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Which would you buy if you were on a budget?

17 years ago

I'm trying to help my daughter pick out a new dining room table. She has a budget of around $1,000 or so. She could probably spend more, but newly married and living in California where homes that are kind of dumpy cost more than a million, her priority is saving up to buy a house.

Her choices are:

1. A new set from a discount furniture store (near downtown LA in the not so great areas you can get some real discounts).

These sets are all from China, but they give great deals. Of course the quality isn't what I'm used to.

2. Getting something second hand like through an estate sale or Craig's list. It seems like furniture depreciates quite a bit.

This won't be her last set, she is pairing it up with a DR hutch (circa 1950s or earlier) left to her by my aunt (mahogony).

I am leaning towards advising her to pick up something second hand. I've gotten some unbelievable deals through the years. The new stuff looks pretty nice but I don't know how it will hold up.

I'm just curious --which one would you chose?

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Comments (8)

mes444
17 years ago
I think your suggestion for her to get second hand is good. Craigslist has some really nice things for excellent prices and the newer cheaper furniture usually is poorly made in comparison. And as it will be wood, it is easily cleaned and renewed.
ossienyc
17 years ago
I would go second hand as well although I don't like heavy furniture and up until about ten years ago, dr furniture tended to be very heavy.
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shappy
Original Author
17 years ago
Have you seen some of the new heavy dining room chairs? We went to a Sears New Life furn store and the weight of some of the chairs was unreal.
lazy_gardens
17 years ago
Definitely second-hand!

You can get really good stuff for a lot less money.
joyjo
17 years ago
I bought my dining room set at an estate sale and would do the same today if I needed one. Many sets haven't been used heavily and may only need the chair cushions recovered to look like a new set.
mcgillicuddy
17 years ago
Definitely go secondhand.

I could buy new, but I've bought all my dining room furniture through eBay and Craigslist.

People are constantly buying and purging, so I was able to get a 6-month-old Crate & Barrel table for less than half its original price. I also got six matching Pottery Barn chairs for about 1/4 of their original price, and they were barely used.

You can set up a search in eBay and get e-mails whenever a new item matching your search is listed. Just indicate in your search that you want items you can pick up in your local area, so you don't pay for shipping.

I also check Craigslist daily, just because!

I guess "the hunt" is part of the fun :)
quiltglo
17 years ago
I would definately buy second hand. I haven't even seen anything I would want new, and the price isn't a problem. I just think most of the things made now are junk. I love 50's stuff and would probably frequent some estate sales to pick up something complementary.

Gloria
sue102
17 years ago
Second hand sounds like the best route. If she wants new, IKEA has a lot of tables and chairs that could be used until she can get something more substantial.
Sue

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