Question

[hummingwolf]

I'm thinking about buying a new mattress (for a twin bed), but it's been a long time since I even looked at mattresses. Does anyone have any purchasing advice for me?

Note: Though I do have enough money at the moment to think about buying a mattress, I most emphatically do not have enough to money to consider buying an expensive mattress. So money-saving tips would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

I've heard good things about IKEA mattresses, if you have a store within reach..

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you for mentioning them! There is an IKEA store not unreasonably far away--and if their website is a reliable guide, their mattress prices are remarkably sane.

[dcjensen.livejournal.com]

Most of the places like Salvation Army and Goodwill will only accept new, unused mattresses nowadays.

A lot of them come from overstock/last years stock from local mattress stores.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool. I'll keep that in mind, too!

[orthaevelve.livejournal.com]

I too recommend IKEA. I've had no complaints about their quality, and I used one for almost 15 years before replacing it, and that was only because I got a bigger bed.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the input. That's good to know!

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

I realized that I could not afford a new mattress that provided what I needed, so I actually invested in a memory-foam mattress topper, instead. (I need contoured support, rather than simply 'firm' support.)

It really depends on what works best for you, as far as the-best-place-to-put-your-money goes.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

I suspect that a mattress topper alone wouldn't help much. This mattress is in really bad shape by now (it tries to turn me into a pretzel).

[coffeegrace.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're not opposed to a used mattress you might want to check your local freecycle group (a yahoo group where people offer stuff they no longer need). I've seen a couple beds up for grabs on my area's freecycle recently.

Although, I can understand if you are opposed to a used mattress. In which case, Ikea is probably the best bet. :-)

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that as long as the price isn't too high, a new mattress would be a better choice. It's going to be a hassle getting it into my room and onto my bed, anyway, so it may as well be worth it.

It'll probably be a few months before I do anything about this idea, anyway. But I do appreciate everyone's ideas!

buying a new mattress

[(Anonymous)]

I sold mattresses for l0 years recently. Make sure you buy a set. If what you have feels bad it is possibly because the box spring has failed. You should spend at least $500 for the set. If you dont have that much, wait until you do or you'll be throwing your money away. Buy a brand name like Serta, Simmons etc. I dont know anything about IKEA mattresses. Make sure you get at least 500 coils in the mattress. A memory foam set in this price range will be poor quality.
Make sure it is from a reputable store. Dont buy out of your local paper advertised "still in the plastic" or "will deliver". Some of these dealers are unscrupulous and actually recover old sets. You can get some mattresses at Sams or Costco but they are the lower end of what the manufacturer offers. If you see a sale that offers the box spring for $l.00 the mattress price has been jacked up to cover the cost of the box. Normally whatever you pay for a set, 70% of the total is the value of the mattress and 30% covers the box spring.
Good luck.

Re: buying a new mattress

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the advice, anonymous person!

[rhiannasilel.livejournal.com]

Odin's father just bought a new mattress at a store in Gaithersburg for $79. It seems pretty solid (he says it's the best mattress he's ever had) and they even tied it to the roof of my car for us. It's a smaller family owned business, thus the cheaper price and better service.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Cool! I'll have to see if there are any small businesses like that closer to home.