After living in my office for two months last year, sleeping on a camping pad, I was pretty stoked about getting a real bed in a real apartment late last summer. I picked up a cheap used mattress off craigslist for $30. It was like heaven….except for the fact it’s just a twin (72″ long) and I’m a hair over 72″ tall. Not exactly the best combo, but hey, I’m broke and it was better than the office floor.
Well, It’s been 8 months now, and I don’t think I’ve had more than a night or two of good sleep on that piece of junk mattress!
My beef with the $30 mattress
The main issue is that it’s just too small. I have to curl up slightly unnaturally, or prop my pillows awkwardly against the wall so that my feet don’t hang over (I can’t sleep without my feet supported. Maybe it’s just me).
The secondary issue is that it’s just a really crappy mattress. I never feel refreshed, even when I get a good 10 hours!
Mattress An “Investment”? phhhhpt….
So, this begs the question. Should I look for another mattress? Can a mattress really be considered an “investment”? I had a friend that “invested in” a tempurpedic mattress. I almost wet my pants when he said invested.
Sure you can “invest” in lots of things: relationships, non-profits, your dog. etc etc.
But a mattress? Really? I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I like “investments” that throw off cash. You know, money in the bank stuff.
Dad says go for it
I talked to my Dad about this actually and he seemed to learn towards me getting one. Bear in mind, this would all be my personal money. It would require me not to save any money this month, and maybe next month. I would still of course be sending my payments to my mother.
I can totally keep gutting it out with my current mattress. I’ve done it for 8 months, I can go a little longer. I’m just curious if “investing” (oh my gosh, I’m such a hypocrite) in a better mattress might be a good idea.
This would easily be the largest purchase I will have made (personally) since moving out of my office. I’m not taking it lightly. I looked at a SEALY $349 Full Extra Long (yes, they do apparently make full extra longs). What I’d really love to have though is this Queen Foam Mattress from Costco:
That one is on sale for $549. I actually used to have this mattress in my old house. I absolutely LOVED it. I had to sell it on craigslist for less than half that. : ( It’s actually one thing I sold that I actually miss.
What do you all think? Go for it? Can a mattress be an investment? Will I be 100% more productive? I’m so confused!
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
An investment? Well it’s a stretch, as your return isn’t financial. However, they say you do spend 1/3 of your life asleep. I think having a good mattress would be one of the most important things for your immediate well-being that you could buy. Mattresses and shoes are an area where spending some dough for comfort is a-ok in my book.
You “never feel refreshed?” BUY A NEW MATTRESS LIKE YESTERDAY! If I go more than a couple of days without feeling rested I can’t get anything done. I’m tried, cranky and have no desire to work. I can’t imagine how you must feel!
A good mattress is an absolute necessity! It doesn’t take much to interrupt your sleep and good quality sleep is SO important. Think of it as an investment in both your physical and mental health. If you’re well rested, getting high quality sleep you’ll perform much better at work, have less stress and just be more relaxed in general.
That being said, I would also recommend you look into the materials used in the mattress you’re considering. There are a lot of synthetic materials used in making mattress and in the finishing (flame retardants, etc). New mattresses off-gas formaldehyde, benzene and other wonderful pollutants. It sucks to think about spending eight hours a night snuggled up on a toxic bed of chemical soup. if you can’t find a chemical-free mattress you might look in to Craigslist and try and find one that’s off-gassed a bit. Just a suggestion from a paranoid, environmental nut! =)
Ohh, I just thought of something else. Figure out the cost of the mattress you’re interested in with tax and delivery and then calculate what it would cost you per day if you had it a few years. What’s ten cents a day for a good night’s sleep?
A good nights sleep can help so many things like your emotions, physical aches and pains, overall refreshed state, and just the feeling a good night’s sleep can bring. It would certainly be an investment that will last many years. I say go for it and start getting the rest you deserve so you can live the rest (pun intended) of your hours feeling good.
So far 3 to zero in favor of a immanent mattress purchase…well, I’m off to bed! ha ha
I can see the investment angle actually. Making a purchase which improves the quality of your life is an investment in you. Quality sleep is very important and a good mattress can last you years. Hey, it’s not like you are spending $550 on a drunken weekend.
Don’t forget, frugality is fine but it is also okay to spend money also.
I say yes, and go for the one that you used to have. If you’re spending that much money, you already know that it is going to be a good mattress, whereas the other one… it might feel good in the store, but who knows, might not work out for you in the end. Go with what you know.
I think this also brings us back to the old frugal vs. cheap question…. and I’d say you’re pretty close to the cheap side if you don’t get a new one – you’re suffering!
It comes down to if you can afford it or not. I wouldn’t blow two months of not saving on it. Sounds a bit harsh, but you are $250k in debt, right? If you’ve made it 8 months, how about turning it into a year? Set aside a bit each month ($549/4 = $137.25 per month) and buy it while also still building up your savings.
A comfortable bed is definitely important, don’t get me wrong. I am pro-getting a bed. Just not at the expense of debt repayment or continuing to build up savings.
I can see your reluctance to spend the money. On the other hand, this is not the first time you have complained about the mattress, so it must not be a simple flash-in-the-pan gripe. And since having a good night’s sleep can really make a difference in your attitude, outlook, and productivity, I’d say go for it. Yes, it is something of a luxury; but, on the other hand, having a simple roof over one’s head is a luxury to some people. If it’s messing with your brain to the detriment of your future, I say it’s something to fix.
