Sep 06 2010
After 100 days of being married we decided it was time to buy our first couch together. Kristina really had her heart set on a sectional. After looking at a couple of big furniture chains we came away uninspired. Everything we found was boring and didn’t fit our idea of the right sectional sofa. On Saturday we decided to go look at Belfort Furniture out by the Dulles airport in Sterling, Virginia.
Belfort is like Disney World for furniture. They have four different showrooms with all kinds of different styles and options. We were browsing their clearance section when we spotted this modern, tan, two-piece sectional.
The fabric is microfiber, which is easy to clean as well as comfortable against the skin. Most of the other microfiber furniture had a suede texture but this piece had a kind-of tweed texture to it. This stood out to us as it made the couch look a little more sophisticated. Plus suede can look weird on large furniture because it looks lighter or darker depending on how it is rubbed.
The cushions also felt better than the other sofas we tried. Our couch strikes the delicate balance of being firm yet comfy The cushions on another sectional that we looked at felt weak and we were worried they would become too mushy/clumpy after a couple of years of use.
We also got a giant ottoman to stretch out and rest our feet on. I like this better than a hard coffee table.
We got our three pieces of furniture to our place in Alexandria thanks to my dad and his pick-up truck. We had to tie the smaller section to the roof and put the ottoman in the back of the crew cab but we got everything home in one trip. We’re really happy with our furniture purchase and look forward to lounging out on it (just like I’m doing now writing this post) for years to come.
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Aug 26 2009
The cash for clunkers program was made for someone like me. My hand-me-down 1994 Mercury Villager minivan just barely qualified for the program by 1 mpg. I had always been contempt with my loveable clunker as I don’t drive very much. But when I started hearing hissing sounds when driving around in my van, I knew the cash for clunkers was the ideal way out. Unfortunately I came to this realization the week before the cash for clunkers program was scheduled to end.
Russell saying his final goodbye to his old minivan.
Cutting it close is an understatement as I was finally able to land a deal on Saturday morning, August 22nd. The cash for clunkers program officially ended two days later but many dealers were stopping Saturday night. Russel Toyota (no relation) was able to get me a Pacific Blue Rav4 that was in transit but still qualified for a $4,500 discount. Needless to say I jumped on the offer as every dealer within 100 miles was absolutely sold out of Rav4s.
I signed the paperwork, handed over the keys to my clunker, and updated my insurance in a 4 hour process. Since I no longer had a car, and my new one wasn’t there yet, the dealer gave me a loaner.
A Toyota Camry hybrid was my temporary ride until my Rav4 came in.
The loaner car was nice with leather seats and a built-in GPS system, but there were a few quirks. I was happy to part with the loaner car once my Rav4 was ready. Kristina and I picked it up last night just as the sun was setting.
The first morning home with the new car.
I’m happy I came out on top and I love my new car. The van did have one feature that I do miss: it was paid off!
Here are some of the 4×4 Rav4 stats for the car heads.
- 4×4, 2.5L 4-Cylinder, 4-Speed Automatic
- 179 hp @ 6000 rpm/172 lb.-ft. @ 4000 rpm
- 21-27 mpg
- Exterior: Pacific Blue Metallic
- Interior: Ash Fabric
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