buying a mattress

We need to purchase a new box spring and mattress set. I always hate the process because I feel like you can't tell what will be a good fit if you don't live with it for a while. What tricks do you have and/or what do you look for when you're buying a bed? What did you think you think you'd like in the store and discovered you hated once you got it home? And if you own one of those fancy as seen on tv ones (like a sleep number or temperpedic), do you love it? Hate it? Practical advice please! We'll be shopping in January. I've read the reviews and researched how to shop, but I'm curious what your experiences have been.

Can you put off the purchase till February? I have to check my memory but I believe it is February that all the mattresses go on sale, like the cheapest you can get them all year.

Anyway, my husband travels so he keeps mental notes on the different mattresses at the hotels. He says the sleep numbers are nothing more than over priced inflatable mattresses with a fancy topper.

Oh, my husband has a bad back so mattresses are his thing.

Our next will be a memory foam type. I don't say tempurpedic because there are a lot of very good off name brands on the market now.

Currently we have a Serta perfect sleeper with the memory foam top. I love it because it gives me squish with firmness.

Re:what happened, it is the same material all the way through but it is much thicker and doesn't give as easily. I have laid on them, pretty much my waist goes down about an inch, my hip deeper. This would be laying on my side, so somehow it does support you but it doesn't have the pressure points that a traditional mattress has.

If I could get my husband on here he could explain everything about them. He has been researching them for years.

My parents and my girlfriend all have Sleep Numbers. My parents even got one for their motor home they love it so much.

My girlfriend and her husband - ALL of their beds in their home are Sleep Number - they aren't the cheap ones either..they just bought the oldest son one for Christmas - $2100...keep in mind the "frame" around the mattress is soft.

My sister has a Temper-pedic. It was hard at first for her to adjust to it - but now she loves it. It was weird to have "softness" all around.

We just bought a mattress after 15 years....WWWAAAAAAYYY past due!! We went to the store with our sheets - I know - but my husband HATES to have the sheets creep on him...and with our old mattress, they were creeping...and I hate it when the top sheet is too short! LOL!!

We went in comfortable clothes and laid on the mattresses....we also sat on the mattresses...putting our shoes on, etc. We ended up buying a Sealy - it was on sale and out the door was $900 including delivery and take away.

We didn't just "lay" on the mattresses...we moved, giggled, etc. and we also put the sheets on...the sales guy laughed but he saw the method to our madness and liked it. I would say we spent about 1.5 hours laying on the mattresses.

Hope this helps!

i was skeptical too when we went for the sleep number. it's so hard to tell just by bouncing on the bed in the store, and even in sleep number store, you just lie there for a few minutes while they fiddle with the controls. sleeping is a whole different proposition, and the sleep numbers are so expensive!
but sleep is really, really important. after years of aching backs and broken sleep, we were ready to invest in something that would help.
and the sleep number has been worth every penny. we got a mid-range one, and we're both still tweaking our sides years later to try and achieve the perfect number (i think it varies), but overall we're extremely satisfied and would gladly get another one.
khairete
suz

My back was killing me, so I told my husband we were buying a tempurpedic, so we ended up getting a mid-high end model. Best decision ever! My hips stopped hurting, my spine stopped hurting, always get great sleep. After testing it in the store, I didn't think I'd like it because of the sinking down feeling, but I can't sing it enough praises.

Mattress also came with pillows. I didn't think I'd like them, but it took about 3 days of trying them out, and neck pain was gone and I love it.

I have a mattress with a memory foam topper. My H hates it because it's not firm enough. I hatted it when I was going through hot flashes and that sucker is way too hot!

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Temperpedic hands down. Love it.

I bought a mattress a few years ago and after a short time I didn't like it anymore. Bummer. Just the thought of going through the process again was too much. Instead I bought a mattress topper and it's been heaven. No more back and hip pain and when it wear out I'll just replace it with another $80 topper.

I also hate it. This last time I told hubby I wanted a softer mattress and as for the rest I didn't care, I was tired of shopping and being confused. You truly cannot tell how it feels all night long until you sleep on it for weeks.

What I found through the process of buying a bed 3 times.

You get what you pay for when it comes to beds. If you go to those cheap places and buy a super duper king size bed for $200 you're going to be buying another super duper king size bed in a year or so, less time if you're above a pretty normal size. They are made cheaply to keep the cost down for people who don't have a chunk of money to invest in something long lasting.

The good thing about that is if you hate the bed it's not going to last for too long so you can get something different pretty quickly.

Then there are the mid priced range of beds. These are made to last years, not 20 years, but they will last and be your bed for a long long time.

