ah, the psychology of it all!
28 Feb 2007 07:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaigouFirst, I think it must be the tape measure. Really. I measured the distance from fridge shelf to ceiling at least three times, and was reasonably satisfied that two 30" high cabinets would come no closer than 4" to the ceiling, enough room for a strip of drywall, the moulding, blah blah blah.
Err, NO.
Stupid 30", 12" deep cabinet -- after I spent a half-hour doing battle with my european hinge set, which apparently Ikea must have its own dimensions for its european hinges so I had to drill new holes, grrrr -- and then I put the puppy up on the fridge.
There's a quarter-inch clearance. That's it. And boy, does it look not-right.
*find nearest horizontal surface, slam head repeatedly*
So now, I get to return the larger cabinet (which I'd not put together, fortunately), and figure out what to do with this cabinet; I can hardly return it now that I've had to drill the damn carcass. Hrm, maybe in the guest bathroom, horizontal. Or maybe just set it in the guest bathroom for now. It's not like the cats take up that much space, fuzzy little bastards.
On the plus side, that gave me an extra eighteen hours or so to think about what I really want in that kitchen, pondering the design, and while out running errands today (go me!) I picked up a magazine to read while waiting for the pharmacy to fill up my scrip. Hmmmm. Looks like it's time to email![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dayglow_pirate and promise copious, and I mean copious amounts of Texas barbecue, possibly shipped overnight. (Or maybe just a gift certificate to Harley.)
But, shhhh, we don't want to scare CP.
Elsewhere in the house, I've been debating the wisdom of letting our boxspring & mattress continue to sit right on the floor. We never managed to get my purple (woe!) bedframe back together, having lost some tiny but crucial parts in the move, but our last trip to Ikea found no bed that we both liked. Plus, the set we purchased upon arrival is, combined, maybe 18" or more high, and with every bed frame we looked at, that would put our sleeping-level at halfway up the damn frame! What's the point?
Err, the point is this: today I was on the Sears site, meandering around looking for orbital sanders, and clicking a wrong link led me here, there, and then to beds. Hrmm. Sears sells the standard metal frame for a queen-sized bed, nothing fancy: the usual perimeter with single metal center-bar, six rolly feet, just like what every motel's had for the past eighty years. Whole thing, sans shipping (hunh? what about my local Sears store?), runs to about $75.
On a total whim, I opened the Walmart site, y'know, just because. I search for bed frames. Lo and behold, they have the identical frame -- they even name the company, and it's the same as Sear's manufacturer/supplier. Here's what should be the punchline: Walmart's queen-sized metal six-footer rolly-feet center-bar blah blah bed frame is... wait for it... I'm not making this up... thirty-seven dollars.
*stares*
The real punchline? Even staring at the two pop-up windows, side by side, and flipping back and forth between Walmart's description and Sear's, I still found myself instinctively thinking, "no way in hell would I buy a $37 bed frame!" As CP said, "know what you get for a $37 bedframe? You get a bedframe worth $37." Okay, true, but it's the exact same bedframe as Sear's, and yet I'm thinking: "I'd rather buy the $75 one, because then I'd feel like it's a (more of a) quality frame."
Not that I think $75 is really a quality frame in and of itself, but it's just a series of metal bars. It's not like we're talking Mastercraft, here. Still. The same damn frame, exactly, and yet I instinctively want to pay more!
Reminds me of when a wandering deadhead came by the bookstore, paper bag of hand-made stuff in hand. He was out of gas, needed money to buy more, so he could catch up with his friends at the next show. Naturally my business partner (a former Deadhead) said he'd be willing to look, and our desk was soon covered in a wealth of braided bracelets, gorgeous beaded necklaces, even a few braided rings, some leather wristbands, really well-done stuff. We only casually haggled (it didn't feel right), and finally my partner said, "look, how much gas will get you to the next show?" The kid figured two tankfulls, at most, and gas was about a buck-twenty at the time, my partner did the math and handed over thirty dollars, then slapped another twenty on top so the kid could eat. He left the entire bag with us, quite pleased...
...and then we discovered the bag had contained roughly sixty-something items. Uhm.
Technically, we realized, the cost per item was just under a dollar each; dutifully I logged each item into the computer, and we tried to figure out what to sell each for -- and, not really being that sure one way or another, much of it we just doubled, figuring the items were cheap and fun and not worth much. Bracelets, $2 each, necklaces $3 each, it seemed reasonable.
Not a single damn item sold. Three weeks, not a single purchase. I was steamed... and I can't take credit for this -- it was my partner who said, "well, we have nothing to lose..." and he marked up the items. Dramatically. Bracelets? Priced at $8. Necklaces? $12, $15, $20. The little rings? $5. And so on.
We sold every single one inside the next four weeks. Like hotcakes.
I almost felt guilty, taking people's money, knowing we'd pay no more'n about 90-something cents for each item. Well, I almost felt guilty. But not enough to keep the price at a straight New York cornerstone -- because, damn it, no one would buy it at that price!
