PLEASE help me figure out how to spend this Gift Certificate!

[cristina47454]

We have a $250 GC from Sleepy's that expires TODAY. Can't believe we even remembered to dig it up.  It was a gift from FIVE years ago!

Anyway, DH says buying a mattress from a retail store is a rip off, but i wanted to ask you savvy  mamas how you would spend the money.

Just for background...we have three dds. The two older ones are in very nice bunk beds and share a room.  My 3yo is in her own room and is in a toddler bed.  We tried bunking her with the 7 yo for a couple of weeks, but she just wasn't ready and nighttime was a disaster.  At some point we'd like to give my oldest daughter her own room. But probably not for awhile (6months maybe?). It would also be nice to have the flexibility to have her room used as a guest room for the occasional grandparent visit.

But we aren't in a position to cash-flow any of this yet, so we're trying not to go too much over the $250.

SO the options are...

1) Trundle pop-up unit $120 + mattress $200ish (wait to find the daybed portion of it) = $320

2) Full bed set $500

3) Twin bed set $400

4) King bed frame $140 (probably could find much cheaper on craigslist, right?)

5) Two tempurpedic pillow  $260

DH thinks the pillows.  Not something we'd ever buy for ourselves, and that is what the GC was originally intended for. But I wonder if they're worth it??

HELP!!

[EmsMom]

Well, if the king size bed frame is something you really want/need, I would get that.  You might get it cheaper than retail somewhere else, but this way you are essentially getting it for free.  If I could manage to go over budget I would be planning ahead and use the money towards the twin bed for your daughter/guest room. 

If I had more than one day, I would have tried to sell the gift certificate!

[Knittin' in the Shade]

My first thought after reading your first sentence ws PILLOWS! :)  We got two tempurpedic pillows free when we bought our mattress, and they are a-w-e-s-o-m-e.

[Carson]

honestly, yes if they are real tempurpedic brand pillows, they are great.  we have one that we fight over and it has lasted 8 years so far.

bed frame is much cheaper on CL.  i'm confused at all the bed options you are posting - what exactly would you ultimately need in the future?

[cristina47454]

I guess we are trying to figure out how to fit out my eldest daughter's future bedroom.  Ideally, it would operate as a swing space, in that when the inlaws came for an extended visit, they'd be able to stay in her room, instead of on the couch. I think the most cost effective (and probably most comfortable) solution would be a daybed/pop-out trundle, although i am not a big fan of daybeds...

However, probably not really ready for the bedroom shuffle until my 3yo is closer to 4...

[eirual]

I vote pillows.

[cristina47454]

Pillow it is! Picked them out this evening, just under the wire. Proud of ourselves for remembering to use the GC.  Feels so weird to "spend" so much on pillows. Def. not something we'd ever think to buy for ourselves if not for the gift certificate.  We've been in debt-payoff mode for so long!

[EmsMom]

Good for you.  You got to let us know what the pillow experience is like!

[cristina47454]

Well crap.  They won't honor the GC (!).  WTH? The p/u date is 11/11/11 but the guy called and said although there is a record of the gc purchase in the system, the money isn't there.  They turned it over to the government (???) bcs the gc hadn't been used. Now what??? DH is planning on calling corporate on Monday, but is that the right avenue?

[ashleyhaugh]

does it say anything about non use fees on the back of the card? i know my heb card says something like $2/month after a year of no activity, then after 3 years (i think) of fees (or whenever the balance runs out) they turn it over to the government

[Polliwog]

I'd definitely call the customer service number and see what they say. Good luck.