Blogging Away Debt Our Journeys to a Debt-Free Life

by Beks

My friend was looking to purchase a chair for her living room. She had seen it on a furniture showroom floor and fell in love with it. The chair was 20% off with an additional 10% discount if she sold her soul to the devil *cough*, I mean, signed up for the furniture dealer’s credit card. The price tag for ‘the perfect chair’? Just over $600. With discounts, it was reduced to $450.

Admittedly, the chair was beautiful and the dealer offered a gorgeous selection of fabrics to upholster the chair but $450? Eek. Maybe it’s because I’ve never purchased new furniture… or spent more than $150 on an entire sofa set… but I choked on the price tag and told her she was crazy.

“Oh really?! You think you could do better? Well fine Ms. Smarty Pants. I want you to find me the exact chair, in the exact color, before the sale ends. Because when you fail, and you will, I need it at 30% off. I looked online, I looked in other stores, I looked everywhere, and NO ONE is selling it for less. Work your Dave Ramsey money saving magic” she said with an eye roll.

“Psh. No problemo. Give me something harder.” I said… knowing full well her request was impossible.

A few days passed and I found the same chair, but not the exact color, used on Craiglist. I tried to negotiate with the seller to $275, perhaps an offer my friend couldn’t pass up regardless of color, but the owner laughed saying he paid well over $700 for the chair and it was nearly new. He wouldn’t budge below $400.

I was about to give up when I stumbled across a furniture liquidator in an industrial part of town. Remarkably, he was selling the identical chair, brand new, and the guy was willing to part with it for $189.

Trying to play it cool, I met with my friend, slid a piece of paper across the table to her and said, “Call this number and ask for Sean. Tell him Red Robin sent you. Tell him you won’t pay a dime more than $189.” I wanted her to think I had magical money saving powers… and was not just unbelievably lucky.

My only contact with the company was over the phone and I was a bit terrified it was a scam. I could see the headlines… ‘Woman tries to buy discount furniture, kidnapped, kidneys sold on black market.’

Instead, I got an excited, “I HAVE THE CHAIR!!! OH MY GOSH!! $189!!” phone message followed by, “I’m having you do ALL my furniture shopping from now on!!”

Sure, I’ll likely never have such wonderful luck again but that’s not something I have to admit… until she needs a sofa.

Beks

Beks is a full-time government employee who enjoys blogging late into the night after her four kids have gone to sleep.  She’s been married to Chris, her college sweetheart, for 15 years.  In 2017, after 3 long years working the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps, they paid off more than $70K and became debt free.  When she’s not working or blogging, she’s exploring the great outdoors.