hmm...if thrifting counts, mine was a vintage enamel-top 50s table, white with black flowers. i talked this sweet old woman down to $40 from $120 amidst the mountain of furniture in her little shop. she even helped me load it, and threw in 2 'matching' chairs.

but if that doesn't count, our sectional just purchased in May. i know, i know...everyone talks about how uncool sectionals are, but after surviving couch to futon to couch, we decided to splurge.

the best thing about it is that it has 3 functions in our tiny living room, a comfy seating area for up to 8, a built-in bookcase along the entire back which doubles as a landing strip for us.

oh...and the fact that we got it on clearance for $600 from $2000 wasn't so bad either.

I haven't bought a big piece yet... I'm only 23 and if I had the income I'm sure I would have bought too many by now. Plus my style is constantly changing at the moment. Hopefully by my late twenties I'll know exactly what I want and will be able to afford it! Hopefully it will be washable like yours, that'll help me on my messy spill days. :/

Alyssa- Coolproducts.com

I'm 30 and still haven't bought anything that gives me the feeling you describe -- that antsy, anxious feeling. Lots of hand-me-downs still in my space. Maybe one day...

10 years ago at the ripe old adult age of 35 I fell in love with a a danish sofa from 1957. My husband and I bought it and that's how much it cost us, too. We had been searching for a couch and found it in a small vintage shop—beautiful aqua colored fabric cushions resting atop a teak frame, with removable arms to convert it into a twin-sized bed. That was (and still is) the most expensive piece of furniture we've ever purchased, and although it desperately needs to be recovered right now, it's withstood pets, kids, many overnight guests and more. I expect it to last at least until my 9 year old is old enough to move out and want it. Definitely a smart buy.

I was 23, in grad school, and moving in with my boyfriend (we are still together). I bought 4 Mart Stam cantilevered chairs in black leather, a Togo 3-seater and pouff, a Tizio lamp and an award-winning Canadian halogen floor lamp (that was a disaster because the transformer was on the plug). I also bought flatware (which I am trying to get rid of because 20 years later I hate it), Kosta Boda Gold Line crystal, and some Espirit bedding (which didn't last long) and towels (which did last).

I saved a long time before buying any of this stuff (fortunately, my scholarships were enough for school).

I was 21 and just moved into my first apartment without roommates. I bought a black leather sofa from Ikea. This was back in the day when you could only get $300 a day from the ATM and no one had a check card. I had to go to the ATM four days in a row to get enough money. Then I literally almost passed out after paying for it. I started sweating and getting light-headed as the cashier rung me up. She was the sweetest, older lady who gave me encouraging words about growing up and becoming independent. Almost 15 years later, I still have and love that sofa mostly because of what it symbolizes.

21. Because I didn't want an ugly futon for a sofa. Or an uncomfortable IKEA sofa that wouldn't make the move from the inevitable apartment moves.

My biggest furniture purchase was earlier this year, my new bed frame and mattress. I'm 30. Everything else in my place is either Craigslist, Ikea or Homesense (Canadian HomeGoods).

I had planned for my first big purchase to be my sofa a few years ago, but then when I stumbled across the exact sofa I wanted (Mitchell Gold Alex) on CL for $200, that went out the window.

@Sarah Rae - What is this magic washable non-Ikea couch? I'm most curious after your description in the 'washing post' of cleaning not just the cushion covers, but also removing and washing the body panels. Please help a gal with pets and a toddler!

I bought my Cobra table lamp by Elio Martinelli when I was about twenty seven. It set me back almost 1.000 guilders (about 450 euros) but worth every penny.

At age 22, in 1985, I paid $1,000 for a made in Canada solid mahogany dresser by Gibbard. Their pieces were always on the expensive side but were very high quality and extremely well made. I've never tired of it. A few days ago, I saw one on Craigslist for $125. I don't think the younger-folk appreciate quality nowadays, they'd rather buy Ikea.

I was almost 29 and entering graduate school when I realized my good ol' futon wasn't quite going to cut it anymore with the long nights writing and researching. I finally decided I deserved my first piece of truly comfortable, adult furniture and bought a gorgeous mid century style sofa with chaise from room and board. I'm very proud of it and hoping it'll last for years to come!

