Is it planned or spontaneous expenses?

I like to buy little things occasionally, new kitchen towels, or a new throw pillow.  I generally try to plan to buy one piece of furniture a year, although we haven't had it in the budget this year.  This year my new purchase is the new water heater.

I have been trying for several years to budget for new carpet, it's not happening anytime soon.  We haven't replaced any carpet in 10 years.  It is getting very worn looking.  

My house is still pouting because I referred to it several times this week as Shattered Dreams instead of by its name on the sign.

Shattered Dreams does not have enough storage space.

I will be buying a slipcover for a wing chair in the living room in the near future. I want to get free s/h from JCP.

All the kitchen appliances were brand new in 2003 and in 2006 the deep freezer came to reside in the pantry. In 2003 the hot water heater was brand new. In 2007 I purchased 2 additional tv sets. One was for Mom and was in the downstairs bedroom, which is back to being the living room again. The smaller of the 2 tvs is at the nursing home in Mom's room.

It's lovely having 2 tvs hooked up to DirecTV. I can start watching a program, go downstairs to cook, and finish watching the program in the living room while things are cooking in the kitchen.

Some of my purchases are not planned, but are very necessary. In 2007 I had to replace the batteries for the chair lift elevator.

We rarely spend money on things for the house, usually only when absolutely necessary. 

We pulled all of our carpet out about 4 years ago, and never replaced it. We are quite happy without it, preferring to sweep and dustmop frequently instead of trying to keep the carpeting clean. Our experience with carpet was that no matter how much it was shampooed, steam-cleaned and vacuumed, it was still very dirty when we got down on our hands and knees and looked at it close up. Then when we pulled it up the fine layer of dirt that had sifted thru the carpet was just awful. Also the foam padding had disintegrated and left its own layer of grit underneath. We would never go back to carpeting. Edey

Well that is a good question. We have a strict budget and have a substantial amount set aside specifically for major repairs/purchases. We learned a big lesson 6 years ago. I had been working 2 jobs (one full time, one part-time) to pay off a bunch of bills. DH has always worked 2 - 3 jobs even now that he's retired. My full time job was extremely stressful and I was having health issues. No sooner did I give notice to quit and our furnace broke down setting us back another $4,000. I couldn't ask for my old job back because I needed two surgeries. Once we got ourselves back in control, DH decided that no matter what, he was going to start setting money aside so we don't have to rely on credit cards. Now we think long and hard about all our purchases. If we need something, we get it. Its nice to have money set aside but I still worry about some unforeseen expense that will pop up and drain us dry. I can honestly say that having that safety net and not wanting to touch it keeps me from buying more. Yes there are days I want to ditch my living room set and I've been waiting 10 years for a new dining room floor, but times being what they are now, I'm content to hold back. Its far easier to save money now that our kids are on their own.

 Too often since we are still buying furnishings and household items. Most of my purchases have been planned.

 

mmm that is a hard one.  sometimes nothing for a couple of months and other times a few times a month.  I think it depends if it planned like the home renos or needed.   Like when the hot water heater went.  that had to be done.    Things like new sheets I can wait for a sale.   Sometimes it is just because I am a great sale or value village or it free and I see something for the house from small...decorative or big like a play house or vanity.

Normally it is something needed and will see a great deal pop up when I am out somewhere. always open to things like that.

 When we have regular income again, I'd like to have a budget- mainly to get the carpet out and replace a few pieces of furniture.  I'm thinking I'd get cheap berber carpet over this old stuff.  Edey, I'd like to just get rid of it, but some places thereis nothing underneath!  It does become kind of a pollutant at some point.  We are lucky to have a cedar house, with no painting, and a nice look.  

We do need  new lamp at some point, also.

What's on your wish list? 

Dear ALl, Ever since the year when the Chinese New Year was the year of the rooster, I've been looking around for a kitchen sink rug with a cehckerboard border & a nice big rooster inside.  I finally found one at Blair.com, & have purchased it for $15. That is my big "furniture" expenditure for 2008.  Yours in HIm, Deb  PS  Years back, I bought a 3 piece set just like that, but in a different color (the old one is blue; the new one is black).  All 3 pieces are much too big for a kitchen sink rug, though.  I am using 2, and the 3rd, a very long runner, is stored in the closet.

Very seldom.  Occassionally, will stop at a rummage and will find something--we just downsized from the big house with acreage and barn into our 800 sq. ft. a year ago, so getting more stuff isn't really on our list.  

Items purchased this past 13 months:  

a sturdy vintage picnic hamper to use for storage and as an ottoman, $5?, Ebay has it at $65!!!

a very small wrought iron bistro table for dining purposes, $59 on 1/2 off sale, it folds easily so we can get it out of the way in our wee little kitchen

bright red dish drainer w/silverware cup, $7

drafting table, salvaged from curbside, for dh's studio (8x10 shed in yard)

buffet type table, salvaged from curbside, for dd's use for art and writing

nice cherry computer table and hutch, $35, rummage sale deal at close of sale

loveseat, $35

2 upholstered chairs for living room, $50 

All these items were bought in July of 2007.  Haven't bought anything since.  

I WANT new kitchen towels but don't NEED them.  Ditto with the bathroom towels.  Oh well, it waits unitl it is a need.  

 

We are saving for a sofa right now.  Most likely a futon and when we move we'll use the futon until we find something better.  We'll get new pillows to go with it, too.  That's the only thing on our "to buy" list for the near future.  If I can get a sleeper sofa that's affordable, we may get one.  DH would like a t.v. stand, but I don't consider that a priority right now.  The couch we have now is 25+ years old and simply *needs* to be replaced.  The t.v. is sitting on an empty trunk and is fine for now.  The stands that can hold our t.v. are typically $300+ and that's for the ugly ones that no one would actually buy.  LOL

About a year ago DH and I bought new kitchen cloths, towels, dish rack, etc.  Maybe $30 at Wal-Mart for everything.  There's a ton of stuff I can legitimately see us needing between now and the next 10 years.  The dresser DH and I share will need professional work.  It's solid wood and one of the legs should be replaced when we can afford to have a matching one made and attached.  Then I can learn how to refinish wood by refinishing it.  DD will need bedroom furniture.  What she has now is a hodge-podge of stuff that DH painted and made look nice for a little girl.  However, when she's a bit older and gentler on furniture, I would like to buy her some nicer stuff that she can take with her when she moves out so she'll at least have a bedroom set.  Besides, DH can always redo the redone furniture when she outgrows the bugs/flowers theme she has right now.

The house we want to move to will need a lot of cosmetic work.  There's wood paneling in several rooms -- and not the plain brown stuff.  Some of it has a picture stamped into it; there is no way to cover it with primer and paint.  Some of the rooms have drop ceilings, too, of which I'm not a fan.  DH said his dad put them in to save on heating costs.  I get that.  And you never know but we may end up keeping them b/c of that.  And we think there is hardwood under the carpets.  Oh, and there is carpet in the bathroom..... UGH.  DH and I have discussed that we will simply tackle one room at a time and we will pay cash.  We will do as much as we can ourselves.  I would like to have as many planned expenses as possible, though DH and I agree that there should be at least $5000 available for house emergencies (furnace, a/c, water heater, roof, etc.).  The appliances in the house will be used for as long as possible.  I think the cosmetic work on the paneling, flooring, and drop-ceilings is more important.