It hit me at about 2pm yesterday when my computer chair made its signature deafening squeak as I leaned back, trying to get comfortable on the five year old, $20 piece of trash:
I need a new computer chair.
I had been considering a new computer chair for a while, but recently I’ve been thinking about it every day. Things are getting very busy for me at work, and I haven’t had the chance to even drive into the office yet this week. I wake up, log onto my computer, and end up sitting there essentially all day.
I have armrests. There is actually padding on the seat and back. It rolls where I want it to roll. I almost shed a tear of joy the moment I sat in it for the first time.
It got me thinking. There are certain things you can go cheap on: Online stock brokers, gifts for your friends, or generic medicine. But never, EVER, go cheap on comfort when it comes to things you use for multiple hours every day. I broke down the day into three eight hour shifts. We already covered the eight hours at work. Now lets cover the other two.
For the Love of Pete Buy a Nice Mattress
When I first moved to Dallas I had two roommates. We all worked together and were all making pretty good money. Two of us decided to buy nice, comfortable queen size beds. The other languished on a $100 WalMart futon for the entire year. Guess which one that was…
It was The Hoff!
Ha, you thought it was me, but I learned my lesson on crappy beds in college. I got myself a fantastic pillow top queen size mattress and have been sleeping like a baby for the last three years. The Hoff, on the other hand, bought a futon so cheap that I truly believe sleeping on the floor would have been more comfortable. He may as well have just used an air mattress.
The most important thing to remember when you are mattress shopping is NEVER PAY FULL PRICE! Buying a mattress is a lot like buying a car; never show you are too interested, and walk away at least once. Trust me, they will cut you a deal to make a sale.
It Certainly Does Not Feel Good to Payless
Remember that jingle for the TV commercials, “Doesn’t it feel good to Payless?”
Hell no it doesn’t.
Have you ever actually owned a pair of Payless shoes? I did when I was a kid.
The other kids at school made fun of me. My dogs were always barking. They literally smelled so bad that my mom tried to contact Odor Eaters and challenge them to tackle my atrocious foot stench. And they never would have succeeded as long as I was wearing cheap shoes.
If you’re not sleeping or working, there’s a good chance you are on your feet doing something. And when you’re on your feet, there’s nothing better than a comfortable, quality pair of shoes. They may be expensive up front, but they will last a long time and keep your feet and back feeling nice for years.
If you can’t afford nice shoes, at the very least I recommend getting some nice insoles to help make things more bearable. A work chair is important, a mattress is imperative, but nice shoes are absolutely essential. Good shoes will change your life.
You Deserve to be Comfortable
Everyone should have comfortable shoes and a nice bed. And if you work at a desk all day, you need a nice chair. Seriously.
If your budget is tight and you can’t fit a new chair or mattress or pair of shoes into the mix, I strongly recommend figuring out a way to make an extra few hundred bucks to buy these things. Sell some old crap, housesit for your neighbor while they go on vacation this summer, or just cut back your spending. It really is hard to put a price on how drastically physical comfort will improve your quality of life.
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
Totally agree! I recently got a new desk chair after YEARS in a crappy $20 one just like yours. Was the worst. I can’t even imagine how I got any work done before.
I’ve definitely got a workaround for the mattress, though. I have the worst, most uncomfortable mattress known to man. I’ve had it for over 10 years, and I’m pretty sure it was a hand-me-down even then. Sleeping on the floor is definitely more comfortable. BUT I spent $100 on a memory foam mattress topper, and now it’s like sleeping on a dream. I’ve even slept on beds with way more comfortable mattresses, and mine is still comfier! If I had to buy a new bed now, I’d buy a cheapo mattress and a nice memory foam topper, for sure.
I have slept on one of those memory foam mattress toppers, and they are heavenly. Maybe it’s just you and me, but those things seems to be worth much more than they cost! I probably should have looked into getting one when I got my bed.
Ha ha what a great post. I think “hell no” every time I see a Payless commercial, too! My wife and I are sleeping on the same mattress I bought in college, so needless to say it’s cheap and pretty uncomfortable. We are trying to bear it until we can get into a house, buy a new mattress and use our existing one for a guest bedroom (who cares if they’re uncomfortable, right?).