I lived in Pittsburgh for 3 years, and when I moved home to Canada, I made the splurge and spent $5000 on custom built Amish furniture. They made a table with a bench and five matching chairs, a matching high chair, and a king size bed and matching tall dresser and full-length mirror. I got to draw up what I wanted, and they made it from my picture and measurements. They will remain in my family forEVER!! I was only 24!! :)

My husband and I bought a for "real bed" frame with a headboard and a fancy "for real" mattress after we got married last year at 30. It has been a great first adult purchase.

I remember that post! I loved your place!

I'm 27 and still don't have any permanent furniture that cost me more than a couple hundred, at *most*. I do have a Danish dining set that I really love, bought from a former boss for $50. I will keep that if I can! I'm probably in the same position that you were - I move constantly. I've had a different apartment for almost as many years as I've been out of my parent's house - nearly 10 now! My nomadic ways will come to an end probably in a few years, when I've finished grad school and have a reliable job. So, probably same as you, when I'm in my early 30s it will be time for some more hefty furniture purchases - looking forward to it, but also will feel apprehension at spending more than $100 a piece!

I have always believed in living with less and purchasing when you have found something you really like-the whole quality vs quantity and less is more approach. I was 24 when I purchased a very comfy mattress set. I lived with it on the floor while I saved for months for a frame. I then commisioned a furniture maker to craft me a timeless shaker style cherry pencil post bed which I had wanted for several years. It goes with everything and even though many years later one of my kids fell off and hurt herself from the higher than average perch, we could not get rid of it. We just chopped the legs down several inches. The less accident prone kid has it in her lovely bedroom now....

I'm sad to admit that at 38 I have yet to purchase any of the furniture that my girlfriend and I have been pining for since we moved in together - over 3 years ago. Main problem: good taste based on knowledge acquired as designers, but with a designer's income.
It's a cruel fact that those who can better appreciate truly good design are typically unable to afford it.
Our solution was to design our own instead. Frankly, we've done very well. Perhaps this way we may save enough for the Saarinen Tulip table or the Eames La Chaise.

I can't help myself, I have to point out that when you say you're 30 years old, there should be no hyphens. If you say you're a 30-year-old, then in come the hyphens.

I'm 26 and my biggest furniture purchase has been a $100 chair. Granted I did buy an $800 mattress/boxspring set 4 years ago so that was probably my 1st.

@elalexid

not sure where you're located, but yesterday I saw this ad for the eames chaise for $3000 OBO. the guy says he's moving so is motivated to sell. just thought i'd mention it cuz it's an awesome offer for the real thing!

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2452730718.html

Not exactly furniture, but when I was 25, I traveled to Turkey and fell in love with the rugs. So I bought one. To this day (5 years later), it remains the most expensive household item I've bought. I love it dearly, and have built the rest of my living room around it. But in that moment of buying it, I nearly had a heart attack. I was alone in Turkey uncertain whether I was getting ripped off and about to spend more money than I'd ever spent on anything before. Thankfully, it all worked out.

I was 24 years old when I bought my first piece of furniture. I found this gorgeous side board/buffet at Salvation Army for $50. But I couldn't buy it until my husband saw it. So I kept trying to drag him in there but he wouldn't budge until we could actually afford buying the side board. I was pretty sad, it was 2 weeks to his next paycheck.

Every day I would go into Salvation Army and look longingly at it. Well, as the weeks went by, the price went from $50 to $40 to $30 to $20. Then, on the first day of the month my husband got paid and I dragged him to the thrift store.

When we got there, there was a %70 off sign on everything in the store. There was NO way that the sideboard would still be there. But it was! He loved it (Thank God!) and we ended up buying it for $7! When we brought it home, we found the original price tag from Salvation Army in a drawer. They wanted to sell it for $120!

It isn't the BEST as far as quality wood goes. However, it is a nice solid piece of furniture. It has a mid century modern style and we love it. It was my first piece of real furniture that I actually bought and I am pretty darn proud of it!

30. Water bed. It was a disappointment, as were the subsequent futon matresses and traditional spring mattress. I finally buckled and paid more than I wanted to spend for a bed on my Sleep Number mattress, which has worked well. I would have saved money if I'd just bought it first, but didn't know that until I'd tried cheaper options.