So, in sum: I'm not really that surprised that $75 for a bed frame, even identical to the one across the street, feels more like a solid bedframe.
Odd, how our psyches comprehend the value and price of things.
Err, NO.
Stupid 30", 12" deep cabinet -- after I spent a half-hour doing battle with my european hinge set, which apparently Ikea must have its own dimensions for its european hinges so I had to drill new holes, grrrr -- and then I put the puppy up on the fridge.
There's a quarter-inch clearance. That's it. And boy, does it look not-right.
*find nearest horizontal surface, slam head repeatedly*
So now, I get to return the larger cabinet (which I'd not put together, fortunately), and figure out what to do with this cabinet; I can hardly return it now that I've had to drill the damn carcass. Hrm, maybe in the guest bathroom, horizontal. Or maybe just set it in the guest bathroom for now. It's not like the cats take up that much space, fuzzy little bastards.
On the plus side, that gave me an extra eighteen hours or so to think about what I really want in that kitchen, pondering the design, and while out running errands today (go me!) I picked up a magazine to read while waiting for the pharmacy to fill up my scrip. Hmmmm. Looks like it's time to email
dayglow_pirate and promise copious, and I mean copious amounts of Texas barbecue, possibly shipped overnight. (Or maybe just a gift certificate to Harley.) But, shhhh, we don't want to scare CP.
Elsewhere in the house, I've been debating the wisdom of letting our boxspring & mattress continue to sit right on the floor. We never managed to get my purple (woe!) bedframe back together, having lost some tiny but crucial parts in the move, but our last trip to Ikea found no bed that we both liked. Plus, the set we purchased upon arrival is, combined, maybe 18" or more high, and with every bed frame we looked at, that would put our sleeping-level at halfway up the damn frame! What's the point?
Err, the point is this: today I was on the Sears site, meandering around looking for orbital sanders, and clicking a wrong link led me here, there, and then to beds. Hrmm. Sears sells the standard metal frame for a queen-sized bed, nothing fancy: the usual perimeter with single metal center-bar, six rolly feet, just like what every motel's had for the past eighty years. Whole thing, sans shipping (hunh? what about my local Sears store?), runs to about $75.
On a total whim, I opened the Walmart site, y'know, just because. I search for bed frames. Lo and behold, they have the identical frame -- they even name the company, and it's the same as Sear's manufacturer/supplier. Here's what should be the punchline: Walmart's queen-sized metal six-footer rolly-feet center-bar blah blah bed frame is... wait for it... I'm not making this up... thirty-seven dollars.
*stares*
The real punchline? Even staring at the two pop-up windows, side by side, and flipping back and forth between Walmart's description and Sear's, I still found myself instinctively thinking, "no way in hell would I buy a $37 bed frame!" As CP said, "know what you get for a $37 bedframe? You get a bedframe worth $37." Okay, true, but it's the exact same bedframe as Sear's, and yet I'm thinking: "I'd rather buy the $75 one, because then I'd feel like it's a (more of a) quality frame."
Not that I think $75 is really a quality frame in and of itself, but it's just a series of metal bars. It's not like we're talking Mastercraft, here. Still. The same damn frame, exactly, and yet I instinctively want to pay more!
Reminds me of when a wandering deadhead came by the bookstore, paper bag of hand-made stuff in hand. He was out of gas, needed money to buy more, so he could catch up with his friends at the next show. Naturally my business partner (a former Deadhead) said he'd be willing to look, and our desk was soon covered in a wealth of braided bracelets, gorgeous beaded necklaces, even a few braided rings, some leather wristbands, really well-done stuff. We only casually haggled (it didn't feel right), and finally my partner said, "look, how much gas will get you to the next show?" The kid figured two tankfulls, at most, and gas was about a buck-twenty at the time, my partner did the math and handed over thirty dollars, then slapped another twenty on top so the kid could eat. He left the entire bag with us, quite pleased...
...and then we discovered the bag had contained roughly sixty-something items. Uhm.
Technically, we realized, the cost per item was just under a dollar each; dutifully I logged each item into the computer, and we tried to figure out what to sell each for -- and, not really being that sure one way or another, much of it we just doubled, figuring the items were cheap and fun and not worth much. Bracelets, $2 each, necklaces $3 each, it seemed reasonable.
Not a single damn item sold. Three weeks, not a single purchase. I was steamed... and I can't take credit for this -- it was my partner who said, "well, we have nothing to lose..." and he marked up the items. Dramatically. Bracelets? Priced at $8. Necklaces? $12, $15, $20. The little rings? $5. And so on.
We sold every single one inside the next four weeks. Like hotcakes.
I almost felt guilty, taking people's money, knowing we'd pay no more'n about 90-something cents for each item. Well, I almost felt guilty. But not enough to keep the price at a straight New York cornerstone -- because, damn it, no one would buy it at that price!
So, in sum: I'm not really that surprised that $75 for a bed frame, even identical to the one across the street, feels more like a solid bedframe.
