Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Again?!

It's happened again. Our credit card has been compromised. It seems like we have to get a new one every six months or so. And what a pain entering our new number into all the places it has been saved. Which, by the way, is probably not how the number was stolen. Most likely, it is a clerk we handed it to who had a reader in their pocket or some other discreet place. But who knows? Theives are often some of the smartest people around and work hard on outsmarting the system. We're waiting for the new one to be mailed. At least, that's going to cut down on our spending for the week or so that it takes for it to arrive. :)

But before our credit card number was stolen, we bought new furniture with it. We got two sofas and a loveseat. This is the most furniture we have ever bought at one time, and we approached the shopping in a whole different way. Instead of agonizing over whether we were choosing the right one, we chose what seemed reasonable. We went to the clearance room of a couple of decent furniture stores and chose what was in stock and marked down. No gnashing teeth over picking the "right" fabric. Good enough was good enough.

The new sofa

However, this was a very difficult exercise for us, especially me. But I kept thinking about what a friend told me years ago. She doesn't worry too much about whether she is getting the very best quality or style when she buys a sofa or other furniture because, in 10 years or so, she will be tired of it and want something new. And if she had spent a lot of money on it, she wouldn't feel like she was able to do that. But even with that philosophy, I know us. We will probably have these new sofas for decades to come. At least, that's our history.

The main sofa we sat on was 30+ years old. The fabric was worn through, and the springs were popping up. They had been for years. We got a cover for it and put a piece of plywood under the cushions to help. Then, it just felt like we were sitting on a board. Ward finally said enough is enough. We had been waiting until we didn't have cats anymore, but we are fortunate to have some very long-lived ones. However, Annie is old enough that she is not able to do most of the furniture-destroying things cats do, so we decided to take the plunge.

And the sofa shuffle went something like this. The very old sofa in the family room is gone. The sofa that was in the living room was moved to the family room. It's in good shape except for the sides that the cats shred. A good cover has taken care of that. The sofa and loveseat that were in the basement were Theo's are now in his new place. Those have been replaced with a new sofa and loveseat. Which, BTW, are the same as the living room sofa. We have the option of switching things around if we want. 

New furniture that's not beat up or uncomfortable is a wonderful luxury to have, and we are enjoying the newness of it all.

There. I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know about our furniture when I could have just said, "We got a new sofa." And "Our credit card was compromised."

But unfortunately for you, you had to read to the end to get the shortened version. :)

Until next time...


13 comments:

  1. You sound like us. When we bought a new sofa, after decades and 1 reupholstering of the first sofa we ever bought, at first I was sort of worried that I might not pick "the right" one. Then I realized it did not really matter. If I hated it a few years down the road, I could always buy another. Meanwhile the one I bought is not the couch of my dreams, but it is comfortable and doesn't look bad.
    And our first ever sofa is now living in Nashville at Son3's house

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    1. I'm not sure what the couch of my dreams would be. Sectional, lounging sofas are what's popular and dominate the choices these days. I like a comfy sofa as much as the next person, but I wonder who has room to accommodate the huge units. Space was one of our considerations.

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    2. Just a thought .... I think it's important to consider how easy it is to sit and stand from your couch. I deal with this all the time with my patients--standing from a higher seated surface is easier and allows people to be more independent. Also, some orthopedic surgeries have very specific limitations on the angle of your hip joint (hip replacement, for example) and, depending on your own height, higher is generally better. Your sofa looks like an appropriate height--low, squishy sofas are the bane of my professional existence. :) That and tri-level homes. All.those.steps.

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    3. I think this sofa would do fairly well as for basic seating to get in and out of. We shall see when my FIL comes to visit as he has a lot of problems standing from a seated position. His own couch is not good for that, but he doesn't want to change it. :(

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  2. That's so frustrating! Makes me wonder if it would be safer to go old school and pay for items with cash (which I often do for minor purchases). It's so much more convenient to use a card--until it isn't, I guess.

    I like your new sofa. We seem to go through sofas a lot. I had a nice one from my single days when we got married, but the movers dropped it on the stairs of our apartment and it was never right after that. The back of it collapsed when we sat on it, so I went to a clearance center and got another one. Even though it was from a quality store, the fabric didn't last well at all. I used a sofa cover for years (which, at the time, was handy, since I had babies/toddlers). In January of 2020 I came to the realization that our kids were close to adult size and our furniture was no longer comfortable, so I ordered a sofa and 2 chairs. It was delivered to us in March, about two weeks into the lockdown. I was nervous to allow the movers into our space but it all worked out well, and it was a true blessing to have comfortable furniture since we were all at home all the time.

    And that's my furniture-ordering saga! I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of yours.

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  3. I'm so sorry your credit card was compromised! I had that happen to me, years ago, with a card that had expired! Fortunately, the bank reimbursed my account and issued me a new card. I had not even activated the new card when it was compromised, too! Not even sure how that's possible! I cancelled the card. For years, after that, I would not use a credit card - I wrote a check for bigger amounts and paid in cash for smaller amounts. When the pandemic hit and we needed to order stuff like groceries, the stores required a credit card and my daughter used her card (and I'd reimburse her at the end of the month). It is only since May of this year that I started to use a new credit card! I use it almost exclusively to pay the vet bills, because it is easier than writing a check with a very vocally protesting and hyperventilating cat in his carrier!
    I do like your new sofa! It looks very comfortable and I like the color, too. I am considering getting new sofas for the living room - the current set is over 25 years old, the upholstery has been shredded, and my daughter complains that they are not comfortable. Considering is about as far as I've gotten! Actual shopping for the set will probably take another 6 months! :D

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    1. Looks like we're not the only ones who hold onto furniture maybe longer than we should if the comments here are any indication. Good luck with shopping for a new sofa. Maybe you can toss around some ideas when your daughter comes to visit.
      We used our credit card sometimes for big purchases before, but all of the online purchases that happened during COVID pushed us into using it most of the time. We're still trying to figure out if the convenience is worth the trade off, as Kris mentioned.

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  4. Oh, I hate that happened to ya'll again. We have been through it at least three times in the last few years. It's so frustrating! Hoping you can get it all sorted out soon. I love the new couch! We did exactly the same. I looked at a furniture store's mark down room and found ours. It was big and beautiful and just the right price! I don't know why it was marked down. We hold on to furniture a long time, too. I'm sure ya'll will enjoy this new couch immensely!

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    1. We had another couch we were interested in, but it was sold just before we said we wanted it. But this one will work well, I think. We're already enjoying it.

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  5. Looks nice with the rug out front. My neighbors have continual trouble with credit card number theft and are always replacing them again. They shop online constantly and think it gets stolen on bad sites. I have no idea.

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    1. Since the pandemic, we have done a fair amount of shopping online. But who knows how it all works? I just know credit card compromise is a fairly common occurrence, unfortunately.

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  6. Congratulations! We have had our credit card compromised once while traveling in Arizona. What a hassle! We ordered a new couch and loveseat a few weeks ago. There was a 5 week wait to get it, with luck, we will get ours next week!

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    1. Enjoy your new sofa and loveseat. We have always ordered them before, so this is a new way of shopping for us. I kinda like it. :)

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