Most Affordable Beds for the Money (Great Value)

Sleep is vital to our wellbeing. There’s little one can do when they don’t receive proper rest over an extended period, you start to develop health and psychological complications. The sleep industry offers a range of mattresses ideal for sleep. Beds vary in materials, quality of these materials construction and price.

A bed is a costly investment, and considering that we spend a third of our lives sleeping, evading the expense is difficult. We have identified a few cheap brands that we recommend when on a budget, what to look for and how to find the best prices.

Tips for Choosing an Excellent Mattress for the Money

There are a couple of factors that will guide you in picking the right mattress for you, regardless of the price. The quality of materials, comfort, sleep trial and warranty are crucial factors, and we have discussed them in the following section.

Comfort

Firmness Level

Comfort is number one on our list. No matter how good a mattress design and construction is, if the comfort feel isn’t ideal, then it will offer discomfort, compromising the quality of your sleep.

It’s essential to identify which firmness level works for you. You have the option of plush, medium-firm or firm. Depending on your sleep position and other preferences, you’ll be able to find a mattress that compliments you. See our top-rated list of firm beds here if you are looking for bit more harder surface to sleep on.

We found that people felt firmness differently, and that’s why a sleep trial is necessary. You might want the cloud like feel or sleeping on rather than in the bed; all these factors should be considered.

Sleeping Cool

The cooling effect of a mattress is crucial, as sleeping hot or cold disrupts sleep.

Find a bed that offers you the chance to sleep at optimal temperature. The construction materials and design play a significant role in keeping you cool as you sleep.

Quality of Materials

The type and quality of materials used are important because it determines the overall feel that you get from a mattress.

What type of material is it made of?

Foam, latex, spring, and hybrid are the primary construction materials in most bedding. You’ll find that there are individuals who prefer regular foam or latex type to spring and so on.

Knowing your preference helps you find the right brand for you. In case, you desire the best of both worlds, foam and spring combined, a hybrid will be appropriate.

Analyzing the quality of materials in this age where so many toxic elements surround us is vital. Go for high-quality materials that are also eco-friendly. They shouldn’t be harmful to you or the environment.

Good quality materials also add some durability, which means that your mattress will not wear and tear easy. You’ll have the option of choosing between organic and synthetically produced construction materials.

Trial Periods

The most prominent challenge with mattress shopping is picking the wrong one. Yes, it happens. Subject to the type and quality of materials used, you may find that it’s not as cozy and supportive as you’d hoped. Trial periods come in handy under such circumstances.

Trial periods are essential because they give an opportunity to try out the mattress, and if you find that it doesn’t suit you, you’re free to make a return for a refund or exchange. It takes around 2 weeks to a month, or sometimes more to fully adjust to a bed.

The high-end brands will offer sleep trials that last between 30 and 120 days or nights. Few offer up to a year. Should you make the return within that period, you’ll be eligible for a refund or exchange. Sometimes the trials are risk-free.

Any quality brand offers a sleep trial period, regardless of whether or not it’s cheap.

Warranty

Since mattresses shopping is an investment meant to last you a couple of years, a warranty is essential. The warranty is to protect you against any manufacturing hidden defects.

In most cases, you’ll find that the impressive mattresses based on the construction materials and design come with amazing guarantee periods. It’s because they have confidence in the durability of the bed.

Guarantee period will vary according to the company’s policies. Lifetime, 10 or 20 years are the frequently offered warranty periods.

There’s a misconception that a cheap bed will have a short guarantee period or none at all. It’s wrong, because some of the inexpensive ones have amazing warranty periods. Good examples are Nectar and Layla that provide a lifetime warranty.

But you must be cautious to avoid voiding the guarantee. For instance, using the wrong foundation, or not being the original buyer, among others, has the potential to do so.

How to Find Low Price Bed

Coupons

Investing in a mattress can be a costly affair. An exceptional bed is constructed using high quality materials and will, therefore, be slightly expensive. However, thanks to advancements in the industry, manufacturing has become less expensive.

To top that, the majority are taking on a new business approach – online selling. When you include coupons, you’ll find that the bed becomes low-priced.

Coupons help you save money on your bed investment. You can take advantage of discounts and promo codes.

You’ll find that many online brands offer discounts to lure in more buyers. Mattress sites such as ours also give discounts on some products. The discounts are usually arrived at based on the negotiations between manufacturers or sellers and the website.

Holiday & Special Promotions

There are a number of special holidays including promotions during which the mattresses prices are significantly reduced. We have combined a list of holidays during which we found that costs were considerably reduced:

• President’s Day
• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Labor Day
• July 4th
• Boxing Day
• Black Friday
• Thanksgiving

During these holidays, you’ll find that prices have been slashed making them affordable.

There are other occasions where companies can run special promotions. A good example is when they are trying to restock. To avoid incurring losses, they give discounts on the existing stock.

