When I moved into my first apartment everything was Ikea. It was great because it was cheap, lasted a decent amount of time, but when it got damaged or it was time to get rid of it there was no panic about throwing away money. She shouldn't be looking for "forever" pieces right now.

A $500 Ektorp sofa from Ikea with her choice of slipcovers. Ikea or Target chairs and coffee table, plus some lamps, are well within her $1300 budget. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/07488/?sorting=price

We bought our couch from Ikea a few years ago and although we've upgraded from renting to owning we still use the same Ikea couch! It's a nice solid piece and it was very affordable. Definitely don't spend a lot of apartment furniture, you don't know which if any she will be able to keep and use long-term.

Here is a very similar one from Ikea and I'm sure it is much less than the Pottery Barn one:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29206901/

I would not spend $1300 on a college apartment couch. My college days were not that long ago and I remember the kind of beating our furniture got. I fact I'm pretty sure we threw away our couch at the end of 2 years because it was so worn down. That light color is just begging for stains too!

pamrnj, I don't think you should ever skimp on the sofa. Ethan Allen is having a 30% off single item sale. That makes some of their 80" sofas around $1700 vs her $1300 budget.

Have her save a little more and wait for this sale to come back?

Or Mom gifts the difference?

She might even be able to finance it and using her available funds make a big first payment and then have very little payments.

Or a balance transfer zero interest offer from a credit card.

There are definitely options, you just have convince her to be patient to find them.

And not for nothing, she sounds like a wonderful daughter!

the problem is her friends. no joke. young folks arent expecting 'nice' furniture in their friends apartments at this stage. they spill their beer, they bring their dog over, the nacho toppings go sliding off their plates.

Hi Pamrnj,

Can you tell us more about the apartment and her lifestyle?

Is the apartment in a walk up, elevator, house, etc?

Has she measured the space where she wants to place the couch?

Is she hoping to have lots of company and overnight guests/pets?

Will the couch be up against a wall or floating?

Is she planning on staying in this apartment for a long time? Does she have an emergency fund, a savings account or any student loans?

$1,300 is a lot of money for a couch in this instance...at least it is to me. I am not sure I wouldn't recommend a 24 yr old to go into debt over a couch.

Also, I would take the reviews with a grain of salt. And new furniture depreciates quickly, this is a fun link to get an idea...https://www.splitwise.com/calculators/furniture

@Jane totally agreed..I wouldn't even spend that kind of money on a sofa myself and I can afford it! As a student she should buy something cheap that will get the job done for a few years...no guarantees it'll survive past that or even fit into whatever place she moves to next.

@Lena, she isn't a student, she is an RN, but even at that, I can't imagine she is debt free with a savings account at the age of 24, at the end of the day, $1300 is a lot for a couch!

I'm sure she is a lovely and responsible young lady, and I'd bet she is super excited to have her first apartment on her own.

Even just get something off of Craigslist, give it a thorough steam clean, and live with it for a while. Put the $1300 in the bank, take your time and work through the excitement. Go through a couple of cycles of paying rent, utilities, etc.

I would be careful of Pottery Barn quality. There's a reason they don't post reviews on their site. Since she's fortunate to have a pretty good budget, I would take a look at Flexsteel. I've had mine for almost 12 years and the quality is outstanding. They have a lifetime warranty. Mine has been through 3 kids, 3 dogs, and a cat and the cushions have held up very well. I've just had a slipcover made so I can keep using it as I don't think I could find anything of better quality without spending a significant amount of money. I'm not sure of the price point since I bought mine a while ago but I would suggest at least looking into it. They have lots of fabric options as well as options for leg color.

Hi Parrmnj,

Sorry if we misunderstood, the "champagne taste on a beer budget" comment I think threw a couple of us.

What a lucky young lady with lovely parents she has!

Blessings...