Do you remember those old couches your Grandma had? You know, the big fluffy ones with tacky floral prints? You can find the exact same version of those at AFW! Although they do have a few things here and there that look okay, you’ll regret buying any of it. Most of the store is filled with tacky junk that only the most tasteless of tasteless people would ever buy. For instance– the big sectional couch with a cooler and cheap radio built in? YEE-HAW, LETS GITS SUM BUDWIZERZ AND TURNS ON TEH NASCARS CLETUS!!!

When I was younger and buying my first new furniture, I unfortunately made the choice to shop at AFW because it was what I could afford at the time. I purchased a sleeper couch, and a dining set with 6 chairs. By year two, two of the chairs had broken, and the couch was starting to get a little frumpy looking.

By year three the springs started poking out of the backrest on the couch so I regulated it to only being for my dog. It was so uncomfortable that I bought some super cheap used furniture to replace it (until I recently replaced them).

By year four all of the chairs were broken, and the table literally fell into pieces as I was moving it out of the house to replace it with a new one. Each time I moved the couch it cut up my hands because of all of the nails and staples hanging-out of the bottom (even when it was new).

I didn’t buy the cheapest stuff in the store, nor am I someone who requires a crane to get me out of bed (maybe just a small truck), so there is really no reason the furniture should have deteriorated so quickly. Had I known then what I know now, I would have saved my money and looked for quality used furniture.

One thing that really bothers me is that their target market tends to be those who drive big SUV’s and trucks with “Support The Troops” ribbons all over them. However, it’s very interesting how said customers patriotism comes-up short when it comes to buying furniture. In fact, most of the time you can see the shipping containers from China sitting in the empty lot next to this store. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a racist or anything by any means (in fact I’m very liberal), I’m just a concerned US citizen who worries about our reliance on cheap foreign goods. The only thing that seems to be “American” in the American Furniture Warehouse are the customers– certainly not the merchandise.

If you’re looking for shoddily built, cheap, horrible looking furniture from China that will fall apart quickly, American Furniture Warehouse is the place for you! Otherwise, don’t be a sucker and try to save your money for something better or buy some quality used furniture off of craigslist.

s there a more maddening industry? They confuse us with silly product names (the Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel Fletcher Ultra Plush Pillowtop or the Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel Brookmere Plush?). They flummox us with bogus science (“pocketed coils”? “Microtek foundations”? “Fiberlux”?). And they weigh us down with useless features (silk damask ticking?). It’s like buying a used car, and almost as expensive—I’ve seen mattresses going for $7,000. What’s a consumer to do?

Link To Article

There is definately a lot of good information in here, including a few things I’ve adapted. For one I have a European style platform bed and have ditched the box springs. I also found myself nodding about the mattress being too thick, and eventually I’d like to replace mine with one that is much thinner. Lastly, I bought an inexpensive “memory foam” topper which really took the comfort level of my bed to the next level. I’ll elaborate on the topper in a future review (of which I already have a draft of).

The one that worked for me was to put the peeled onion in the freezer for ten minutes. Also, keeping them refrigerated is a listed option as well.

Another option which I haven’t tried, is to wear swimming goggles while chopping onions. Granted you’ll look kind of silly, but you’ll be able to chop onions like any other vegetable.

While I wouldn’t consider this to be the ultimate source of Farmer’s Markets listings, it does provide a good overview of the popular ones. Luckily they are in the process of updating it to a database driven listing, so hopefully it will have more options available in the future.

Why shop at Farmer’s Markets? You are supporting local families and giving them fair market value for their product, getting the freshest produce possible outside of growing it yourself, and sometimes you can even find products from organic farms. While I haven’t personally compared prices, I would imagine you can find some great deals, especially when buying in bulk.