42 Inches of Awesome

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID.

Ok, but seriously, we made some upgrades in this little place of ours. Here’s what our living room has looked like for a while…

We shared this photo with you with our Ampersand special post, and this was likely the neatest our TV side of the livingroom ever looked. Usually it looks more like this…

The candles covered to keep dust away, and all kinds of random nonsense about. But that TV… that little 19 inch TV. Though our living room is small, a 19 inch tv was still a bit too small for the room. My computer at work has a bigger screen! So obviously a change was in order. And after comparing screen resolutions and refresh rates and blah blah blah I finally took the plunge. (Also, if you’re in the market for a change and want to make an educated purchase before you drop a few hundred dollars, I highly recommend you read this CNet buying guide before you put a single toe inside a Best Buy or other big box store.)

So we brought home this 42 inch Sanyo home. Yes, that’s the 2000’s classic, Gilmore Girls waiting to be watched. It’s a perennial staple here (and you’ve already seen our complete dvd set on Lord Expedit.) during the Summer tv drough. With the new TV, we could actually SEE the show instead of squint.

Trouble with this upgrade, is it made the tv stand look even more dated. The turned wood legs and sliding front aren’t bad, but it just wasn’t our style. And it no longer fit all of our electronic components either, so it was time for another change.

A few quick measurements of the different components we have, in particular this dvd player were all we needed before heading off to one of our favorite spots, Ikea!

We had been eyeing the Hemnes TV Stand for a looooonnnngggg time, and sadly have watched Ikea raise the price on it TWICE. But it still impressed us for the cost and the solid wood (compared to a lot of other pieces they have) plus the storage and clean lines would really help to clean up the living room. So we decided we’d bring her home.

Fortunately Ikea was running their ‘eat free’ special, which meant they would deduct the cost of your cafe visit from your total purchase. Soooo we had ourselves an Ikea feast!

Pro tip: Pick up a few extra bottled or canned beverages as well as some Swedish Fish to save for later.

After a painless checkout, we slipped ‘er right into the back (that’s what she said) and made one last stop…

Mmmm frozen yogurt! Typically they’re about $1 at Ikea, but if you sign up for the Ikea Family card, you get a coupon at the bottom of the receipt for buy-one-get-one frozen yogurt. Making it a tasty and affordable treat before you hit the road home and start to assemble your new haul.