Happy Monday, friends! Keeping it short and sweet today. This week I’m making my first trip to Ikea. No, I’m not kidding — I’ve really never been before! Anything I should check out or must know before going?
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Your first trip?? Oh wow…it will be overwhelming but I’m sure you will find something that you will love!!
you should be properly fueled and hydrated. and wear comfortable shoes. it’s basically a marathon but you leave with pretty, inexpensive things instead of a medal.
i also recommend you go in knowing what you want to come out with, but that’s just me!
Be prepared to be there for awhile. Grab a map — there are shortcuts! And you’re going to want to buy the entire store. It’s inevitable!
Pack snacks or eat there. I may or may not have had hunger related meltdowns while trying to make stressful home decisions.
(And now I’m going to go hide in a corner and pretend I didn’t just tell you that.)
Take snacks and water. No, seriously.
Have your blinders on. Know what you *need* or otherwise it’s easy to get distracted by all of the possibilities. I would give yourself freedom to take it all in, since it’s your first time, but with the mission at the forefront of your mind.
Take a notepad and a pencil to note the location of the items in the warehouse from the tags in the showroom.
Don’t eat the meatballs (see recent news reports.)
Measure your spaces beforehand and bring them with you. They have paper tape measures but I recommend bringing your own sturdy option.
If you’re considering purchasing anything, think about the long term availability of it. We have Billy bookcases that I’ve had for three years, and were able to add another when we moved to complete a space. Some of their “long term” lines are Billy, Expedit, and Pax. These pieces carry over year to year and you can add/subtract as needed when you move – I think this is one of the most attractive things about Ikea.
Ha, have fun! It really is kind of an event
Register online with their savings program. They have some good sales!
OMH, you’re in for a real treat…
1. Play “Like a Virgin” on the way there to get into the right mindset
2. Make sure you have a screwdriver and either a.) chocolate b.) wine or c.) anything that will calm your frustrations once you get home and start assembling things. Oh, an unsuspecting minion that you can trick into helping you with the assembling will help too
3. I’ve had a problem with shelves and dressers from Ikea. They tend to bow over time, so if you’re planning on using them to store slightly heavy things, I suggest going somewhere else.
Fun! You’ll find a lot of things that you “need” so make sure to go in with a clear idea of how much you want to spend.
Take pictures of the tags of things you are thinking about getting with your phone. It will help to have the exact bin numbers when you get to the warehouse at the end.
THE MEATBALLS ARE MADE OF HORSE! That’s all you need to know. But still, go to the cafeteria and fill up on meatballs and lingonberry juice. The furniture is just a distraction.
Um, what?
The faux fur sheepskin floor mats FOR SURE. The smallest one is like $10 and looks so good under our bar cart!
ooooh Ikea! I have a love/hate relationship with them. Such affordable stuff but always so exhausting. Make sure to go early and have fun! Hope you find lots of cute stuff
First and foremost … comfortable shoes! (I’ve learned this the hard way). Plan on being that person that follows the “path” throughout the entire store b/c you won’t want to miss a thing.
Kitchen section has great items to organize other parts of your home, especially the home office!
The grand-prize … you must get their vanilla ice cream for $1.00 on your way out! It’s so good!
Ah-mazing! Have a great time exploring! Be prepared to spend $10 on an item you never thought you would want but now have to have!
Meanwhile, I was giggling when I read this because much like you’ve never been to a heavy-hitter like Ikea, I’ve never been to Trader Joe’s!
I haven’t been to Trader Joe’s either, haha.
Haha! Phew! Glad I’m not the only one!