I was in my 20's, and I bought velvet sofas from Henredon. I couldn't afford them at the furniture store, so I got the fabric number, and ordered two sofas directly from Henredon. I had to pay upfront, and they were made to order. Six months later, my living room had sofas. I LOVED THEM. But it was nerve wracking. What if I was off a number or letter in the fabric code. They could have arrived covered in pink polka dots.

Now that I had my nerve up, I ordered Henredon red lacquered chairs for the dining room. I had found the secretary at 90% off at a designer only warehouse sale, so I wanted matching chairs for the dining room. I couldn't afford the chairs at retail, so I special ordered them. Six months later, they arrived.

The furniture has moved with me seven times, and it has worked well in every setting. I'm very happy I had the courage to order direct.

After college and upon getting hired to my first "real" job I bought a real leather couch on sale at a modern high end furniture store that was going out of business. I put it on credit and paid it off, interest free in 1 year. It made me sick to my stomach to do it but i treasure that couch. For about a year i slept on it because I didn't have a bed!

oh, yeah, I was 23

hmm..26 after buying my apt...splurged on an atlantico/de la espada bed..still so in love with it

At 32 I bought a beautiful bedroom set for a huge amount of money which was much too large to fit into the house I moved to after my marriage broke up. 20 years later my ex is still suing it. I'm pretty careful with my furniture dollar these days.

I was 27 and had just broken up with my live-in boyfriend of 6 years.

I said to myself, "I'll be okay... all I need is someplace with a good shower and a great bed." So I splurged on an expensive mattress set and bed, and it worked!

What's a "big" purchase?

I bought an "etagere" from a local department store for $75 in 1982. It was the slotted-shelves-slide-together kind, with paper veneer and cheap copper caps on the tops of the struts.

But I loved it. I'd picked it out, I'd paid for it. I had my stereo and my plants and books and albums on it. I would run out of the room and then stroll back in and sneak a look at it and it just looked so cool to me.

It eventually got sent to the enclosed porch, and did duty there until I sold it in about 2003 for what I paid for it.

I loved it so much. I have spent more on things today that I love with less passion.

24, queen size tatami bed frame with the tatami mats. I am still at a stage in my life where I move fairly often (not likely to change anytime soon) and a bed frame, imo, is the last thing from a necessity (assuming you have the bits you are actually sleeping on), but are last it comes apart easily when it's time to move....

My 20s were filled with futons, cheap pressboard dressers, beanbags and metal computer desks.

In my 30s, my ex hubby and I finally bought some "real" furniture including a danish bedroom set from the only modern furniture store in Hawaii (Inspiration). I eventually also bought a great leather sectional. In my 40s.. post divorce, I have graduated to art, vintage items and looking for things that "go" rather than "match".

When I look back to my earlier years though, I have regrets. Instead of spending on clothes and eating out, I wish I had spent more on my home. I had a great studio that I rented that would've been better served by a real bed and a loveseat instead of 2 futons. I had an even better condo with a sunken living room that had so much potential.

Just a few weeks ago I finally placed an order for an actual sofa...goodbye futon! It was a custom order through a local shop and is supposed to be finished this week; I'm so excited! So that would make this my first "adult" furnishing item, purchased at the age of 25.

I'm 41 and I don't think I have yet. I did buy a house though, so that should count for something. Although most of my furniture is second-hand and not expensive, most of it is also of decent quality and taste (mine). My home is colorful and comfortable and people feel good when they come here and I don't have a single piece of furniture that nearly gave me a heart attack to buy.

My new futon is my first piece of large furniture. It's a gorgeous cream leather tufted modern futon and it gave me the courage to ditch all the disastrous furniture I've used as placeholders.

42. Not that I hadn't purchased furniture before. Even nice furniture. But nothing spoke to me like this wooden and glass dinning room table to go with 6 tolix chairs. It was right after we moved into our bungalow. And every day I see it I think it's perfect.

When I was 29, I had just ended a long term relationship and left my job. I had moved out of the house with nothing except my clothes. I found a great job in NY was moving up with nothing. A few weeks before I moved I saw a gorgeous painted sideboard/chest in the window of an Asian antique store. I went in the store and was told it was 19th century from a Tibetan monastery. It was so perfect, I just had to have it, even though it was $1800. I had it shipped to my new apartment. I bought a mattress the day I got there and for awhile that was all the furniture I had. I've since moved from NY and acquired a house and much more furniture. I still love the chest and it looks great with the modern pieces I've since bought.

