Grown ups have responsibilities. They have jobs, bills, families and they make grown up purchases. I remember the first time I paid more than $1000 for a mattress set.  I felt pretty grown up after selecting that mattress.   After all, I worked hard. And when it was time to rest…the last thing I needed was a lumpy mattress.  Also, as a mature adult, I was thinking long term, such as how long will this mattress last…I was thinking about quality, in addition to price.

Lamar and I have been selected  for the Serta  2013 Ambassador Blogger Program where Serta hand-picked several bloggers and sites that they wanted to have partnerships with this year.  And during our visit to Serta Headquarters this spring, they gave us the following 10 things to think about when selecting a mattress:

 #1. If you  are married, go with your spouse.  You may like a softer mattress and your spouse may want a firmer mattress.  You both need to make the trip together so that you can get something that you both will be comfortable with.

#2. Don’t rush the process – take your time. Try out the mattresses in the store (i.e – lay on them.)  You are going to be stuck with this mattress for at least 7 years or more…so you want to spend some time making sure you are choosing wisely.

#3. Wear comfortable clothes.  You probably won’t want to test out the mattress if you are wearing a suit from work. Or, a short skirt or expensive dress.

 #4. Focus on what you want – you can  get overwhelmed with all of the bells and whistles that come on mattresses…so narrow down your search to what you really want.

#5. Pick what feels right.  But don’t buy a mattress that is too firm.

#6. Know the return policy.  some of the more reputable manufactures have a return policy…make sure you know it before you make the purchase.

#7. Likewise, understand what the warranty covers.  Does it cover broken springs/coils, rips…or what? And how long are you covered?

#8. Do your research before you go to the store.  If you want to know about a product…just search for it…there will probably be hundreds of reviews about it on the internet.

#9. Do focus on the price.  Think of this as an investment.

#10. Know the special features. If your mattress has special features such as , Cool Action™ Dual Effects™ layer  that transports heat away from the mattress, then you should  purchase the sheets that come with the mattress so that you do not cancel out the benefits of the feature.

And speaking of grown and sexy,  one of the perks of being a Sera Ambassador is that Lamar and I recently received an  iComfort Directions Epic model with Motion Custom Adjustable Base that also includes 4 exclusive technologies to balance comfort, support and temperature regulation.  Now that’s a grown up mattress.  Please stay tuned as we will tell you how we like it in the coming weeks.

BMWK what was your first grown up purchase? 

Disclosure: Lamar and I are paid bloggers in the Serta 2013 Ambassador Program. We will be providing information and stories throughout the year about Serta campaigns, surveys and products that we have been given to review. Information, products and promotional items have been provided by Serta, however all opinions about the products are our own.