> Instead people feel better buying a (say) $800 IKEA sofa every 5 years, which over 25 years is the $4000 nominal he has spent on his own sofa. My IKEA sofa i

> Instead people feel better buying a (say) $800 IKEA sofa every 5 years, which over 25 years is the $4000 nominal he has spent on his own sofa. My IKEA sofa is 10 years old, has been through 4 moves, and looks and feels exactly the same as the day I bought it modulo a smattering of aftermarket pet hair. I see no reason why it wouldn't last another 10 years. The price right now today is $750. I'm sure I didn't pay more than $500 at the time. And it folds out to a large guest bed. And it has a storage compartment. And getting it up or down a flight of stairs is a breeze. It's just a substantially better bargain. And if I ever need to replace the foam in the cushions, I can buy blocks of foam to put inside the covers for very cheap.