These range for $500-$2000(ish). They are name brands and are made very well. These are what most people invest in.

Then there are the premium beds that cost more. The cream of the crop, top banana...lol.

You can invest thousands of dollars on your bed. If you have the money go for it. I hate to say that but it is soooooooo worth it. Go for the best. Go to the best reputation store, the one that has a guarantee for comfort.

Temperpedic.

Visualize a marshmallow. Think of how squishy it is. How soft. Okay, imagine it's been sitting for a while and is sort of tougher. Not hard just tougher. Where you squish it and it doesn't go in so easily. That's similar to what a Temperpedic is like. It's squishy but not like bread dough that gives and gives and gives until it's flat. More like a day old marshmallow that's been exposed to a little air.

I love my new bed. I am heavy, very heavy. I can't lay down flat and hubby had open heart surgery so he needs his feet elevated. We got a split king with all the benefits. OH MY GOD! I couldn't do it. I told hubby it was crazy to spend that sort of money. Totally crazy. He put it off for months because I just couldn't cope with that much money.

He finally wore me down though. I had went and purchased the Sealy we had before. It was a higher cost bed, maybe $500 from around 1999-2000. I had laid on it when shopping and thought the pillow top would be soft. It had a pillow top on each side so it could be flipped too. It was so hard when I got on it that I eventually started sleeping on the couch. It caused me pain.

I knew I didn't want to be responsible for buying the next bed. I had not done a good job the last time.

Our new split king bed is great. I have a softer side and his is firmer but not the maximum. We both get what we want and can sleep. That's the most important thing. Being able to sleep and wake up not sore is the most important thing.

The logistics of intimacy....are workable. Being in 2 beds, side by side, it's not all that.....set up for snuggling all night. You pretty much have your side and he has his. There are your bottom sheet and his bottom sheet. I have gotten out of the habit of using top sheets with this set up. I use a blanket and he uses a sheet that is not tucked in. He can be as cold as he wants and I can be snuggled up in a comforter.

It's nice for sleeping. It's okay for sneaking a foot out and rubbing his legs to feel him during the night.

We both sleep in a position where our heads are raised and our feet are higher too. Not the same levels but still raised.

I think a company that stands behind it's furniture is the only way to go. If the mattress or box springs are damaged by a spill, a kiddo that has an accident during a diaper change, etc...then they won't honor any agreement. But if the bed is protected by a high quality cover it will make it last longer.

The only thing I have come across is that I am warmer at night on the mattress pad. It reflects my body heat back to me. I wish it didn't. I would prefer to have had some sort of pad that had cooling gel in it.

I used a Sleep Number bed at a vacation rental--- if you don't 'know' your sleep number, my guess is that you are screwed. Worst nights of sleep. And if you try to adjust it, mechanical pumping 'wrrrrrrr'... obviously, unless you want your spouse to wake, you are committed.

We have a Sealy mattress and box springs. Got them at a close-out (the business was moving) last summer. I like it, but memory foam? It' doesn't always "un-remember" you, so there is a 'higher ground' area in the middle of the bed. No perfect mattress, huh?

My husband & I had pillow top mattresses for years. We are not "small" people, & they'd get craters where we both laid, & lost support. Plus, my husband likes to flop down on the bed, & every move would send me rolling.

We looked into getting a Tempurpedic, but it was so cost prohibitive. So instead we got a memory-foam mattress through Sam's club.

The memory foams now come in different firmness levels. We got one that was more firm than soft, & had a thick layer of cooling gel. This helps keep you from getting too hot when sleeping, due to the difference in 'breatheability' of the mattress.

The mattress we got came highly reviewed by people, some who had Tempurpedic, some who used pillowtops before, and the price was right (under $500 for a king, delivered).

If you have back problems, do seriously consider a memory foam, they do 'sink' as you lay on them, but only to the point of support, & then they continue to support you through the night, without bending your spine (esp if you are a side sleeper!).

Sweet Dreams... Tara =-)

I despise my sleep number and don't recommend it. Costco will let you return your mattress if you don't like it at any point, even years later. I wish I could afford to buy a new one. Even a cheap one would be better than the sleep number.

one person said they are nothing but overpriced air mattresses. Well let me tell you, my husband assembled ours to save money and he knew right then and there - it was nothing more than an air mattress with a topper. You like a soft mattress? You'll hate the sleep number because it only gets saggy not soft. Remember, its nothing more than an air mattress. If you like firm, you will like it just fine. That is if your pump does not break in the middle of the night or you are not bothered by the ever so silent noise of the pump keeping up air pressure all night long. I am so angry we bought one. Also, there is a hump in the middle of the bed. Oh, and if you do the "soft" setting, the edge of the bed collapse a little for an overall delapitated look. "Your sleep number my ##%#$%!" Its been 7 years and my perfect sleep number still alludes me.

