Mattress, for sure!

Seems like most people splurge on sofas. That was our biggest purchase. We also paid full-price for a really stylish steel coffee table that is resistant to our dog, who demolishes anything made of wood. Someday we'll splurge on a high-end mattress, but honestly, the $350 one we bought on Overstock.com is ridiculously comfy for now.

I was going to say our mattress also, but realized it was VERY on sale (and still expensive).

Sooo... Uh... Hrm. Pretty much everything major we've ever purchased has been on sale, or I've had a sweet employee discount.

That leaves our Blanco faucet and the beautiful tiles we bought for our backsplash. We had a gameplan for our kitchen, and it involved white subway tiles ONLY, until I saw these gorgeous 6" x 18" multicoloured tiles. Because we bought seven of these lovely (highly expensive) tiles, we were only able to tile half the kitchen. They took up our entire tile budget! We had to go over, just to purchase the new tiles. We get around to the second half of the room this summer.

Yes, I did pay full price for my McRoskey mattress set, but that was many years ago...lately...hmmm...not much. What I want, but the price gives me a headache, is the giant Resto Hardware leather chesterfield. It's so huge it probably wouldn't even fit in my door but I still covet it.

My bed.... Saved an entire year for it!

I paid full price for my Le Klint Pendant 172 and my two Herman Miller Mirra chairs (one for home and one for work). I don't regret any of it!!!

1) the sofa from Jennifer's Convertibles was the biggest full-price splurge - heavy frame, down cushions, I go to sleep every time I sit in it. No regrets.

2) Memory foam mattress from Costco. I'm crazy about sleeping on memory foam. I don't know about 'full price'...it was a heck of a lot less expensive than Tempur-Pedic and it feels great.

In my experience, cheap curtains, lamps, and lamp shades will give you nothing but heartbreak. As much as it pains me, I spend the dough.

My dining room set shipped out from Sweden..probably the largest amount of money I spent on anything.
Other than that, all my furniture pieces were bought when they were on sale or on clearance or with some kind of discount.
My rule of thumb...Always, always ask for a discount no matter where you are...chances are, you will get it even if it was small.

The only furniture in my home that I paid full price for are our bookcases: Room & Board's Pisa. Black, 92" tall, simple, gorgeous. I loved them so much that I bought 5 of them and wished I had bought 7. They were just too perfect. We paid full price at the time ($250 each in 2005) and they've gone up in price since then.

I have to say, I haven't paid full price for anything. The closest I have gotten is a Wildwood lamp at 10% off. In my favor, I was planning to pay full price, but there was a secret 10% off sale. They saw me coming.

My best buy was 90% off a Henredon secretary. Had to brag.

I would have to say that paint is the only thing we have paid full price for in our house. My house is painted in full spectrum paint, which I think makes a big difference, so to me, it was worth paying more.

As far as furniture, we either buy used or wait for a sale. I don't like to wait, but I have to set limits or we'd have one really fabulous couch and nothing else at all.

Right now, after months of looking and researching, I am waiting for the studio day sofa to go on sale at World Market. I'd like a couch for my (enclosed) back porch, and I'd like it to also be a place where someone could sleep when we have a lot of guests. Due to door and window placement, there isn't anywhere to put a full length couch, and the room won't accomodate a pull out sleeper, so I am waiting for a sale, but in the meantime, checking Craigslist and I keep looking to see if there is something better/cheaper out there. I'd hate to get hung up on one thing and miss something else, but I am also not willing to spend $400 on something that isn't really necessary (even though that's really cheap for a couch).

We paid full price for our Simmons BeautyRest mattress, though we DID find an independent local furniture store that had the exact same model SleepCountry tried to sell us for literally half the price. Those mattress stores are such a rip-off. We also paid full price for our King Captain's bed frame at the same shop, and for our couch and loveseat set from Macy's. The first two have been totally worth it; the couches actually kind of sucked over time (stuffing compressed a LOT) so I think we'll probably be cheaper and/or more careful about our next sofa purchase.

I spent an arm and a leg on my bed- but it came with six drawers built in the base, which helped me justify the purchase. I figure if you're going to splurge on something, go for something that will be useful in the long run!

The TV! It may be a big design "don't", but my husband and I do watch a lot of TV on weekday evenings. Right now we have a nice big one hanging on the wall, and we love it!

Our current mattress was pretty cheap, but eventually I think it would be worthwhile to splurge on a much better one. The cheap one isn't cutting it!

my Jaclo faucet. and Marmoleum floor - both worth the time & money!

Oh yeah, and I was all prepared to pay full price for a huge amazing Amy Butler rug in our new home, but my hubby put his foot down and said $1,600 was too much to spend for a rug. (And he was right.) Then I found a website that had the prices switched for the sizes... not proud, but I placed my order and they never caught the glitch, so I got a 9x12 for 5x8 pricing. And it didn't hurt that all their Yelp reviews said the retail store employees were total assholes to all the customers. Hooray for web pricing glitches from jerky companies, I guess.

