1. Research

I started by deciding what size mattress to purchase. We have been sleeping on a full size bed for many years. As we have traveled; we have had many opportunities to try different sizes of mattresses. We agreed that a king felt too big, we knew the full was too small and the queen size gave us enough room without feeling like we were sleeping in different beds.

Next, I went on-line and looked at different brands and types of mattresses. I compared prices and got a feel for what was in the market. I learned about pillow-top, firm, soft, memory foam and more. I read about split box-springs,...