By definition an investment would imply that there’s a return and potential risk. I don’t think this would be an investment but rather something that you know you’ll use it every day and the average person spends about a third of the life sleeping. I think you should actually do this but don’t call it an investment and don’t go deeper in debt. I like NDP’s plan but think you could scrape up the cash quicker than 4 months.
I also think once you got $400-450 together go try to haggle with the sales person and see if you can get a deal. Bring the money in $20s and you could even count it in front of him. Hope you know someone with a truck or a way to transport it home cheaply, unless you can get free delivery out of them.
That’s a good point, defibrillator – it could pay for itself in the long run with increased energy and productivity.
Kind of like me going 5K further into debt buying a new scooter. 70mpg can’t be beat.
The Vividus bed by Hastens ($60,000)…now THAT is an investment! http://www.hastens.com/en-us/Beds/Continental-beds/Vividus/
well, if good and deep sleep means anything to you, yes it is an investment!!!. I have a very good mattress and it cost me $1,300 USD, but hey! I will use it to the end of times!! (the ends of its time anyway, which is a pretty long time). Sleep is important to your body.
A mattress is an investment – a good night’s sleep is so important and contributes to your health and wellbeing. Without this, you can’t perform 100%.
You know the previous mattress worked and were happy with it. The other mattress is $200 less, however if it doesn’t work for you, then it is a sunk cost and a waste of the $$ spent. Prior to making a final decision for any mattress, go to the mattress store and try them out. Take off your shoes and lay on various mattresses and see what works best.
OK, I’ve been convinced. I’ll look at my budget and see when I can fit in the purchase. It might be within the next few weeks, yay!
Go for it. Your entire mental *and* physical health can change if you’ve had a good night’s sleep. I’d rather have no bed and a good mattress
I think you should get the mattress, and probably the Costco one for the reasons listed above by other posters.
What I do with more expensive things I want but might not necessarily “need” is make myself “earn” it. Set some sort of goal, whether it be a savings goal or an income goal. So in your case it might be increase your net income $1,000/month for 1 month or x months. Or perhaps to get your debt down to y. I tell myself that once I meet the goal, then I have earned the thing I want. Until then, no go. Once you meet the goal, you have earned the reward and can go buy that one item without going through the questioning you are going through now.
Just make sure the goal you set vs. the thing you are trying to earn will put you ahead. My rule used to be once a year 2 steps ahead (the goal) and one step back (the reward). So if I saved $2,000 I could buy a $1,000 item. If I wanted a second thing in the same year, it had to be 4 steps ahead and one step back. Third thing was 8 steps ahead with one step back. Can’t use the same savings more than once, and can’t count savings accrued before you decided to set the goal, and can only be after one thing at a time.
Of course this is all rules you create for yourself. For me, it gave my spending structure but still allowed me to buy a few things once in awhile without feeling guilty.
I disagree!!!! Stop whining about the bed and make a plan to buy the one you want. Create a budget and saved for it. Actually, I think you should get a part time job…the W-2 type thing or cut lawns for heavens sake! In one month you could have enough for it it if you hustled and waited tables for a side job!!! The side job will also get you out of your house and out with PEOPLE…which is a social environment you crave too. A double benfit. Save up for it…by buying it now you are breaking your plan….what will you break for next time!!! If you make a plan and save up for it I guarentee you feel 100% better about the purchase because of the accomplishment for having bought it.
Something you might not know… Mattresses are a NEGOTIABLE purchase. Anywhere you go to buy a new mattress will discount it, if you haggle a little. Please do yourself a favor a do a little competitive research (or at least educate yourself enough to fake it) and be prepared to negotiate. It’s routine from them to drop 10, 15 or even 20% without much effort on your part at all.
@ Justme – I like the idea of setting a goal before saving up for the mattress. I redid a part of my business this week, and so I want to make 20 sales there before I purchase a mattress. So far, we’re at 2! Hopefully next week I’ll add more!
I think you should buy a decent mattress in the next few months. I strongly recommend NOT getting the full sized long unless you research sheets for it first. My folks had one and I remember my mom muttering about trying to find sheets that actually fit it.
@ Cat – thanks for the tip on full size long sheets. I think I’m leaning towards getting my old queen costco one back. I really loved that mattress. It’s a bit larger than I’d like, but I really don’t do much in my room besides sleep, so if the mattress takes up half the room…oh well.
The definition of an investment is something that involves sacrifice today for gain in the future.
If you sacrifice consumption today to put money into a savings account you gain higher returns in the future, so a savings account is an investment.
Likewise education is an investment.
By buying a mattress you sacrifice current consumption but if the mattress is good you you get better health in the future. Good health has value. Otherwise, doctors would be broke.
Stay away from Spring Air mattresses, they are worthless, same for the warranty that goes with em. Now trying a $250 queen from walmart.com http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Spring_Air_Back_Supporter_Mattress
Dude almost $600 for a MATTRESS? You can get a proper BED for that price at IKEA.
Check this out: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/rooms/bedroom/10629/
And go to ikea to check out how they feel. My bed (heck my whole apartment) is from ikea, and so is my mattress. Honestly, it’s the most comfortable thing I’ve ever slept on, and there’s NO WAY i’m ever shopping anywhere else for a mattress.
I don’t work for Ikea, btw, just freaked me out to see you’d spend almost 600 bucks when you could spend oh so much less and be just as comfy.