When I purchased my first property, at the age of 30. I had been renting up to that point - here in the UK, rental properties tend to be furnished. Did it all over again 9 years later, when we purchased our holiday home.

Twenty-six! (i.e. 3 months ago). A tufted white leather 2-cushion sofa I'd had my eye on for a year. I hovered like a vulture until the sale price dropped low enough that my poor grad student self would still be able to eat after I bought it. It's perfect!

Maybe I haven't lived long enough to consider this purchase 'adult', but last July 4th, I bought a 32" flat screen TV. Iit was the first new/nice item I bought as an adult, with a real job, for my own non-shared apartment. It was a big deal because we never bought new furniture/tvs/anything growing up [always second hand], so I definitely had that 'wow, did I just do that?' feeling. I was 22.

My husband and I recently bought a couch and a love seat; I wanted something that would last. We couldn't continue borrowing, our state has bedbug warnings so second-hand wasn't the best option, and I didn't want to put a couple hundred dollars in to something that would just "do for now." So, we dropped the end of our wedding money, our Christmas money, and our tax return in to some awesome furniture! I'm 21 and he's 23.

The year was 1969, and I was 21. We did things a lot younger then (like getting married at 18) but not always a lot wiser. Would that I had waited till I was in my 30s to buy my first houseful of furniture, thus avoiding the sculpted velvet and heavily carved wood craze (and the conquistador picture behind the sofa)!

At the ripe old age of 34, I decided that my bed needed a headboard. Why did I wait until then? Maybe it was because I finally felt like an adult? No, that couldn’t be it. Well, my search started with me looking for a simple Windsor style headboard. I ended up with a Ethan Allen pencil post queen size bed and a matching six drawer dresser. The total price was a shock. As I apprehensively signed the receipt, I kept wondering why the dresser cost more than the bed. After all, the bed is bigger, right? :O)

30. It was my first furniture purchase. I bought a desk at an unfinished furniture store for $200 or $250 and stained it myself. I was so proud of it then, and am using it now as I type this response.

When I was 22 (only a mere 3 years ago). I moved into my first "grown-up" apartment with my long term boyfriend. We then proceeded to buy a few thousand dollars worth of stuff (which like you put me into near shock).

Dining Set and Sofa from EQ3 : ~ $2,000
TV console and coffee table from Therapy in SF: $800
Bedroom dresser and side tables $200 (a steal on craigslist)
42 inch Samsung flat screen $800
Simple Human Butterfly trashcan.... $130 (I think we just loved this trashcan-as much as you can love a trashcan- so much we lived with the shock).
Dyson... $400 ish (yeowch! but worth it...)

Unfortunately, fastforward 3 years later we moved to NYC and all I have is my dining set, my trashcan, vaccuum, and a bookshelf and display cabinet that my boyfriend and I sanded/repainted etc. I wish I could have kept my side table and dresser but the fact that I sold them meant that they weren't life staples right!?

I'm still looking for my dream bed though.

I just made mine two days ago! At 37 I purchased a piece off my "someday" wish list: the Crate & Barrel Petrie leather chair found at the floor sample sale for 1/2 price. At $1000 it's the most expensive thing I've ever purchased (besides cars) and I still feel like I'm going to throw up. Probably because it hasn't been delivered yet and I'm in that weird waiting period. I know it's something I will have forever, but it was a huge chunk of my (small) savings!

all of that was in the span of maybe 2 weeks?

Btw where is your sofa from?? That thing is beautiful...I might just need it for my new apartment ...

A nice mattress, about age 26. Everything else has been thrifted or Craigslisted. That has been our only brand-new investment purchase, though we have bought used musical instruments that cost more than the mattress!

I waited until I was married at 28 to buy my first real piece of furniture. It was extremely scary, since I had never had the money to do it before. Luckily my husband had some cash saved up, and with our first new apartment together, I was determined to make a good investment.

We ended up with a gorgeous white/gray leather sectional from Macy's furniture outlet. We have since not purchased anything nearly as much (it cost $1600), and even though there are a few comfy chairs I want, I cannot bring myself to spend $800 on a single chair.

