i went to a baby's swap in my town and got a used set for $100!!! Its gorgeous and in perfect condition as it was only used for one child and is only 2 years old. If i were you, i would consider getting a used set for half the price you would pay if you bought it new! Then you can justify spending whatever on pieces you love! - good luck, hope you find what you're looking for.
We bought ours at Buy Buy Baby. they only have 2 stores in NJ though - Paterson and Cherry Hill. They have lots of great pieces and they accept competitor's coupons for furniture pieces.
Re: baby furniture
The Blog
We're going to go with the gulliver crib from IKEA, it's only $99 and has great reviews. Our other choice was the bonita peyton which is $299 @ BBB.
Check out www.walmart.com . I am looking at this crib and think it looks like one I wanted for $799. JCPenny's is great too for reasonable pricing.
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10746482