The Fancy Bed Saga

Awhile back, I posted about this C&B Outlet sale we went to and bought two beds + a rug for Claire's room. The guest bed had a few scuffs on the headboard. I worked my magic with a little gel stain and then added a coat of polycrylic and it looks quite fancy again. The rug happily lives in Claire's room... she just doesn't.

But the dreamy master bed I bought on a whim because it was gorgeous and cheaper than the cost of wood itself? We got a call the bed was available and to come pick it up. They gave us a brand new King bed. A $2700 bed for $250 and the $30 cost to rent a truck for transport. Scored our dream bed for 90% off. Solid walnut wood. Amazing.

We got it home, excitedly brought it upstairs (woah doggy, that was heavy) and put it together. We looked and pondered and ultimately decided it wasn't going to work. It was beautiful and we loved it. For city dwellers with a super cool loft apartment overlooking the lake? Amazing. But, we live in the 'burbs in a Georgian-style home (read: White House). It just wasn't working.

Not to mention, we have a toddler who is apparently interested in destroying everything in his path, even if he isn't intentionally trying. I caught him with scissors on the front footboard bookcase (the showpiece!) one day. His toys and books found a home there on many days and one day this week, he threw one of those hard Carmex lip balms at it because I wouldn't open it for him. #angerissues

We needed to make a choice. We either keep it (and not love it in our home) and subject it to the wrath of Benjamin and be okay with that, or we sell it.

The thing is, it was a brand new bed. Like, straight out of the manufacturer's packaging and perfect. It retails for big bucks. We sort of wanted to get big bucks for selling it. We certainly weren't going to sell it for pennies so some furniture salesman could take it into a warehouse and sell it for tons more. We wanted to make the profit on our luck!

Listed on Eb.ay. Four watchers, no bidders. Listed on CL. We received a low-ball offer of $1000 and wouldn't take it. Waited a week longer. Nada.

Meanwhile, the toddler kept at his ways and was trying his darndest to make sure it was a seasoned piece. Must. get. it. out. of. the. house. We ultimately decided to sell it for $1,000 because making a $700 profit was better than it being ruined and making nothing. We sent an invoice to the guy who offered and he seemed excited. Didn't pay at the deadline we gave him. In the meantime, had two more offers come in for a bit more cash. We took the second offer yesterday for $1350. We made a cool $1k on the bed we didn't intend to get new or sell at all. Not bad.

We received the money (from a guy who hadn't seen the bed at all... how's that for having faith in mankind!) and as soon as E came home, we got to work on disassembling and moving it downstairs. Yup, still heavy. It made it to our garage and no more than 5 minutes later, someone shows up at the door to pick it up. It was a guy who was hired by the assistant to the guy who purchased it (like woah) through Task.Rabbit.

He was apparently being offered "so much he couldn't refuse" to pack up the bed, drive it downtown to its new home (in a probably awesomely swanky high rise apartment in the Loop), move it upstairs and set it up for the new owners. He showed up with no blankets or padding of any kind. We gifted him with one of our blankets and luckily still had most of the packaging and a stroller box (because I'm a stroller hoarder). Only one man to pick up a seriously solid and very heavy bed. Somehow he would manage it... but once it left our house, we can only speculate how it went down.

But us? We're happy living back with the humble and apparently indestructible (or acceptable to destroy) headboard we love with a cool $1k in our pockets that will definitely go toward paying for a nice new bedskirt (any recommendations? I'm listening!). We sort of felt like we were sleeping on a borrowed bed anyway. Fancy as it was, it just didn't fit our traditional home and current lifestyle of raising a {toddler} barbarian. The baby is none to blame...yet.

bye. bye.

Stay tuned for the saga of the free thermostat that ultimately saved us way more than its $250 pricetag.