Sunday, February 26, 2006

My IKEA review

Finally, finally, finally, I convinced the man to go to Stoughton for the day. So pack up the Camry and go we did. (Sorry, that was a bit Yoda-esque.)

Upon arriving at the IKEA compound, we were directed into the parking garage by a detail cop. We parked and went in. Retail overload soon commenced. Holy shit, that place is huge and amazing. We began with M getting a 50-cent hot dog and me indulging in a cinnamon bun. (Yes, Weight Watchers would not approve, but they smelled so damn good. I had to do it!)

We walked through the first floor first, checking out the textiles and accessories and lamps. I found a floor lamp I wanted for my reading corner -- I've had the same crap-ass light there since my studio days (think late '90s, people). With a glass shade and brushed-nickel finish, it was only $25. I told M I'd think about it, since I didn't feel like lugging it all over the store with me, and we would pass that way anyway. So we were off to the upstairs, where all the hardcore furniture displays are.

We have a great kitchen, but we eventually want to remodel it. So we checked out the cabinets, Corian, granite, faucets, etc. Very reasonable and high-quality. We then checked out coffee tables, since we're thinking about a new one for the formal living room. Then it was off to one of the real reasons we came: Media storage.

M and I are huge music fans, and we have hundreds of CDs between the two of us, all in alpha order thanks to my mile-wide anal streak. However, they have outgrown the shelving we have for them. So we picked up two new cabinets for $40 each. Together, they will hold almost 500 CDs. Now we're talkin'.

We poked around more, completely in awe of how organized, decently laid out and most of all, reasonable the merchandise was. We then decided to get lunch. M got the Swedish meatballs and a salad, while I got the roasted pepper and mozzarella sandwich with a salad and a tart for dessert. Total cost: $13. And you can buy all of their food too -- two and a half pounds of frozen Swedish meatballs are only $6.99. And M had a cup of their decaf, which was quite good. Eight ounces of ground coffee? Only $2.50.

We then headed downstairs and got the lamp and our CD storage centers. I also picked up 100 tealights for $2.99, and M grabbed a 79-cent spatula in their tricked-out kitchen gadget section. With 10 batteries for $2.99, our total IKEA expenditure was $117. Not bad for all the stuff we scored. We will be back for a kitchen island we really liked. Solid birch and only $300. Da-yam.

More tomorrow when M's done assembling everything. ;)

PS I WILL be glued to Grey's Anatomy tonight. You better recognize: That show rocks.
Overthink
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