I think I was 30 too. Not sofa like most people but dining table from thick wood. Beautiful and classic. I didn't even have my own place, in fact I was living with my family. I thought it was a good investment and it easily fit to a lot of theme.

Um..I'm 40 now and looking around my place not one piece of furniture cost more than $200 and I'm fine with that. I'm a cheapskate and I do a lot of bargain shopping. My sofa came from a thrift store and it's GREAT!

I was 19, living in Houston and bought a Wassily chair. It was easily more than a month's rent. I sighed happily every time I looked at it.

Later when I moved across country to go back to school, I had to store it at a friend's house. He (ahem) put it in the attic, forgot about it and MOVED to LA.

Yes, he is still a dear friend. :)

but I will never EVER ask his to store anything for me again!

My boyfriend and I moved in together about 6 months ago (we were both 26), and our first "big" purchase together was a queen-sized memory foam bed. Up till then, I'd only ever bought inexpensive "this is comfortable enough" beds, so it was a pretty big deal to drop a couple thousand on one. Man, was it worth it though. Soooo comfortable...

Now we're eying couches, although we're still shying away from the super expensive ones just because we're still renters and we move often enough that we're afraid to commit to anything hugely long-term or expensive.

I was 22 and used my tax return to buy a $500 sofa. I learned one mega-huge important thing with this purchase - the salesman/store wasn't able to show me a sample of the color of the item I was ordering, but gave me a "it's similar to this item's color" and compared it to an item from a different manufacturer. The color was NOT similar. At all. In the least bit.

I've learned how to make slip-covers for it, because it's a slightly unique shape also. I've also learned that green is not as universal as once thought.

Just a couple months ago, I made my second purchase (not counting electronics like TVs) with my boyfriend - we went and purchased a huge bedroom set, complete with a four-poster bed, a nightstand, dresser, chest, and desk. HUGE purchase, I paid less for my car than I did for this room. But oh my god how I love it. It's so gorgeous. And it fits. And it's amazing. My next focus is my dining room, but first I have to find a home with a dining room worth shopping for.

When I was 31 my husband and I bought a Queen sized Porto bed from Crate & Barrel, and a new mattress at fancy Costco (haha). All my previous beds were hand-me-downs, so at about $1000 it was a huge purchase for me. But we had wedding money and a little savings to make it happen.

1971--21 years old--1st paycheck--spent the whole thing on a Flexsteel sofa which I have had recovered 5 times and stll use every day.

I would say 90% of my furniture has been scavenged from Craigslist.... but we finally decided to upgrade to a REAL bed. King size upholstered frame from R&B + a mattress from DWR. Total splurge but I sleep like a baby.

A year ago I was 32 and pregnant. I found myself in a crazy nesting mode. Although we still lived in a one-bedroom rental I felt that parenthood forced me to make more grown-up purchases. I bought a gray sectional very similar to the one featured in this post and a Room and Board dresser on Craigslist. It was certainly cheaper than the retail price but still expensive enough to pay rent for a month. I was sweating and my heart was racing. So very happy I did it though. Both peaces are good quality and will last for a while.

I was 53 before I bought a piece of furniture that I consider adult. I had to pay off my student loans, cope with unemployment during the 80s, raise my daughter, put her through college. It was so hard for me to buy furniture from DWR, but I love my Nelson swag table and two chairs. Since I live in 400 feet, I don't need much. Since the table, I have bought more furniture from DWR. I find it an easy place to shop with good quality.

I bought my first piece of "grown-up" furniture at 19 (with my boyfriend, also 19)- it was a very large, bizarre bookcase that anchored our livingroom in our apartment. It took a lot of convincing and a payment plan, but was absolutely essential for us. We have filled four large bookcases during the time we've lived together, and have plenty of boxes in storage!

I'm generally more thrifty though, so my second actual "big" purchase was from Salvation Army, a $35 donated danish dining set. But, I dont know if thrift stores count, so, there you go.

I actually JUST made my purchase last Friday. At the age of 26 I've spent the past year falling in love with a World Market Sectional. I would go in the store and sit on if forever buy my wine and kitchen gadget and walk in my home and sit on my itchy craigslist purchase loveseat of a sofa. On vacation last week with no where to go I decided to redecorate my apartment. I came across an ad to see my very expensive couch was 20% less expensive and on sale. With fear of it selling out I made the purchase. It's getting delivered on Wednesday and I have to get rid of the craigslist couch. I'm excited but a tad bit scared. As I said as I swiped my only for gas and pizza delivery bank card "Hello Adulthood, good-bye college".

