The End of an Era

Saturday was a monumental day for my mom.

For the past 9 years, she has been sleeping on a bed more fit for a house guest who visits twice a year than a woman working two jobs, going to school, raising teenagers, and training for a marathon. When she split from my dad, she took my brother and me and moved back with her parents. She didn't bring her bed, although that wasn't much to talk about anyway. For the next four years, she either slept on the floor or a couch. While my brother and I had our own rooms with our comfy beds, her bedroom was our living room.

In 2001, my mom purchased a daybed. It seemed like the best option, being affordable, and being able to sit in the living room and not look too out of place. Since then, it has been her bed. It's moved from apartment to apartment, finally getting it's place in a real bedroom in September 2005. It's been a place my mom and I watch TV and have late night or early morning conversations.

And for the past few years, my mom has quietly dreamed of having a real bed. Her dream? A sleigh bed. My brother and I have looked into buying one for her for Christmas. My brother works at a furniture store, so he could get a great deal on a bed. But it was the mattress and box spring that held us back. We could buy the frame, but not the whole bed set.

Last weekend, my mom and I went furniture shopping. First, we went into a mattress store advertising amazing sale prices (70% off!!). And it was a total wash, after my mom was test for a specific mattress. And they showed her a great mattress. The only problem was the price - over $2,300! That was a bit out of our price range so we went to a furniture store.

And there, we found my mom's dream bed - a sleigh bed. A beautiful, cherry oak sleigh bed priced at only $200. Two hundred dollars! For a sleigh bed! Folks, that is a really good deal, especially at the furniture store we were in. We then tested out their mattresses, which has to be the most fun thing to do regarding shopping ever. Ever. We found very reasonably priced mattresses, the highest price one being $1,200.

Of course, my mom being who she is, had to think it over. (Sleep on it?) We came back the next day, assured of our purchase. My mom bought the sleigh bed and a queen-sized mattress and box spring (and the price was reduced by $100 since that mattress was being discontinued and they would have to give us their floor model). And to make this deal even more sweet, this furniture store was offering a free frame for purchasing a mattress. My mom still wanted her sleigh bed, so I was given the frame! (Yay, me!) Unfortunately, now I need a queen-size mattress since my full one doesn't exactly fit. (And looks kinda weird.) The price? Under $1,200. (If you were paying attention, that means it's half the price we would have paid for just the mattress at the mattress store!)

And now, here you go. My mom's brand-new queen-sized sleigh bed. Her first bed in 15+ years. Something she undoubtedly deserves.

Tell me: what kind of bed do you sleep on? Do you love it, or are you saving up for something you really want?