Reporter finds cheap ways to furnish bare room
Editor’s note: Lori Robison was given an imaginary
$100 and sent on a mission to furnish her imaginary
residence hall room. She was told that she would need
$20 to eat for Sunday dinners, when the residence halls
don’t serve food. We can’t vouch for her taste in
furniture, but her shopping sense is sound.
By Lori Robison
Staff Writer
Theme music played.
The fuse was lit.
I retrieved the tape from the usual hiding
place in a bush outside the student union and
head for my car.
After quickly glancing around to make sure
I was not being followed, I carefully placed the
tape in my car stereo.
“Good afternoon, Agent R,” the tape began.
I unwraped a stick of gum (just quit smoking
last week) and looked up at a sunny sky. It was
going to be a beautiful day.
“We have had several disturbing reports in
recent months of covert activity in your area,”
the tape said.
I sat up and listened carefully. Finally, after
months of patrolling UNL parking lots, a real
mission.
“Several of our sources have informed us of
a sinister plot to undermine the comfort of the
typical residence hall student,” the tape contin
ued. “Your mission, should you decide to ac
cept it, is to furnish a typical residence hall
room, using only the money in your pocket.”
I looked in my wallet — a few lint balls, an
old piece of Juicyfruit and an $80 paycheck
from my last mission (secret agents don’t make
much).
“Good luck, Agent R,” the tape said, “as
usual, this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds.”
I lunged for the eject button, grabed the tape
and tossed it out the window as it began to smoke.
Whew.
You’ve got to be quick with those self
destructing tapes. I ruined a friend’s stereo like
that once.
I started my car and headed toward the
D.A.V. Thrift Store on 27th and Vine streets.
I was luck. I found a couch. It was a pretty ugly
shade of aquamarine, but it had no holes and
really wide armrests — great for using as end
tables or for extra places to sit.
Best of all, it was only $19.98.
I scoped out the rest of the store. I found a tall
lamp with a white swirl base for $1.99 and a
white satin lamp shade that fit perfectly for
$.96.
On my way to the cashier, I grabbed a round
two-shelf end table for $8.99 — in case the
couch gets crowded.
I paid for the items — $33.34, including tax
— and tried to squeeze some information out of
the cashier, Geri Rankins.
“The best time to start shopping for furniture
is a few weeks before the semester begins,” she
said. She also informed me that the store
accepts checks and will hold paid-for items for
three days.
I thanked her and headed for the door.
Next stop—the Salvation Army Thrift Store on
7th and P streets.
I descended the metal stairs to the store’s
basement and entered a room full of pictures,
books, bric-a-brac, washers, dryers, refrigera
tors and toys.
The cashier glanced at me suspiciously as I
pass by — must be the trench coat.
I picked through the piles of items and found
two pictures for the walls — a large white-on
black print of a lion ($5) and a poster of star
trails ($4.75).
I paid for the items — $ 10.34, including tax.
A sign by the register informed me the Salva
tion Army accepts local checks, MasterCard
and Visa and holds paid-for items for two days.
Before the cashier looked up from his regis
Mami Speck/DN
Philip Paider, a sophomore engineering major, lounges in his room in Harper
Hall on a couch he purchased from a thrift store.
ter, I was out the door and on my way to the 17th
and O streets, to another D.A.V store.
After passing by seemingly endless aisles of
clothing, I arrived at the back of the store and
immediately find what I was looking for — a
light wood coffee table for $14.98. It had some
scratches on the top and legs, but it was in good
condition otherwise.
I also picked up a black desk lamp — all the
better to see with during those long nights of
cramming for exams — for $2.99. Total bill —
$19.05 with tax.
I checked my figures. I had racked up $62.73
so far. I proceeded to The Rem Shop on 16th
and O streets in search of a small carpet remnant
for the room.
Liz Magee, a salesperson at the Rem Shop,
said many students prefer the small 6-by-9 rugs.
“They (the rugs) are only $50 and are bound
around die edges so they won’t fray,” she ex
plained. “Plus, moving them is a lot easier than
a bigger rug.”
I told her I’ll take the rug and, since the shop
had a payment plan, I gave her the rest of my
money to use toward my purchase — $17 (I
save the 27 cents for gum)—and headed out the
door to my car.
I leaned back in my seat, unwrapped another
stick of Juicyfruit gum and reviewed my list of
purchases — a couch, a coffee table, an end
table, two pictures, two lamps, and part of a'
remnant. Not bad for $80.
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