Buying new furniture is eye-wateringly expensive, but replacing cheap furniture that breaks every five years can add up to be more expensive in the long run. Nobody needs a fancy buffet to “complete” the dining room, but a good couch, bookshelves made from real wood and not particle board, and a sturdy bed frame are always good investments. If you are still virtuously sleeping on your college futon in your thirties, your back is lying in wait to exact revenge.