Other special occasions are:

• During the end of year.
• Defective beds – though this can have severe complications on the quality of your sleep and overall health, unless it’s repaired before you sleep on it.
• When a store is opening for the first time.

To land amazing deals, always identify what you want beforehand. It will be easier to track it, giving you the chance to enjoy a deal once it’s announced.

Price Differences Between Online Vs. In-Store

There was a period when you thought of mattress shopping, and all you could feel was frustration. Everything about the whole process was chaotic. Not only were they so expensive, but they were also of low quality, and the sales agents weren’t helping either.

The challenge with that business system is that by the time the product reaches the customer, it’s almost double the price from the manufacturer. It’s as a result of various charges that include:

• Transportation costs
• Warehouse fees
• Store profit
• Sales agents’ commissions and bonuses, among others.

When all those costs are added to the original price at the factory, you’ll find that it doubles or even triples. For a long time, this was the case. Today, thanks to technology and the internet, you will sleep on a fantastic mattress and at an affordable price.

A number of mattress brands are online based, offering quality bedding and affordable prices. The online business model cuts out middlemen, significantly reducing the amount that you would have spent.

Your bed is just a click away with the online model. Once you place an order, your bed will ship from either the factory or warehouse. It depends on the channel that a business uses.

Note that majority of the online brands have eliminated the many unnecessary stopovers. As a result, you spend less than you would have in a store.

When compared, store and online shopping, we find online is the top-grade option. Mattress shopping is less hectic and economical.

Although not many have adjusted to this system of business in the sleep industry, it’s slowly catching on as people are starting to see its advantages. The majority prefer getting a feel of the bed before actually buying it.

This shouldn’t worry you because they offer sleep trials. In case you find it uncomfortable, you can exchange it for another or get back your money. Plus, reviews are quite helpful when identifying your most suitable online brand.

There’s a huge pay difference between buying online and in stores. Online shopping is the cheapest and the best option.

Want to see which mattresses are ideal for your budget? We have listed a mattress guide for the following price points:

• Under $500
• Under $1,000

Don’t Consider an Inexpensive Mattress If:

There are circumstances where an inexpensive mattress will not be ideal. They are mainly health-related, and often require a sleeping surface that helps improves, or speeds up the healing process. There following are situations that you should never consider an inexpensive mattress:

Back Pain

Back pain can be a severe irritation that affects the quality of your sleep and even your lifestyle. This is because it can stop you from enjoying life to the maximum as a result of the nagging pain. There are 3 important things to look for when purchasing a mattress for back pain;

• Pressure relief
• Proper spinal alignment and support
• Sufficient body support

A bed with the above attributes will be great for both upper and lower backache. In the past, the assumption was that an individual with back pain needed firm bedding. It’s not entirely true as some people get better relief on a medium-firm mattress.

Your body type and sleeping posture are necessary to find the most appropriate bed for you, to help with the back pain.

You’ll need a high quality constructed bed that will not make the pain worsen. Some of the cheapest beds are notorious for doing so. The quality mattresses will be slightly pricey.

Hip Problems

There are various reasons that could lead to hip pain while sleeping. It could be as a result of;

• Your sleeping and sitting position
• Arthritis – different types can cause back pain. The most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
• Sciatica pain – when the nerve becomes irritated (Pinched nerves)
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Inflamed tendons from over exercising
• Bursitis pain – when the bursa fluid sac becomes inflamed

A lousy bed will slow down the healing process, or even make the situation worse. That’s why, if possible, seeking an expert’s opinion and doing some research would be great before picking out a bed to help with the pain.

Latex and memory foam constructed bedding are suitable to use when you have hip pain. They offer the much-needed support, create equal weight distribution and therefore give pressure relief.

It’s important to note that pain can be in different spots along the hip region, therefore, ensure that you’re getting the right amount of support. You may have to dig deeper into your pockets for the perfect bed.

Neck Discomfort

Neck discomfort often comes from bad posture when sleeping and when awake. You’ll find that at times the pain can only be there when you’re sleeping and at times even when you’re awake. Weakening muscles also tend to cause neck discomfort.

There are various approaches that you can take to help reduce the discomfort, and they include;

• Using a supportive pillow – Make sure that you place it correctly; otherwise, you may end up hurting yourself
• Sleeping on a bed that complements your sleep posture
• Accurately positioning your spine when sleeping
• Whether awake or asleep, ensure that you stay in the right pose. Poor sitting and sleeping position cause and increase neck pain

The bed also plays a significant role in speeding up your recovery process. The right one should be accommodative of your sleep preferences. Advanced Latex and memory foam are the most ideal to offer pressure relief, comfort and support needed to reduce neck discomfort.

Shoulder Ache

Like hip pain, shoulder ache could be from many factors, most of which are medically related.