Maybe you should look into getting one of those mattress toppers Melissa talked about. Like I said: heavenly. And way cheaper than a new mattress.
I could not agree more with this! I know it is a simple pleasure but when they got us all new chairs at work all we could do was high five the delivery man. My back has never felt better at work!
Brand new computer chair = hotness!
Absolutely! I loved the MIB reference in the chair picture! 🙂
Ha, thanks. I like it when other people enjoy the crazy things that pop in my head!
I agree that it is wise to pay up for comfort. We have had an expensive mattress for years. I just got a new pillow a few weeks ago since the old one had seen better days. It is nice to climb into bed and feel a nice fluffy pillow. It is so relaxing.
A new pillow sounds good too. The first day I moved into my apartment, I brought my bed but not my pillows. I tried to use a grocery bag filled with clothes as a pillow. Worst night of sleep I can remember.
Right on!! I got super-lucky with my mattress: my ex-roommate’s girlfriend works for an upscale furniture store, and once a year she gets a limited-time chance to buy any mattress she wants for 75% off. Thanks to her deal, I bought the same mattress that Oprah uses. At 75% off, it still cost $1,000 — yep, that’s right, I sleep on a $4,000 mattress. And it’s AWESOME!!!!! I really do sleep better on that bed than anywhere else, ever.
My goal in life is to one day have something as nice as Oprah’s stuff. Looks like you already nailed it!
It’s not the money you spend, it’s the value you get.
A nice pair of summer wool slacks with razor creases, good leather shoes and a fine cotton shirt pressed just right will make a better impression than pilled and shapeless polyester Sans-a-belts and Payless loafers (man-made uppers, rubber uni-soles).
If you can make it work without spending a lot, then more power to you! I agree that a price tag doesn’t mean something is comfortable; it’s all about how you feel!
When you need to spring for a mattress, you can get a prescription for one and you get to skip the sales tax in Texas at least.
Of course you need to get it “to relieve back pain”, but it’s an easy 8.25% off. Plus if you itemize and have other medical expenses, you could potentially deduct it from your taxes.
I’m not encouraging you to lie about the “pain”, but if you wake up uncomfortable, you might consider hitting your doctor up next time you are in to see him.
You can also do this with things like recliners, massage chairs, and I’m assuming the all important office chair as well.
I wish I had known that when we bought our Tempurpedic 3 years ago here in Houston, TX! Things to keep in mind in the future…
The older we get, the more we pay for comfort and I am cool with that. I am actually in the market for a nice desk chair right now and think I have found my perfect one – it’s $110 with tax but should be worth it. 🙂
Your girlfriend never complained about my Futon!
I have to echo everyone who said the toppers are great. We bought a cheap mattress and a $100 topper and it is more comfy then some mattresses two or three times the cost. I keep going back and forth about buying a comfy desk chair, the one I want is $140. I could cut that price down by using cardpool but it is still too much for me at this time. I think I’ll break down in a year or so though.
Love this post, these are the same things I splurge on as well. I have a $1600 mattress (all foam, no springs) that I got 5 years ago when I was broke, but I have never for a minute regretted spending that much on it. I haven’t slept as good anywhere else, not a hotel or other mattress that is more comfortable!
And shoes… ahhh when I was little my parents bought us secondhand shoes or shopped the sales, we always had a pair of GOOD quality shoes and sure they weren’t the prettiest but they walked great. I’m still willing to drop a few dollars on good shoes because when I started buying my own shoes I discovered very quickly that $20 walmart sneakers are crap. They’re my feet! I need them the rest of my life… it pays to treat them well. Also high quality items can last longer… I still have the super-awesome deskchair my parents bought me at 16… that’s uhhh ten years ago and it’s still rocking (y)
Correct that; I’m still more or less broke :p
I did a lot of research and a lot of shopping for queen size mattresses before I finally purchased one. I read all the reviews…and was still confused. I took a chance on a memory foam mattress, not the cheapest, and not the most expensive and I absolutely love it.
Bedroom is the most relaxing place in the house ever especially when you arrived from your office or when exhausted after playing some sports. Mattresses can gives us comfort during our “siesta time” and relaxes us in times of desperation and stress.