I highly, highly recommend Keetsa! A smaller company that has grown a lot recently, they make eco-friendly mattresses and pillows without toxic chemicals, and most important, the most comfortable mattress we have ever slept on! Not terribly pricey either, considering. $1200 for our queen-size, and it was not even the cheapest mattress they have. You don't need a box spring. They are guaranteed for 10 years. We got the Tea Leaf Classic, which is somehow firm enough for him and squishy enough for me at the same time - we are both in love with our bed.

DO NOT GET THE SLEEP NUMBER!!! Several of my friends bought this and HATE it. They have had nothing but problems, every single one of them, and the customer service is terrible with replacement/fixes.

I used to work in a furniture store and sold mattresses. A good mattress set will run $2000 + and the warrenty is usually 10 years.

A pillow top and a plush top are basically the same mattress, just put together differently. Memory foam does nothing for the comfort of your mattress, it just springs back to shape and it looks like it doesn't sag. Memory foam is HOT, if you are getting close to peri-menpause or in menapause and going through hot flashes or night sweats avoid memory foam.

Since your mattress is worn out any mattress you try is going to feel better than the one you have. So spend some time and try out many mattresses.

I have a Simmons and highly recommend Simmons especially for couples. They truly do help if your partner is a restless sleeper and tosses and turns alot or if you go to bed at different times. You honestly do not feel the other person move or when they get in or out of bed.

I agree with Wild Woman. Plan on taking your time. We hired a babysitter and took half a day. We brought our pillows and laid down for long stretches on each mattress (at least ten minutes per bed). We laid like we slept. We felt ridiculous but it is a big purchase. We did a name brand conventional set, not sleep number, memory foam, etc. For what it's worth memory foam was too hot for us. We like firm so a conventional set worked best for us. We bought from a store which gave us a 30 or 45 day return policy. Good luck.

I just bought a new mattress last week at ikea. We were able to find a king size for $350. I'm sure there are plenty of other better brands out there but we were on a tight budget. So far it seems great. It literally took us about 6 hours in the store trying out all the ones they had. The people working there were great and very helpful and knew how to answer every question we had. I am very happy with our purchase!

We have had our Tempurpedic for just about a year now and both my husband and I remark almost nightly that it has been one of the best investments we have ever made. We LOVE this bed. And I haven't had any problem with it seeming hotter than our previous bed.

We did purchase the Tempurpedic brand mattress pad for $100. Figured with the amount we paid for the bed it was well worth the money to make sure we were protecting it the best way possible.

And the bed is very supportive - forms to your body so no aches when you wake up.

We bought a new posturepedic gel memory foam mattress set about 2 months ago. I was never a fan of the memory foam mattresses I had tried before (laid on a few in the stores while shopping for new mattresses for our kids' beds the past couple of years). They felt too... grippy(?)...

This one has some sort of gel stuff in it that is supposed to keep it from retaining body heat and making you get hot. Which is a big deal living in the south where we have to run the a/c about 9 or 10 months out of the year to stay comfortable.

Of course, we started out lying down on the lower priced models... and slowly tried out the nicer ones. Lie on any mattress for at least 10 minutes, if you think it might be something you like. Some of them are like bricks and you don't need but 5 seconds to know they aren't "the one". But the softer ones can be misleading if you rush the process. I actually don't like the bed to be too soft.

We ended up with a middle of the road one. Not the bottom cheapest one; not the top of the line most expensive one, either. There were, I think, 5 models, and ours was the middle one in price.

The actual mattress is only about 10 inches tall, which meant I needed new sheets as well. Our old mattress was way over sized and needed almost special order sheets to fit properly (like 19 or 21 inches... I can't remember it's been so long since I bought any new sheets for that monstrosity). This one, I can buy sheets anywhere (that sells 100% cotton, lol).

So far, so good. It sleeps very well. I only wish they sold the pillows that they have on the display models. Apparently those are not available for sale, but only are for use in the showrooms and are not an actual "product". THOSE things ROCKED.

We spent about $1300 on a Veteran's Day sale for Queen sized plus a box spring (it was part of the special deal, too). Sleeping much better than before. And this newer kind doesn't seem to "grab" you like the earlier ones did. Those things felt weird to me.