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Mattress on a budget

post #1 of 38
5/11/08 at 9:09pm
Thread Starter 
I'm in the market for a mattress now. I'm looking for something on the firmer side. I'm looking for something pretty cheap. So far I've looked at Ikea. What can you guys tell me of their stuff? I know they aren't close to great quality but at my budget ($500 ceiling for a Full) they seem like the best place to look. I have plenty (many years) of experience sleeping on used shitty mattresses and have a bad lower back (only feel it on ocassion, like while reading in bed on my stomach) but am not able (or willing) to spend for the real good ergonomic stuff. Some help on maybe different retailers or brands to look at beyond Ikea (like overstock) will be helpful. I would also appreciate some background on types of mattresses out there like difference between spring and foam mattresses.

PS - I did a search, but most threads seem to discuss mattresses beyond my budget (23 year old professional, moving out of the nest).

Appreciate any guidance.
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post #2 of 38
5/12/08 at 8:46am
Futon. Cheaper, better sleep, lasts forever. We had a hell of a time finding a mattress that would last and that was firm enough. Spring mattresses suck. Foam mattresses suck. Try them and compare them to a good futon.
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post #3 of 38
5/12/08 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnapril View Post
Futon. Cheaper, better sleep, lasts forever. We had a hell of a time finding a mattress that would last and that was firm enough. Spring mattresses suck. Foam mattresses suck. Try them and compare them to a good futon.

Ehh, I dunno about a futon. A lot of the time, in my experience, the bars across the bottom of them poke through the mattress and you feel bumps every 6 inches. If they're full-bottomed futons, then it seems like you're sleeping on a rock. Plus, and I don't know why, but futons always seem cheesy, Quagmire-esque to me. Giggity!

Jodum-- I got a great mattress that was queen sized for $500. I'm sure you'll be able to find one. I've had mine for about 8 months now and everything is still great. Granted, my entire life I slept on shitty beds, so finally having a decent one makes a big difference. I was in your same shoes (21, getting job, need own bed, etc). When I go home on my lunch break I'll see what the brand and model was and let you know.
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post #4 of 38
5/12/08 at 12:01pm
I have seen 0% for 48 months offered by some furniture retailers in yesterday’s newspaper advertisings. It might be worth checking out who has offers with similar terms in your area.

Jon.
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post #5 of 38
5/12/08 at 12:12pm
Honestly, I think mattress are one of the worst scams in consumer products. The market is so ridiculously untransparent, with identical items sold under different names in different stores, making "price matching guarantees" worthless. I can't remember where I read it, but I saw advice once of:

1) go into local chain mattress store (in New York this is Sleepys)
2) ask to see cheapest mattress in the size you need. Ignore the plush tops as they are a waste of money. If you want soft, get a featherbed.
3) lay down on said mattress. If you like the way it feels, buy it. If you do not, move on to the next cheapest mattress. Repeat as necessary.

I did this when I moved back to NYC and ended up with some Serta full size, the second or third I tried, for like $400 or $500 that is fine. Three years on and it is in good shape.

I have no experience with Ikea mattresses, but the ones I've seen in store were underwhelming.
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post #6 of 38
5/12/08 at 12:23pm
I have one of those fancy foam mattresses from IKEA and it's worked out great. I think it cost me under $150.
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post #7 of 38
5/12/08 at 12:27pm
sams club is/was having a mattress clearance sale last week if your lucky your local store might still have some left I think they were like 50% off they carry serta mattresses mostly. even without the sale their prices are good but with it I doubt you'll be able to find anything cheaper with similar quality. I bought a serta queen size with a 5" memory foam pillowtop with boxspring for like $500 regular price about 1 1/2 years ago and its the best bed I've ever had.
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post #8 of 38
5/12/08 at 12:44pm
I cannot say this enough times:
Buy cheap firm mattress and then buy 3lbs or 4.5lbs memory foam topper.
Topper should be from 2.5" thick and up to 4" , if desired.
Make sure you have slatted base for your mattress if you using it without the box.

You'd sleep like a baby with no pain whatsoever.
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post #9 of 38
5/12/08 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
Ehh, I dunno about a futon. A lot of the time, in my experience, the bars across the bottom of them poke through the mattress and you feel bumps every 6 inches. If they're full-bottomed futons, then it seems like you're sleeping on a rock. Plus, and I don't know why, but futons always seem cheesy, Quagmire-esque to me. Giggity!

Fuck that. I put mine on a normal box spring.
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post #10 of 38
5/12/08 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
I've been looking at Overstock, costco and sams club and it seems most mattresses come with box springs (unlike Ikea). I'll follow some of the advice I've heard and try out beds in person and discount stores.
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post #11 of 38
5/12/08 at 2:05pm
Go to a local place like sleepy's and ask if they have any damaged merchandise. No joke, when I was in college and broke I got an 800$ mattress for 250$ because one of the side rope handles was pulled out. It is soft as hell and I still use it.

dl
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post #12 of 38
5/12/08 at 11:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chorse123 View Post
Honestly, I think mattress are one of the worst scams in consumer products. The market is so ridiculously untransparent, with identical items sold under different names in different stores, making "price matching guarantees" worthless. I can't remember where I read it, but I saw advice once of:

1) go into local chain mattress store (in New York this is Sleepys)
2) ask to see cheapest mattress in the size you need. Ignore the plush tops as they are a waste of money. If you want soft, get a featherbed.
3) lay down on said mattress. If you like the way it feels, buy it. If you do not, move on to the next cheapest mattress. Repeat as necessary.

I did this when I moved back to NYC and ended up with some Serta full size, the second or third I tried, for like $400 or $500 that is fine. Three years on and it is in good shape.

I have no experience with Ikea mattresses, but the ones I've seen in store were underwhelming.

I agree with you that the market is not very transparent. When I was looking for a mattress I went mainly to two stores. I found two mattresses from Simmons that were identical but sold as different models by each store. It was $5000 at the bay, but $3200 at the Linen Chest. Of course, the mattress from the bay was marked down. I think they were in the habit of marking-up the prices and then running a perpetual sale. Either way, I layed down on probably 20 mattresses before I chose the one I wanted. Everyone's taste in these things is going to be different, but I found a huge difference between some of the lower prices mattresses and the one I bought. Thankfully, I only paid factory cost though.
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post #13 of 38
5/13/08 at 12:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jodum5 View Post
I've been looking at Overstock, costco and sams club and it seems most mattresses come with box springs (unlike Ikea). I'll follow some of the advice I've heard and try out beds in person and discount stores.

Just go to Overstock and buy one of the 10 inch memory foam mattresses, they go for under $500. My family owns a mattress factory and our foam supplier manufactures the memory foam mattresses for Overstock. I've slept on one for 7 years and never had a complaint.
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post #14 of 38
5/13/08 at 4:15pm
Try a hammock
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post #15 of 38
5/14/08 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahmeanz View Post
Just go to Overstock and buy one of the 10 inch memory foam mattresses, they go for under $500. My family owns a mattress factory and our foam supplier manufactures the memory foam mattresses for Overstock. I've slept on one for 7 years and never had a complaint.

I went to a mattress place and liked some mattresses by Simmons and King Coil but they were both over $1k. I tried the memory foam mattresses but they felt weird. I'll stop by a sleepys this weekend to see what they have, plus costco too.
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