Tuesday, July 8, 2008

There seems to be a void in the bedroom.

I am terrified of debt. This probably stems from being the head legal aid to a collection attorney for two years after college. This particular attorney was really just a golfer who had the inconvenience of having to work to pay his mortgage and golf expenses. This was good for me because I got a lot of responsibility. Once a week we would meet at court. I met with the people we were suing while I watched the clock, wondering when said attorney would arrive. Most of the people there assumed I was the attorney. A lot of the time I thought I must be too. My boss would get to court just in time to open the file as he walked up to the judge to plead our case. This of course was nerve racking for me because if I messed up, he would not discover it until he was in front of the courtroom. As such, I was obsessed with knowing everything I could about each defendant, their situation and how they got there.

Debt is scary and all encompassing. Some of the time there were sad stories and I would do what I could to point people in directions for help. Most of the time though, it was just really bad decision making.
My job became even more interesting when I took on Bankruptcies. Bankruptcies are pretty cut and dry. We get the paperwork stating that Bankruptcy has been filled, we make sure our clients have been listed, I fill out the proper paperwork and we are done. However, I found bankruptcies a delicious little morsel to snack on during the boring afternoons. Here in front of me was this individual's entire spending history. I used to love reading the places that were owed money. It was a very personal glimpse into the cascading inevitability of financial ruin. I also had to read that closely per the law. So no voyeuristic tendencies lurking. Just doing my job. :)
This would probably explain why Shane and I have never had bedroom furniture. Ever. I mean we have a bed on a frame, but none of the extras. The rest of the house is furnished, all with furnishings of which we paid for in cash or received as gifts. However, every time we are about to get bedroom furniture, something else comes up that we decide to use the extra cash for. (backyard fence, plane tickets, root canals...) So....why not just get it on credit? No interest for 3 years! The thought of this gives me heart palpitations.

Why? After reading hundreds and hundreds of bankruptcies this one piece of information embedded itself in me. EVERY SINGLE person filling bankruptcy claimed a debt to a furniture company. Every single one.
Now, I really am not judging anyone who buys things on credit. No interest for 3 years is a pretty good deal. I obviously just have some major debt issues. Luckily, Shane and I are on the same page here so no major marital strife. But at the same time our bedroom has sat empty. Until now! Check our newly furnished bedroom..... complements of Craig's List. $400!!! I am so very excited. And at least the bedding is from Pottery Barn.

(Got you will that teasing blog title huh?)
The wood all matches. I was just playing with the color of one of the photos and made it too light. Are you thinking, wow, that armoire is huge? Yes, it is. Shane had to cut it in half to get it into the room. Nice. And that is herbal tea on the tray. No one have an aneurysm saying that I lied in my previous "no coffee for me" blog. I was just trying to "magazine up" the room a tad. 5 minutes after this photo was taken, there were princess books scattered everywhere and a two year old jumping on the bed.

8 comments:

Robyn said...

What a steal. You got a beautiful set. Jealous of the pottery barn bedding. We have the mattress on a frame thing going on too.

April said...

my entire house is furnished from craigslist or KSL.com...I will never buy furniture brand new...so did you know you can have your own staging business? Realtors will hire someone to come into the homes they are selling to rearrange- decorate- the house so it is more appealing...you should look into that Natalie- you would be so good at that

Natalie Jane said...

Thanks April. But actually, I would really suck at that. I cannot do home design. I just get a Pottery Barn catalog and copy...

Threeundertwo said...

I adore Craigslist. My husband is tired of moving all the furniture I keep finding there. Your bedroom set is awesome!

The Pyper Fam said...

I received my jewelery! I L-O-V-E it! Thank you so much! I will definitley be back for more! And I Love your bedroom furniture--its beautiful! I really does look like a room out of a Pottery Barn magazine-you're good! :) We have a lot of furniture from Craigslist that I just love!
Thanks again!
Taraka

kristi lee said...

Looks fab, dear!

Rebecca said...

Hi, Natalie. Thanks for stopping by "Meanwhile" - we could probably correspond for hours about Ina - she rocks. Sorry it took so long to come over to yours - we've been on vacation. You've got great style - the layout is adorable.

Joy said...

Don't you just feel like a real grown up when you can walk into a beautiful bedroom every night and rest assured knowing that it's all paid for! Hooray for you! It looks beautiful.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...