My mother is in need of a living room couch and chairs on a SMALL budget. We have an Ikea nearby but I've never bought furniture there, so I'm not sure about quality, etc.

Thoughts?

Its pretty good stuff. I had couches and things from them that lasted for years. I wouldn't expect it to last forever but its good quality.

I agree Ikea sells quality stuff, but its not that inexpensive.

Yes, there is nothing cheap about Ikea but they have good items, The one item of Ikea is a lot of their items are more easily movable.

I just got Ikea cabinets put in my kitchen last week. They are fabulous.

If you are looking for economy, I would suggest the Salvation Army. You can find good stuff for very little there. The one in my town is very picky about what they will accept for resale.

Ikea has a clearance section for discontinued floor models, ask if the store has one when you walk in before going to the regular isles.

Just an idea if you on a budget and like ikea stuff, also try craigslist: san francisco bay area classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events (http://www.craigslist.org)

My mother is in need of a living room couch and chairs on a SMALL budget. We have an Ikea nearby but I've never bought furniture there, so I'm not sure about quality, etc.

Thoughts?
I love Ikea but tend to check craigs list first too.

The quality at IKEA is generally pretty good, though it really depends on what you buy. Their furniture ranges from pretty basic to fairly high-end, so the more you pay, the better the quality will be.

However, I have had some of the cheaper furnniture for several years and it has held up very well, including several moves (on a side note, Ikea furniture is GREAT for moving, it is so easy to take apart and put back together).

The only thing I don't like about ikea furniture is that it looks boring to me

Thanks all!
I'm an Ikea fan for sure... I beg my husband to take me constantly (its an hour drive minimum) I'm just never made any "big" purchases before but after your comments, I'll take my mom up.
Plus, if she gets an apartment on the second floor (no elevator) it might be smart to buy things that need to be assembled rather than take an entire couch up ;)

Can I also suggest you check eBay too, we got two extreamly exspensive sofas for next to nothing a few months back its luck of the draw but great fun trying :D
I know ikea beds are extreamly good and there kitchens good luck.