I'm not sure what counts as a 'large' purchase, but if the qualifier is buying something for its craft and durability, and because you love it, then I was 21 when I purchased my first piece. I purchased a midcentury desk from an antiques store, and paid just under 200 dollars for it. It was excessive, because at the time I thought I'd only use it for a semester. Now that I'm living on the west coast permanently, I have no regrets about purchasing it because it's wonderful for anchoring the space and it'll last a lifetime.

It was 1981, I was 23 and I bought a Papasan Chair from Pier One Imports. 100.00 included the cushion, and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world (so comfy, too!). All the other furniture in my studio apartment came from the curb or scarfed from my father's collection of antiques.

I bought my first couch from Jennifer Convertibles when I got my first apartment almost 3 years ago. Now that sleeper sofa lives in the Man Cave and the boyfriend and I purchased "big people" furniture when we moved in together. It was the last one in the warehouse and they wanted to get rid of it so it was only $600 for a couch and chair and that included delivery! I almost had a heart attack when I saw how big it was, especially compared to the tiny sofa from my first apartment.

I was 18 just received a small inheritance and I furnished my first flat thought I was really lucky had no style whats so ever hence I no longer own any of that furniture which I might say is very hip now and called vintage it was 1970 and I even owned a nice piece of Parker ....

25. 2 months ago, I bought a sofa from Crate and Barrel - cost a fortune, was totally worth it.

29. My bf and I moved away from the city we love (Boston) to suburban DC for my second Big Girl job. We traded in my 8-year-old Ikea Hemnes daybed for a proper couch that we absolutely fell in love with at West Elm: the Essex sofa in paisley. http://www.westelm.com/products/2703650/?catalogId=43&bnrid=3902401&cm_ven=Shopping&cm_cat=Google%20Base&cm_pla=Sofas_Sectionals&cm_ite=AllProducts&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=2703650

We had to finance it, as $1500 + all the rest of our moving expenses would have bankrupted us, so pray that we've paid it off by the end of the year without too much trouble.

I just bought my first "REAL" sofa from Macy's... Heart attack city- I can't handle being an adult.

I'm 23 and buy a ton of furniture, but never new. I buy everything secondhand or take hand-me-downs. If I don't love it, I paint it or reupholster or whatever until I do. It saves a lot of money. Of course, it helps that my style is already pretty eclectic to begin with.

To date, my "biggest" purchase has been a 50s diner-style table and four matching chairs. I bought it from our new neighbors who were throwing out the junk that came in their furnished house. I paid $30, and the whole set is in excellent shape. My desk was $15 at a yard sale and came with matching stool that's currently an end table. My couch came from a flea market for $30. My bed and dressers are antique hand-me-downs. I have two bookcases, one was built for me by my father and one was built for me by my great-grandfather.

I'm 29 and still waiting to make that big purchase. My husband and I have been saving up for a down payment on our first (as yet unidentified) house, so everything else has to be weighed with "but is it worth dipping into the down payment?"

The biggest single-item purchase we made was our couch from Scandinavian Designs. It was a basic model and came to $850.

The biggest overall purchase was our teak garden furniture from the Wooden Duck in Berkeley. We have gone to WD a million times and talked about how cool it would be to have a reclaimed wood $2500 dining room table... but we waited until the outdoor furniture went on sale and got a whole set - big table, two side chairs and two benches - for a full 50% off, about $1100 total. I hope that teak lasts a loooong time.

When I was 17 I bought an old Hoffman television cabinet at an estate sale for $5, with the intent of making it a fish tank. When I was 23ish it finally became a fish tank, thanks to my husband. Now I am 32 and the tv tank sits in my kitchen.

I've always had the attitude of 'buy it right the first time' so as soon as I got back from my first job overseas I started picking up the best items I could find. None of it was seriously expensive but all told I think it was a $3k spending spree in about 3 weeks. The prize of the bunch was probably the Noguchi dining table

26- My husband bought me an Eames LCW for $700. It made my stomach churn for weeks. It sits next to our $800 IKEA sofa :-)

In my opinion you can spend tons of money for something or hardly anything for the same thing, depending on how resourceful you are. I am an antique and mid century furniture dealer and you wouldn't believe the things I have found for next to nothing and even free. Paying a huge price for something doesn't symbolize adulthood or anything of the sort, and more often than not it's wasteful.

