You spend a lot of time on these things and like any long-term relationship, there's a lot to endure, particularly if you pick the wrong one.

But play your cards right and you'll be snuggling up happily to a lifelong buddy.

I've been in the market recently and it's brought to light a number of self-evident truths.

First and foremost, a lounge must fit.

Through the doorway is a good start but more importantly, your body.

The story of Goldilocks test-driving a stranger's interior decor is not some mere fairy tail about a picky little home invader.

More from Simon Walker: The complete That's Life archive

It's a Harvey Norman harbinger about the importance of getting things just right.

Comfort must be king, and being able to stretch out full length is a key performance indicator.

Unfortunately over the years I have endured many items, starting with a milk crate, that didn't always (ever) accommodate my frame. More vertically challenged types have barely comprehended what I've whinged about, because their legs haven't tended to dangle over the end.

Now life can be tough, I'll grant you, but curling up in the fetal position on a lounge should ideally be an option, not mandatory.

Especially during finals time where you'd think copping a crusher tackle is something you're more likely to get on the field. Not that I'm bitter because the Knights are out now.

Most of our lounges have been chronically uncomfortable anyhow, and that's tended to unite the masses. Lumpy cushions, back-breaking alignment, damn ugly to look at. Maybe that's why the cats attacked them. It's funny what you'll put with up, and that's not a reference to the cats or the family masses.

Unlike such beloved ones, a lounge can be replaced and eventually spinal issues will indicate it's time. But where to start.

New lounges are eye-wateringly expensive as anyone who's entered the homemaker showroom of dreams will realise. Especially for what you get - hard-to-verify synthetic coverings strapped to an MDF base and a frame sourced from a third world lantana patch.

Not surprisingly the instinct is to think second hand. But playing furniture Tinder can reveal a lot about a person, and a lot more about that person's possible pet, lifestyle or personal hygiene.

Like any marketplace, quality goes quick, while the hope of scoring a bargain sag, like so much upholstery.

Lounge retailers know it as "pooling" while potential buyers feel it in their soul. It's a sensation transferable to your wallet if you then decide to buy new.

I think it's what our national treasurer Gerry Harvey, I mean Josh Frydenberg, was getting at when delivering his budget this week.

Maybe it's time to spend your way into deficit for the good of the economy.