In full disclosure, I’ve come down with some sort of freak summer cold, complete with a high-pressure head, watery eyes, hot flashes, the aches, shakes and the inability to sleep.
This is making me cranky.
On top of straight illin’, D and I are both busy at work and we have a mess of an apartment to deal with. It turns out we both brought a lot more into our shared living space than anticipated.
To cope with the inundation of stuff, I started a nice little large shopping list on Ikea.com to help us knock out our furniture and storage needs without having to spend all day at Target-on-’Roids.
While I have come to terms with the fact that we’ll be shelling out some money to make our accommodations more, um, accommodating, there is one item on my shopping list with which I cannot make peace: the area rug.
It turns out that area rugs, even at Ikea, are f*cking expensive. And in my Sudafed-induced crank-fest, I keep wondering why.
I’m essentially buying a big piece of carpet. I’ve seen all the Empire, Flooring Express and Carpet Exchange commercials—according to them, I can carpet one room for like three benjamins and get a second room done for free. So why the $800+ price tag for something a fraction of the size?
It’s not as if I’m looking to buy some hand-spun artisan piece from Persia. I just need something soft and stylish that will absorb some of the noise from our hardwood floors. And frankly, I’d rather save my hard earned dollars for new living room furniture rather than something we’re going to walk all over and spill salsa on. (It will happen.)
Right now, I’m considering buying a bunch of FLOR tiles and making my own damn rug. But at $4 a tile, it could still end up a costly endeavor.
So now I pose the question to you, oh, ye merry home owners and apartment dwellers: how have you made peace with your area rug? Any tips?
4 responses so far ↓
Rachel // July 1, 2009 at 6:29 pm |
I too have been floored by the crazy price tags on area rugs it’s so annoying! It’s also hard to find good ones at any price.
Steph // July 2, 2009 at 10:20 am |
Believe it or not, walmart.com has some pretty amazing rugs. I paid less than $130 (incl shipping to the store) for a beautiful black and white damask pattern. Granted, it won’t last forever, but when you’re on a budget, wally world works.
Kristi // July 4, 2009 at 10:23 am |
Still don’t have one-been looking for over a year. All the ones I like are worth more than my car.
Megan // July 4, 2009 at 5:50 pm |
Hmm. Very frustrating. I may have to go FLOR in the living room. Still keeping an eye out for a rouge beauty at the Crate & Barrel Outlet, though.
So, ladies…any tips on sharing storage space (read: closet) space with a dude? I love our new apartment, but am learning we’re really tight on storage.