I haven't actually paid full price on any of my furniture. If they didn't come from CL, then definitely GoodWill or Salvation Army, etc. The things I did pay full price are all electronic items, like TVs, laptops.. Whenever I see a piece of furniture that I really like, I'd find a way to get it for less than store price tag.

I buy most things new, actually; I don't like shopping. Browsing ads just makes me crave things I don't need, so I save more buying new.

Probably the most expensive (non-technology) item was our mattress and box spring. A good night's sleep makes almost anything bearable.

I always spend money on good art. I figure I'll go through several sofas and mattresses in my lifetime, but I will never get tired of artwork that I adore.

I honestly can't think of anything I paid full price for. I got most of my living room at NFM with the Warren Buffett discount and most everything else is used/vintage/hand-me-down etc.

I love finding great stuff at thrift stores and consignments shops but I always buy Benjamin Moore paint. I've painted a lot of old furniture and walls and it's worth every penny!

Crate and Barrel couch...a couch can define a space so quickly...and other people's couches can feel really gross. We splurged, we love it and we saved everywhere else!

Full price? What's that?
Perhaps the paint on the walls, although I may have found a brand on sale.
I usually look for sales, and if something I really want is not on sale, I look at it until a sales person comes up to me, and I'll say something like " I really like this (item), but I was looking to spend only (xxx.xx)"
It almost always works and has saved me $300 dollars on a couch that I adore

Two Cherner Armchairs - they took my tiny place from pretty nice to gorgeous in my eye.

A set of Conant-Ball chairs at a hipster/Williamsburg shop. Didn't haggle and I'll never regret it.

I don't think I've paid full price for anything. At least, nothing that comes to mind. We were fortunate enough to get most of our furniture from family, but one day we will have to save for new stuff, like couches, etc.

I WISH I had gotten a couch NOT from a budget furniture store. After a year and a half its on its way out already. I did splurge on a full price mattress and still love it 5 years later.

Our biggest splurge to-date was our Carpe Diem bed/mattress. Thinking about how much it was makes me a bit ill (even on "sale", but I love it. It is hand-made and hopefully will last the rest of our lives (ok, we will probably replace the topper every 10 years)

I paid full price for our Room and Board dresser and nightstands, because I wanted something made in the US. I love the clean lines, and their delivery/customer service is amazing. I do not live near a R&B store anymore so when the grey wash was introduced, I had them bring both colors so I could "shop at home". I eventually took the more traditional brown over the grey, but it was nice to know I could look at both before deciding. They are great pieces and work well, but I wish they were dovetailed like traditional furniture. I read the reviews online before purchasing and am very happy with decision overall.

Almost splurged on a couple of Togo pieces after a decade of waiting and then it just happened that Ligne Roset had an anniversary sale of 25% off. Glad I waited!

Boots!

Art is the only thing I can think of and it was a very wise buy. I pride myself on thrift shopping, scavenging or deep discounts on everything else. Besides, we have many pets in the house and expensive furnishings would give me more worry than pleasure.

Good custom framing. If you really want to protect a piece of art you can't cut corners on this.

Most of our furniture is high-quality vintage. Our full-price (but still modest) splurge has always been Benjamin Moore paint. BM Aura is a dream to paint with and the resulting color/durability is worth $50+ per gallon.

I thrift basically everything; our near-new, comfy, cute sofa was 13 bucks, my sweet mod desk was $24, a $15 mod coffee table, plus all the 99 cent kitchen wares I can lay hands on. The only things I have paid full price for have been my mattress and TV, although I think I will be investing in a nice, new vacuum in the immediate future.

Like those you featured and other commenters, my biggest splurge was a custom made velvet chesterfield sofa. It was something I waited for 2 years to purchase and didn't scrimp on anything (feather wrapped cushions? Yes please). It's been totally worth it and it's transformed my living room and it's wonderfully comfortable and the quality is really quite stunning.

There's nothing else in my place that even comes close to that indulgence which is fine - I look for bargains, reuse & repurpose where I can, thrift, ebay etc - but having something really special like that just makes me feel a bit more like a grown up ;) (even if I am in my 30s *cough*).

I paid full price for most of my kitchen renovation components, although the sales people always try to make it feel like you're getting a deal. The only furniture item I have paid full price for is my latex mattress. Worth every penny so far!

All my furniture is either sale or hand-me-downs from my parent's redoing their living room (so glad my mama has good taste!). Do TVs count for this question?

Slightly off topic ... am I the only person in the world who thinks Panton chairs look ridiculous? NOT a fan.

My bedroom set which was described just as "maple" which I now regret. The bed is wonderful & is still one of my favorite pieces. But the dresser is another story. Once I had to move and keep the set in storage during new construction, it began to fall apart, it is now obvious to me that certain parts were not wood and it wasn't made well. I paid too much. Also, I'm a bit more design savvy now, rather than buying a set, I would prefer individually chosen pieces.

I paid full price for many of my smaller items (cubitec, howard elliot chateu mirror and herman miller bubble lamp). I would've waited for a sale if I didn't need the items right away.

