I have been obsessed with couch shopping lately even though we don’t have the money right this second. Both sets of couches in our house were given to us and for that we are SO grateful. However, that means we didn’t get to pick our couches and they aren’t the most pet friendly. The one in the family room (where the dogs live) is blue plaid and it has this semi-loose weaving. The dog hair just like weaves into the fabric. I can sit there for 20 minutes vacuuming, using a pet hair roller, etc and it still won’t get it all off. I’ve literally resorted to laying a blanket over it before I sit down because it grosses me out.
For the record, I don’t LET my dogs on the couch solely because there are 4 of them and their hair is out-of-control as it is. I polled my facebook friends with pets and heard a lot of good things about microsuede. I did a little research online and saw that it’s pretty easy to get stains out of too. So we’re definitely considering that. Or if we can’t find a micro-suede we like we’re considering a slip-covered couch (I’d rather not, I’d wash it like twice a week.) or a vinyl couch.
There’s another problem with couch shopping, now that we’ve figured out what kind. Color. Our floors are dark, dark brown. Our walls are light brown. I don’t want anything that’s going to blend in with the floor OR the walls so we’re pretty much stuck with a light color, like a beige. Which I personally am fine with and love, but such a light color couch around this house scares me.
Also — sectionals. Not cheap. For now I’m just going to dream about a nice new, clean, amazing sectional… that’s under $1,000.
P.S. Costco.com has a $25,000 livingroom set. Who really spends that kind of money on a living room set.? No offense to those of you apparently rolling in money.
The white couches with slip covers. Yeah, that might be a little crazy. Sure, they have slip covers, but did I forget I have FOUR dogs and THREE cats? Terrible Idea. The faux leather + microfiber couch is priced pretty good, but that also may be the reason I swear everyone has that couch. Plus, I’m not kidding, our floors are the color of the faux leather and our walls are the color of the microfiber cushions.
Then I got to thinking. Do I want to spend $800 on something that has the possibility of being ruined in a couple of years even if we do pick something we THINK will work best. Best doesn’t mean it’ll survive our crazy house. We don’t ever anticipate having this many pets again, but we’re in this situation (we love them, I swear) for a few more years. So maybe the best idea is to get a couch in good condition from craigslist. Honestly, couches from craigslist kind of freak me out. But if we could get one that’s still clean and relatively new, that either has a slip cover or is microsuede like we’re looking for anyway, I could clean any stains, right?
Now I’m thinking stalking craigslist for a few months to find the perfect “I just bought this couch a year ago for $1200, I have no kids or pets, but I’m moving and I’ll sell it to you for $500” situation might be the best bet.
Have any advice for me? Do you just suck it up and shell out the cash for the couch you want? Do you go thrift store hopping and rent a rug doctor on the way home? I want to hear your opinions!
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