Odd, how our psyches comprehend the value and price of things.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Measure the face of the cabinet
Date: 1 Mar 2007 11:43 am (UTC)As to the bed frame; even though the two frames are made by the same company, it doesn't mean they are identical. If you measured the thickness of the metal and compared both, I'd almost guarantee there would be a small difference. If they were identical in every way, it would just prove my theory that K-mart, the owner of Sears, does not have good business sense. BTW, most of the power tools bearing the Sears name are made by Black & Decker now. Not good quality anymore.
no subject
Date: 1 Mar 2007 10:11 pm (UTC)I'll take pictures and post, however.
But! Yay! I stopped by Woodcraft & picked up some wood dye (seems pretty cheap for how much it could cover); got shellac and solvent, too. Stopped by Sears, and yes, the various orbitals I looked at are all Black & Decker, but at $35 for a 2.8 variable speed sander, what-the-hell.
I can upgrade later, if this turns out to get used so much I need a really good one. I mean: I inherited, originally, three routers, and three jigsaws, and a few other multiples. The oldest and strongest was invariably my grandfather's top-of-the-line Craftsman; the second was my father's oldest and far cheaper knock-off or beginner's version; the third was when my father invested more in a better tool. So if I buy cheap at first and get better quality as I use more, I'm just following fine family tradition!
(Actually, the vibrating sander-thing that was my grandfather's is still in working shape, just fine, thanks, and it's older than I am. Thing weighs a damn ton, makes my entire arms shake and my teeth chatter, isn't really that powerful -- which is okay, less risk of me gouging -- but still. To be thirty+ years old, probably used regularly until my grandfather's death, and still be in working shape? I told the woman at Sears I'd like to see any current Craftsman that could deliver that, now. Her response? "We just don't make them like that anymore. Try Delta." Heh.)
So I shall sand down the cheap Ikea (aspen) shelves, and practice with the dye on them -- figure why not, I'd rather screw up on them than on any of the really nice wood. Also, Woodcraft told me there's a place in town that sells "bendy plywood," and that sounds, hrm, fascinating. Ooooh, the things to make... I adore curves whenever possible. I've just no interest in doing it like my grandfather: creating the entire frame with ribs, lots of water involved, barest sheet of wood shy of being veneer, lots of glue, lots of clamps... and then elaborate calculations for spring back.
*recoils in horror*
I think I'll take the bendy plywood.
*starts thinking devious thoughts about cabinetry*
no subject
Date: 1 Mar 2007 05:49 pm (UTC)You are only wanting a frame to get the bs&m off the floor. A complete set of hb/fb/frame is not needed because of various reasons. The bed is something that is used everyday and many people make one investment in it and then never change the set, let alone the bs&m, for years. Now if you like your set (or frame only), it's not a problem. Amortize the cost across how long you expect to have the set (or frame) and it will usually seem negligible. Even if you and CP put it to such good use that the $37 frame collapses after a year, would you figure you got your money's worth out of it and maybe it's time to revisit looking at new bed set styles? And if it's just to set your mind at ease to put a frame under the bs&m, I'd definitely go with the lower priced one.
Though, beware of cats that like to crawl under beds and claw their way into a boxspring hidey-hole. (my cats are so bad -_-)
The real money should be spent on the bs&m (or whatever) because that's the part that affects your definite physical and mental health. And really should be changed out more than once every 20 years. Yes, I got this lecture when I went bed & mattress shopping 2 years ago.
For thoroughness' sake I will mention that many hb/fb sets these days offer, and are compatible with, a low frame so you don't need a footstool to climb up to the 18"+ mattress level. But that's presupposing you can settle on a style of set.
Um, yeah I was going somewhere with this... Ah, for every $ you save in a non-essential or non-crucial (apply own value judgement) area, you have more to spend on things deemed moreso. That's how I've managed to psych-out my 'but I feel better if I spend more on it' feeling.
no subject
Date: 1 Mar 2007 10:16 pm (UTC)[Aside: I dislike the fact that our current mattress has only one "up" side -- we can rotate it, but not flip it. I just am not convinced that with both of us liking specific sides, and with no flipping over to push springs opposite way, that we won't end up with deep body-shaped ruts within the next five years. Dunno. We'll see, I suppose.]
Actually, I rather like the platform beds -- especially those with bases perched far back under the bed, so there is the appearance of floating. It's just that the majority of those also come with this wooden 'edge' around the m/bs, and my shins aren't keen on knocking against those every time I approach the bed. Gyah! So... I keep looking.
But yeah: your point is quite true. Determine where the money's really worth it, and don't buy second-best. Certainly never for m&bs! Other things, expendable, disposable, obsolescence-built-in... sure. Sofas, ovens, mattresses, dining room tables, computer chairs? Gotta be the best.
Which reminds me...my poor, favorite mug is finally faded to unreadable. Found it years ago, in college; white with plain black lettering, nothing fancy: "I have the simplest of tastes. I only want the best."
Man, if that isn't the eighties summed up in two easy sentences!