<p>I did the math and figured that the difference between IKEA and Bob’s is about $500 to $700, depending on how much stuff I get. I could get half my stuff from one place and the other half from another, but then I’d be paying two delivery fees and have double the inconvenience, so I’ll probably go with one or the other. I expect to stay in this apartment for two years, possibly up to three years, but almost certainly not longer than that.</p>
<p>Is the extra cost worth the added quality + not having to assemble the furniture? I’ll probably see if I can sell the furniture to whoever takes over my lease, and the difference in resale value might also make it worth springing for better quality furniture.</p>
<p>I’m not terribly cash-strapped, but $500-$700 is a lot of money. On the other hand, I don’t want to have to worry about my desk or bed falling apart when I’m writing my senior thesis or whatever. A friend of mine has a VIKA table - it was probably $20 or $30 or some obscenely low price like that, and just a couple of years in it was already sagging in the middle under the weight of her books.</p>
<p>zoosermom: Thanks for the reminder. I wouldn’t have bought or picked up a used mattress in any case, but I forgot about the bedbugs - couches, armchairs, etc. </p>
<p>Incidentally - as a film student, I’ve had to move gear in and out of dorms and apartments, mostly walk-ups. With everyone splitting the work, it’s manageable, though I’ve sometimes cursed under my breath when I’ve found out that so-and-so lives on the fifth floor. I remember one particular shoot where the director was on the fourth or fifth floor and we had to bring dolly tracks downstairs - we ended up with a relay system where someone would pass it down the stairwell to someone on a lower floor, and then run down two flights to pick it up and so on… I also remember swearing I’d live on the ground floor or in a building with an elevator. Now I’ve bested them all - but you don’t turn down a rent-controlled apartment 20 minutes from school!</p>
<p>Definitely giving the delivery guys a nice big tip…</p>