Some of the factors that contribute to shoulder pain include:

• Poor posture when awake and sleeping
• Over-exercising
• Being stationery
• Bursa irritation – tendonitis
• Issues with the rotator cuff such as tear, and tendonitis

Healing when you have shoulder pain can prove challenging when you don’t receive the right support. Apart from using medicine, undergoing surgery or seeking physical therapy to help heal your shoulder, you’ll require the perfect sleeping surface.

In such a case, side sleepers need a mattress that offers shoulder pressure relief benefits and at the same time improves the healing process. You need foam or latex that’s technologically advanced in its design.

Heat spots can really slow down healing or even make the pain worse. The foam used has an open cell structure, perfect for breathability, pressure relief, comfort and support. This makes it slightly expensive.

Other Injuries

We all get injured from time to time. It’s more frequent if you’re leading an active lifestyle like athletes or if you regularly go exercising. If this is you, then you must consider bedding that offers quick recovery and complete rejuvenation. Such mattresses are quite costly.

Injuries can come from various other sources and not just by being active. If you have sciatica or scoliosis pain, for instance, you may have to invest more on bedding to achieve the desired comfort needed for pressure relief and recovery.

See our recommended beds for those with sciatica pain and we have also done an in-depth review of mattresses for people with scoliosis nerve pain.

The problem with inexpensive ones is that the sleeping surface will not be as comfortable and supportive to help you heal. It may cause you more harm than good.

High-end products are constructed using high-quality materials, of which most of the foam is usually organic. Inorganic foam has its shortcomings and as a result, poses a danger to your health.

Go for the top-rated as they have healing properties included in their construction design.

Top 3 Cheapest Beds Reviewed

We got the chance to review a number of mattresses. Here we have highlighted our top picks, which are also among the most affordable.

Nectar is among the top quality foam brands available in the market. At 11” inches thick it has 4 layers certiPUR-US Certified foam–Quilted gel memory foam, Medical grade gel memory, highly adaptive hi core memory foam and the base foam layers. Covered in a Tencel cooling cover, Nectar offers a supportive, comfortable and fresh sleeping surface. It has a universal firmness level making it ideal for the majority.

Apart from being affordable, we found that it comes with extra benefits. When other brands are offering between 30 and 120 nights for sleep trial, Nectar gives you 365 days. Your mattress will be shipped and delivered free of charge. They also cater for returns. To show you just how good Nectar is, it comes with a lifelong warranty.

You don’t have to worry about the foundation, since it works well with a range of frames that include the box spring, adjustable, floor/platform, Divan and traditional frames.

You can learn more about this bed by checking our full review.

Casper is an American designed mattress manufactured in the United Kingdom. It has a 24cm height with 4 different layers of foam. Unlike the commonly foam constructed bed, this is a combination of foams described as a hybrid. These are the layers:

• Open-Cell Foam – For breathability
• Responsive Memory Foam – Offers pressure relief
• Adaptive Transition Foam – Transition layer for extra comfort
• Durable Support Foam – The support layer

The polyester cover is double knit, with a zip making it easy to remove. You can wash it at 40 degrees. We found that it sleeps cool and offers sufficient support.

Not sure if it’s right for you? Casper comes with a 100-night risk-free sleep trial period, and you don’t have to worry about return costs. Returns, like shipping, is free and you’ll get a full refund. Free shipping, however, applies in the UK alone. Delivery takes approximately 1 to 3 business days.

Casper is among the best cheapest mattresses in the industry. For a bed with its construction design, you’d expect to spend thousands of dollars.

Are you looking for a much more in-depth explanation? Read our detailed Casper review here.

Layla is simply amazing and deserves to be on our list of the top, inexpensive and available on the market today. Perhaps the most outstanding features are the copper infusion and flippable firmness. Copper offers a range of benefits that include:

• Support and comfort
• A cooler sleeping surface
• Healthy and rejuvenating sleep – it has healing properties
• It’s antimicrobial for a cleaner sleeping surface

Layla offers 2 in 1 firmness levels, described as flippable firmness. You’ll have the option of choosing between Plush and firm comfort levels.

Created in the USA, Layla has a lifetime guarantee, with a 120-night sleep trial period. It has four layers of CertiPUR-US Certified foam that offers a cool, cozy and well-supported sleeping surface.

Shipping and returns are free. It ships for free to the contiguous 48 states only. It will be delivered straight to your doorstep. If you’re from Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada, you’ll pay an extra fee of $125.

We have done a much more comprehensive review here if you want to find out more about Layla.

Our Final Thoughts

Finding a quality mattress within your means is quite easy. It’s because in the sleep industry we discovered that at almost every price, you’re almost guaranteed to find a quality bed. Our focus was on the top best low-priced mattresses. Nectar, Layla, and Casper are the top companies that impressed us.

Points to consider – Comfort, quality of materials, sleep trial and the warranty period.

When analyzing the above, we found that despite being high quality, they are also among the cheapest.

Take advantage of coupons and holiday specials. They will help you spend less money buying a mattress.