recommend Erick and Established Buyers if you are looking to sell used furniture, appliances and more.
So my girl learned about wants versus needs, budgeting, shopping around, buying and selling and I like how much space she has in her room with her new bed. Do you like it?
No compensation or free products were provided by IKEA. All research was done 100% and independently by our daughter and Mom and Dad paid for the new bed.
