Frugal Downside - All my stuff is old

CapricornLass

We're not ones for changing things without good reason either.  My cooker is 10 years old, although I had to replace my fridge/freezer (19 years old) and my washing machine (about 8 years old, I think) after both  gave up the ghost.  But my bed is over 25 years old, our Ercol settees and chairs are 40 years old although I have replaced cushions and covers once, and the seat webbing at least twice.  And I have a pine circular table from IKEA which we bought in the early 90s, which is battered and scratched, but I've hung on to as I can put two leaves in and have 10 people round it comfortably.  I don't think I could buy its equivalent from IKEA today

I've now inherited bits from my mother - a nest of tables - and a corner chair that originally belonged to my grandmother.  I think judging from the style comes from the 1920s.

But I do draw the line at second hand mattresses.

weenancyinAmerica

My mother bought my mattress when I was in High School - 60 years ago. She bought the best she could afford at the time - and it still as firm as ever. I have two wooden 2-drawer file cabinets I bought about the same time. I also bought some folding bookcases within the next five years after that. And I paid for a wing chair 10 years ago which I bought used for $35 at a church bazaar. All the rest of my furniture was inherited, some from grandparents, given to me by friends, or am armchair  and desk neighbors gave us that were destined for the trash. Even the stuff in the cabinets are old since I bought much of it when I moved to my own place 50 years ago or was inherited from my parents. There are pieces that I have picked up at charity shops, but nothing was bought new. Even the car I drive is a 2003 model, bought by my parents used in 2004, which I inherited. It had been a rent-a-car previously. My roommate's car was left when his girlfriend moved to Texas and used it to pay her part of the rent. It is a 1992 model.
Even all three of our pets came from the Animal Control Shelter over time. We like it that way. I panic in new furniture stores and am concerned about what shoddy workmanship I see there. 

MikeJXE

How the other half lives

I can honestly say my oldest items I own are no more than 5 years old 

Except for my car which is 7 but I bought it 4 years ago

And of course me at 83 lol 

Siebrie

I like secondhand stuff, proper wood, sturdily built, although I tend to go for 'elegant' rather than 'chunky'. Husband, however, is drooling in IKEA, admiring the laminated cardboard furniture that looks nice until the first unfixable dent, and then looks poorly for the next 10 years....

Rosa_Damascena

Siebrie said:

I like secondhand stuff, proper wood, sturdily built, although I tend to go for 'elegant' rather than 'chunky'. Husband, however, is drooling in IKEA, admiring the laminated cardboard furniture that looks nice until the first unfixable dent, and then looks poorly for the next 10 years....

Ikea has a place, and is particularly suited to those setting up a new home for the first time. As we grow older, our tastes develop and we develop individual styles.

Having said that, their Billy bookcases are a classic. First bought by me 22 years ago, been transported and look as good as new. Repeated the exercise for a wall in my home library the year before last, they look good and were a darned site less expensive than going bespoke / the chippie quote I got. It is my joyful place. (2 of the other 3 walls have lots of old-fashioned bookcases).

Siebrie

IKEA has changed the material they make their furniture from; old Billy bookcases used to be solid wood, but they are now laminated pressed wood or cardboard. If you treat the furniture carefully, that doesn't pose a problem. My husband does not treat furniture carefully. Proper wood I can fix, but modern IKEA is generally unfixable.

Floss

My current Billys are laminated chipboard but I bought some sturdier ones in 1988 that survived 3 house moves and were finally sold to new owners in 2006. 

annieb64

DD and her partner stuck moulding on the edges of their Billy bookcases . They look really good .

Floss

Mine have doors & fairy lights 😁

skogar

4 new items of furniture here - bought 20 years ago (a 3 piece suite and a pine dresser) other than those all the furniture is 2nd hand and of a wide age range. Oldest bits are probably about 1800 up to relatively recent but decent quality. Always bought 2nd hand and usually relatively old furniture as it was easy to get good quality furniture at a sensible price - also I tend to find the older stuff more interesting.

If your furniture etc is practical and works for you then great. If you could have a larger dining table in a room it doesn't really matter that your dining table is smaller if you don't need to seat that many people. A smaller table will leave you with more space which may be more convenient. It has already been mentioned that you can have a larger top that you put on under a nice cloth if occasionally you need a larger table or if you need a larger table regularly it may make more sense to replace it. Good quality dining tables can often be found very reasonably if you are prepared to wait for something that suits.

The odd thing I find is because I buy things second hand so much I have no idea of the actual price of things!