YOUR MONEY'S WORTH
Sheridan, Mary
Your Moneys Worth By MARY SHERIDAN BACK WHEN I was a girl—it seems like 100 years ago—Katharine Brush used to frequent the pages of College Humor, then in its heyday, with slick, glib little...
...I'm one of those people who like to get things done, but I know from experience that trying to do too much at once means an inferior job on some things and robs the enterprise of some of the fun...
...So, as one of those old Katharine Brush articles might have put it, If I Were Doing It Over Again: Insist On Samples First of all, I'd explore all possibilities for not buying furniture during this period: furnished apartments or houses, or relatives or friends with discards in their attics...
...I'd never be without a yardstick, whether for measuring curtains or furniture...
...If you find that an item is just impossible, face the fact immediately...
...They were glamorous fare to a little Mukwonago (Pop...
...Steer clear of' "easy payment" plans, but, if there's no alternative, be sure you get a clear explanation of the interest rates that will have to be paid...
...Unfinished Furniture Shop around as much as time permits...
...Investigate the classified ads...
...Insist on samples wherever possible...
...Live with a drapery or rug sample for several days before making up your mind...
...Always take lightly all sales pressure, blatant or subtle...
...Don't buy unless you have to...
...This experience can be eliminated (well, nearly) by buying only when the mind is made up or having a clear understanding that the purchase is on approval...
...Shop for rods and all drapery equipment— it's very scarce—before you decide on curtains...
...Try to find some workable medium between being a Timid Tessie and an Aggressive Alice...
...If I were doing it over again, I'd refuse to be hurried, ever, in making a buying decision...
...But I, having exchanged a bed, box springs, and mattress, am no shining example on this point...
...700) girl in a decade of Coon-Sanders, Red Grange, early radio, and the first "talkies...
...Allow, if possible, a lump amount for mistakes or extras—there'll probably be both...
...I have little respect for the people who keep something two weeks and then wonder why a store balks at taking it baek...
...Remember that it's not a good idea, physically or nervously, to take on too much painting or re-upholstering or finishing of furniture all at once...
...Investigate loans from credit unions and banks...
...If you can't spend the time and energy finishing it to bring out the beauty of the wood, consider some gay paint...
...This will take time, and more time, but it's worth it to keep looking with an open mind...
...Everywhere —the "best" stores, the ones on the outskirts of town, the department stores, second hand stores...
...Make an estimated budget of what you need—you'll tear it up and make 15 others before you're through, but it does help keep the total picture in mind and help remind you that first things shoula come first...
...colors and patterns seem different, as well as the blending with the whole...
...To get your money's worth, you have to spend limitless time finding what you want at moderate prices, with reasonable possibilities of lasting over the years...
...And if I were in doubt, I'd say no...
...most stores, I've found, are reasonable...
...A sample often looks entirely different when it's viewed at home with what you have...
...Unless your eye is expert and experienced, measuring end tables, bookcases, and any items where floor space or proportion are vital, then sketching them out at home with chalk, saves time in the long run...
...There will come a moment when you'd like to throw everything out the window...
...Your Moneys Worth By MARY SHERIDAN BACK WHEN I was a girl—it seems like 100 years ago—Katharine Brush used to frequent the pages of College Humor, then in its heyday, with slick, glib little pieces called things like "If I Were a Man," or "If I Did It Over Again...
...Remember that the drapery hardware situation is serious...
...And if I were doing it over again, I'd ask even more questions that I did—of friends and salesmen and decorators—about anything and everything...
...It takes only a second to buy, but a lot of time to un-buy, or return, a mistake and forget the disappointment...
...Often the wood and design of unfinished chests and small tables are better and cheaper than finished products coated with cheap varnish...
...Lots of short, Milton Mayer-length paragraphs, phrases and snatches of sentences rather than sentences, tied together by tart wit...
...And I'd try to keep reminding myself, as the Associate Editor tried to teach me long ago, to visualize the end result: for instance, the large amount of material that goes into a slip cover gives a color surface much bigger than a sample can indicate...
...See what's available in unfinished furniture...
...If the budget doesn't permit, be prepared to change your mind—to buy a cheaper chair so you can choose a better sofa, or a cheap bed so you can afford a chair you really want...
...Since my many readers (no boos out of you, please) have asked for a follow-up on my furniture buying experiences, I have jotted down some notes on the venture that I hope may be helpful...
...In many cases, unless your bargaining power and energy are indomitable, you will have to pay through the nose...
...If an item isn't there tomorrow—but it usually is—it isn't, but you haven't been rushed into a sale, and there are other fish in the sea...
Vol. 7 • November 1943 • No. 45