I'm 35 and I've never paid more than $100 for a piece of furniture. The only really expensive thing I own is my bicycle, which was about $700. Over the years I've spent a lot on artwork, but otherwise I'm just not interested in expensive things. I've always found pretty amazing things in thrift stores and on curbsides. I don't want to live with things that are so precious, I'm afraid to break them.

Depending on how we define a large/real furniture purchase . . . In my early 30s, I bought a solid wood, high quality, extremely large dining room table. Then went wild and added 6 vintage Art Deco chairs and an Art Deco buffet. Hyperventilated when my Visa bill arrived, too.

It was a turning point for me, however, as all my previous furniture had been more practical/essential. But the lovely dining room set was more of a luxury.

When I was in grad school, I think about 23 yrs old, I decided to get a sofa that wasn't a hand-me-down. I saw an ad in the paper for a sale at a furniture store and they listed a really nice sofa for sale at $200. It was a major discount, but still expensive for me. The store opened at 6am (I think it was a Memorial Day "super sale" kind of thing) and I was there at 5:30am, waiting at the door when they opened and the only one in line. I walked in, walked to the sofa (they only had one at that price), and paid for it in cash. Free delivery, too. It lasted me about 7 yrs before it started to sag. Not bad for a $200 sofa.

I think my first high priced furniture purchase was a full matching bedroom set, also on sale. I bought that by establishing one of those store credit cards with a year of free interest....and felt like I was going to hyperventilate while signing the paperwork. I was 38 at the time. I paid it off on time and still love that set. I think it's the only matchy-matchy thing I have. The set replaced a dresser that came from an old hotel (a friend worked there and the dressers were being thrown out in the dumpster and snagged me one), a headboard that came from a furniture repo place, and a ragged nightstand from Goodwill.

I would have to say that my first real furniture purchase happened last summer when my husband and I moved into our second house (We were both 29). In our first house, almost everything was either Ikea or passed down to us. When we moved we decided that it was time for some grown up furniture. We ended up spending around $5000 the first month in our new house on a new mattress, headboard, living room sofa, leather recliner and a large sectional. It still kills me to think that we spent that much money, but it was a lot of furniture, and we are both still really happy with everything, so it worked out.

@ Larkin, I'm also 26 and just got my first tempurpedic bed. After sleeping on Ikea in college and Stearns & Foster for the last 4 years, I am in love with the new memory foam.

I was 30, and I had just finished grad school and moved to Texas for a new job. My living room furniture at the time consisted of 3 Ikea bookcases, 3 plastic chairs, a milk crate and an 11-inch tv. I went out and bought a sofa, and invited everyone over for a huge sofa-warming party.

25. We were getting ready to move in to our second apartment (as a couple - we had both had many places prior to this). The apartment was brand new (first time we'd ever lived somewhere new) and we were trying to update and organize our style from our tiny one bedroom starter place. Our friend designed some pieces that were on display for an art walk. All handmade furniture. He had this side table made of cheap pressed wood that he had carved and sanded into an open spiral design with a glass top. We saw it and wanted it immediately. $400. It was the most money either one of us had ever spent on furniture. It was also the first time our friend had ever sold a piece of his work, so it's something we really treasure and it is truly unique to our home. We still haven't really figured out an ideal way to display it, but I think we're getting there.

31 yr.old SWF. I had an apartment fire earlier this year and had to start over so I treated myself to a couch that cost 2x what I paid for my first car. It took 10 weeks to arrive, and it is worth every penny! It makes me happy every time I come home!

In 1979 I bought a tufted blue velvet sofa and two mahogany end tables from Hickory Chair. and a set of four mahogany Chippendale dining room chairs from Thomasville. All were on sale at least 40% off. The tables and dining room chairs I have kept and loved ever since. I think after 41 years I have got my monies worth out of them. Buy what you love. Buy the best you can afford and keep it for a lifetime.

