The Black Hole of IKEA Sucked Me In

I am yet another American sucker who adores IKEA. I mean, who can hate that cheerful blue and yellow sign? (In fact, I think the color combination makes me love IKEA more.) IKEA is, hands down, my favorite place to buy housewares. I can’t say I am really into post-industrial Swedish design in furniture, but, oh, they have so many other goodies, like pots, and pans, and French presses, and plasic cutting boards, and jars and bottles of various sizes, and rugs, and cannisters, candles, and bowls, and….

LINGONBERRY PRODUCTS.

After I did this month’s budget, I decided it was time for an IKEA run. My much-loved roommate Jessica is anticipating a move out soon, and when she leaves, a good deal of the kitchen, as well as all our other furniture, will walk out with her. I decided it was time I became a Big Girl and get some more kitchen stuff that would leave with me and not some other random female who was nice enough to let me borrow her cookware while we shared a domicile together. Jessica went along for the ride, deciding to investigate the price of sheets and to hunt for the Perfect Plastic Tumblers.

Jessica and I arrived after eight, which makes it a miracle we got all our shopping done. You see, Jessica is easily distracted by jars and bottles, while I am the type that lovingly strokes kitchen gadgets. We both nearly swooned over the sight of bedding and dishes. We compared styles of cutlery. But first, I got my serious shopping done.

I already had this wonderful saute pan. It is from a grouping called SKANKA. I decided to go ahead and buy the rest of the series, not all at once, but piece by piece, since it is an inexpensive but good qualityproduct.

So, I went on my quest to buy more practical items from SKANKA to match my SKANKA saute pan. My findings:

This SKANKA 5 qt pot, complete with a lid that has small holes for drainage, was a very reasonable $20.00

I also opted to by the also very reasonably priced saucepan with lid, a deal at $16.99

But wait! There’s more!

My friends Scott and Eric have both sold me on the virtues of a French press numerous times. As a true coffee lover, I decided I should have one. I nearly bought one on my first trip to IKEA with Eric (when I bought my beloved pan) but decided it wasn’t needed. Well, this time it was budgeted, so I went for it, and at a price that will make me sing its praises.

$12.99, yo.

Then I bought a couple of red plastic cutting boards, a steel untensil holder, salad tongs, a red placemat, a red cheese cutter, small food storage containers, and of course, I bought some new glasses because Jessica had to give ours back to her mom.

$4.00 for six sturdy glasses. Eat your heart out.

Aren’t they pretty?

After I was finished with my much-needed purchases, Jessica and I perused the bedding, not quite finding anything that would work for her future stepson.  We pawed through and swooned over rugs and had fell in love with wall hangings and lighting. All too soon, we hard the last call to leave. The store was closing.  As we were walking to the checkouts, we passed candles.

CANDLES!!! NOOO!!! How did I miss you?

I ripped myself away from one of my greatest loves.

At the checkout, I caved and bought a thing of lingonberry preserves, and Jessica bought some lingonberry juice for us both. Because going to IKEA and not having a lingonberry product is practically a sin.

What was the grand total for all my treasures at checkout? A little bit over $75, and I bought items I wanted/needed, and lingonberry product, and was still under my budget of $100.00

IKEA, will you marry me?