I almost accidentally offed my husband this weekend. No, no—it wasn’t like the depressing plot of yet another Lifetime movie. It was an unexpected and sudden accident involving an ultra-cheap office chair.
About 2 months ago, Hubby and I redid our home office. We bought new desks and new chairs. Because I am so thrifty, we bought the cheapest office chairs known to man (or woman). They were $49 each and have done nothing but squeak and roll wobbily since we bought them. But they were cheap, so I just put in my earplugs and ignored it.
I ignored them successfully until I heard a thunderous crack on Saturday morning. This crack of doom was accompanied by two fur balls running for their lives from the direction of the office, and one shocked shout by my husband. I ran into the office ready to defend Hubby from the as-yet unseen assailant and found him on the floor next to a completely jacked-up chair.
The arm of the chair had cracked in half and, since the arm keeps the seat together with the back of the chair—had thrown my husband into a pulled- muscle heap on the floor.
After this happened, sweet Hubby was still not quite ready to give up on the chair. He went to Home Depot, bought some heavy-duty screws and washers, came home and tried to make it work.
It didn’t work. The arm of the chair is completely broken in half.
So now, we have to buy a new chair—and if I’d bought a more expensive one to begin with, we wouldn’t be in this mess and we would have saved the cost of the original chair.
So, be careful which items you go too cheap on—your life may be at risk. For items like furniture, food, and any health-related products, make sure you buy inexpensive, quality merchandise. Some clothing, household decor and entertainment items can be cheaply made and have a cheap price tag and STILL be good buys, because your safety isn't necessarily dependent on the quality of the product.
Yolander Prinzel
Ominous killer chair photographed by the very brave weblux.