Last year I took a gulp and purchased my first "new" piece of furniture. Everything else in my home is vintage or a craigslist find. I bought the Lubi daybed from CB2 which is perfectly-sized for my mini guest room, but turned out to be the most uncomfortable thing ever! I think I'll stick with buying used.

Hasn't happened yet. I'm only 22 and my love for thrifting fills my home with more than enough furniture. I'm sure someday I'll want a nicer couch or something...but for now I adore everything I own. It's all from various thrift stores, flea markets, friends, family, etc, etc. Wouldn't really want to part with any of it.

at 24 I bought my first couch... Big white, fluffy thing... sold it a year later.

But the REAL grownup purchase was my 1960s walnut credenza with atomic drawer pulls. With delivery, it was about $575. I can't imagine I will ever part with it. I have joked that it could easily serve as my casket when I'm dead!

The real gut-wrenching purchase was my DSLR camera about 6 years ago. I saved up for more than a year to buy it, along with lenses and other supplies. And once I had saved the money, it took me another nine months to spend the $1300. I have a hard time parting with large sums of money. No problem with small amounts.

This past year at 32, I have my first heart-stopping moment when I bought Elfa closet systems for the 6 unfinished closets in my new place. When they told me the total i had to sit down. But really it's an investment in the property... and i lurve them!

My first adult furniture purchase was made 12 years ago when I was 21; it was a maple desk at Ethan Allen. I was working at Gateway Country at the time which meant the wearing of khakis and a polo everyday to work, which is what I wore the day I started looking for my desk (I figured I had few hours before my shift, why not use it for a little furniture shopping). I walked into a Charlotte's Furniture...apparently I was too young and casual to be shopping in there; no one greeted me or asked if I needed help, so I walked out. I then stopped in at Ethan Allen 30 min. before my shift, I was greeted and helped immediately. I didn't have a lot of time, so I told the sales person what I was looking for and went back the next day...she showed me everything that she thought fit my needs on the floor and everything she pulled from catalogs. I fell for a basic maple desk that I still have to this day. I never went into Charlotte's again...still makes me mad thinking about it.

On these types of posts, there are always commentors that have never spent more than a small amount for a piece and other commentors who are critical of those who have.

I say, it just depends on where you live, in my area, there really isn't too much thrift finds on the "cheap". Thrift/consignment yes...fantastic midcentury piece for a steal? Hell no. I do have imagination and even with the pieces with potentional, everything is still a minimum price. I have found and bought some used pieces that I absolutely adore but these were more in the $500 range, not the ridiculously cheap some of these lucky ATers have found.

And for upholstered items or mattresses? I'd rather go with new. The amount of dust that gets on things here and my allergies make for a bad combo. New will last me longer because I'm a bit more careful than most to take preventive measures to ensure less dust mites in pieces.

So, my point is... don't feel guilty for not being as frugal as others, this is a design site after all.

I made mine today! Jane Bi Sectional by Gus Modern in Urban Tweed. Lying on it as I type this. I am 23 and in LOVE!

After reading all these posts, I realize how differently I have lived from other people since I did not buy furniture until I was in my 50s. Until then, everything was cast offs and dumpster diving. I am going to have to change a lot more in my life.

I made my first real furniture purchase over this last weekend (I'm 23). After scouring craigslist for a couch for weeks and finding that my boyfriend didn't like vintage couches, I finally found something he liked (not vintage, though). I immediately cleaned the whole house, rearranged multiple times, texted a photo to my mom, and have been talking about it more than a "normal person" would probably talk about a couch.

Lounge Sofa from Crate and barrel. I just couldn’t say no to the deep cushions. I just bought it and im 23.

I bought my first "grown up" piece of furniture last summer (age 22). I've bought lots of furniture before, but this was my first HUGE purchase (as in it cost me almost $2000). I bought a beautiful sofa from a local company that hand makes each of their pieces of furniture within Canada. I LOVE it. It's top quality and I know it will last me many years to come ...which helped when making the payment ... eek, that was a lot. Worth it though.

The item I bought that made me feel grown up, would be my Japanese style queen bed with matching side tables and tallboy in a dark, almost black wood grain finish. Since then, I have purchased too much technology! And a brilliant leather seat with ottoman as my lounges "feature". I have an entire house of new furniture now but am still most proud of my bed set. I'm just lucky to have such a good job at the age of 20 to be able to pay for it all. :)