We finally upgraded our tiny TV. If you’ve been over to our house, you’ve probably noticed—or at least you’ve laughed and commented about how overdue we were for a larger set. As the resident guy, I’ll admit I agreed. Our old 26-inch TV made sense in our previous home where the den was so narrow I could change the channel with my toe. In our current living room, however, that little screen felt far too small.
We loved the coziness of our first living room, but the extra space now is great for Clara to play and run around. The downside: any time a subtitle appears, a news ticker scrolls, or we invite people over for a movie, someone inevitably says, “We really need a bigger TV.” Reading small text from the couch required standing up and walking halfway across the room, which got old fast. Despite watching a lot of TV, buying a new set kept getting postponed—mainly because we wanted to make sure we made a smart, value-conscious choice.
We heard that February and March are often good months to buy a television, since they follow the holiday and Super Bowl buying peaks. Prices can dip during that slower retail period, so we waited for the right deal. After some online research and a helpful conversation with my brother-in-law Martin, who had recently gone through his own TV-buying process, we narrowed the options down to two models sold at Target: a Vizio and a Samsung.
Both models were 1080p LCDs in the roughly 40-inch range, and both had solid reviews across Target, Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers. They were also energy-efficient “eco” models with low annual running costs. The roughly 40-inch size wasn’t an exact calculation so much as a practical choice—we wanted something clearly bigger than our old set but not enormous. Holding a tape measure at home helped confirm the fit.
Between the two, we chose the Vizio: it was $100 cheaper and two inches larger. The sticker price was $449.99, but that wasn’t the final number. We prefer to stack discounts when possible, and buying at Target let us do just that.
- Target had temporarily reduced the price from $479 to $449.
- We use a Target credit card, which gives 5% off regular purchases, bringing the price to around $427.
- Target sent an extra coupon for an additional 5% off HDTVs, which reduced it further to about $406.
- We applied leftover gift cards from the holidays and paid a final out-of-pocket amount of $356.
That final price felt reasonable given the convenience and size improvement—our much smaller TV cost about the same five years ago. We debated whether to keep the old set for another room or sell it, and Craigslist is likely its next stop.
When the new TV arrived, Burger’s excitement was immediate—until we realized Vizio used a news graphic on the box. I would have preferred an eye-catching scene with vibrant fish or a charging bull, but the display on the actual screen was what mattered. Before installing it, we photographed the comparison to appreciate the upgrade. The old TV looked comically tiny next to the new one, and the new size already changed the room’s balance.
From the couch, the improvement was obvious. Small text and subtitles are now easy to read, and shows display with crisp clarity. We haven’t wall-mounted it yet, but we did tether it to the stand with the safety cable and anchor included in the box to prevent tipping. Eventually we’ll decide on a permanent height and mounting solution once we finish redesigning that area of the living room.
This purchase may be the start of a broader refresh for that wall. We’re planning a larger media console with more storage and greater height to better anchor the TV. Whether we build something custom or retrofit a thrift-store find, the goal is to create a balanced, functional space around our new centerpiece.
For now, we’re simply enjoying the better viewing experience and giving our squinting muscles a rest. It’s nice to have more comfortable viewing for shows like Cougar Town and to catch up on series we’ve missed. With book shoots finished, maybe we’ll actually have more time to relax and watch TV again—The Walking Dead is one show we’re careful not to get spoiled on, so no spoilers, please!
Has anyone else been upgrading their TV or home entertainment setup lately? We’re curious what sizes and brands people are choosing, and whether you found good seasonal deals like the ones we used. Upgrading the screen is a small change that made a surprisingly big difference in how we use the room.