I do bargain quite a bit, we don't have any national big box furniture stores in Hawaii except for Pier One. So most retailers are owned locally and I won't hesitate to ask for a better price, negotiating is not just for vintage stores. I also won't hesitate to ask for a price adjustment if an item I purchased went on sale, especially before I've received it. I've gotten discounts this way from Lowes on my fridge and also from West Elm.

Artwork. Hope it ups in value one day!

Two upholstered chairs last year. I loved the shape and the color when I ordered them. Now, I realize that I should have shopped around. They cost a pretty penny. Never again.

My poggenpohl cabinets and our Le Corbusier LC2 sofa and arm chairs.

Years ago - '60s - I bought a marble top dresser with mirror at marvelously low price at an auction on Long Island. I've loved it, moved it, New Jersey, Calif, too many times to count. Last year it just kind of collapsed.
I definitely spent full price with someone who rebuilt, repaired and refinished the piece. Even polished the marble. I love my dresser as much as ever and don't regret a dime spent on repair.
Will do the same on my favorite wing chairs. I'm a fabricolholic - no recovery programs desired. I'll keep looking for the 16 yards of absolutely gorgeous upholstery fabric I know is out there, maybe I'll luck out on ebay. Then I'll spend spend what it takes for custom upholstery - down wrapped pillows, of course.
Very few "new" pieces in my house. Love my reclaimed gems.

All of my furniture was either purchased used from a second-hand store or from Craigslist/Kijiji, given to me or bought new from IKEA. But I think buying what you love and what makes you happiest (within reason) is more important than only buying things that are cheap or on sale. There's a lot of good-quality stuff out there that is reasonably priced to begin with.

I don't usually buy many new things, and I try to re-purpose used furniture and garage sale finds. But what really makes my eclectic style sing is, though I have searched the web for the lowest cost possible on the prints or posters I love, I pay full price for professional framing. From framing a Georgia O' Keefe cut out of a calendar to a Ramon Lombarte print I could only get from a German poster company (for $15!) to a set of watercolor postcards from a vacation in the Caribbean to a huge professional photograph taken by a friend, framing makes them all look like expensive works of art. It has allowed my apartments to evolve from a college-esque, hand me down, dumpster diving existence to a frugal but stylishly decorated, adult statement about who I am and what is important to me.

My gorgeous espresso leather sectional by Roche Bobois. Worth every penny.

I paid full price for my 3 year son Liam's built-in "big boy bed" which I designed for him, and for a vintage hand-woven plaid blanket for it. I'm afraid the blanket is going to be dry-clean only, too.....Says a lot about my priorities these days.....

Our dining table, which is solid cherry, was handmade to our specifications by a local craftsman. The oiled finish is pretty indestructible and the wood had gotten lovelier over the years. It started off quite light, and has darkened to a warm medium tone.

But here's the thing. I'm kind of tired of it. You can't imagine, when you spend that much money on something you completely love, that you won't love it forever. But tastes do change over time. Luckily it's a simple design that goes with many styles, but I wish we'd gotten something more disposable.

There are three things we have that we bought new and at full price:

1. mattress (most expensive thing in the whole dang house, sometimes I feel like I should take insurance out on it or something)
2. custom framing for my partner's heirloom Japanese silk paintings (4 of them, so it added up)
3. our fridge (not sure if this counts b/c we got $150 knocked off b/c the installer guy thought he nicked it - still can't find the scratch myself)

If our current couch kicked the bucket for any reason, I would be heartbroken, but would consider paying good money for a replacement. We lucked out finding a vintage sectional for ridiculously cheap that was really well made & comfy, but now we are spoiled.

Our biggest indulgence was to pay full price for the sofa. We fell in love with the lines of this particular Rowe sofa, and nothing else could compare.

Cisco Brothers tufted, upholstered arm chair and ottoman. Absolutely love it and have totally blocked the price from my memory.

I paid full price for my sofa, which I think was worthwhile as I've had it now since 1993 and still love it. It has feather-and-down cushions and stainproof white upholstery.

Oh, yes, mattress too! I paid $900 for it in December 2006 and have never regretted it, although have since read, in Consumer Reports, that it's always possible to haggle with mattress store sales people.

Lounge suite from King Furniture. The best spend ever. It's leather, perfect for lazing because it's a really nice size. And the best bit....it can be reconfigured (using the chair and multi seaters) into a heap of different configurations, including a queen size bed for guests. We have moved around lots, from tiny apartments to a four bedroom house and it has fit in perfectly at each place. It's really quick and easy to reconfigure. Just amazing! Best spend ever!!!!!!

I paid full price for my Herman Miller Aeron Chair, and I got the nice one, too - the one with the metal legs. It killed me to pay so much, but the cheapy free desk chair that I had been using for years was really hurting my back. So it was definitely money well spent.

I tested lots of chairs, and the Aeron was THE most comfortable by far.

Mattress and kitchen cabinets. The kitchen cabinets were so worth it. Mattress I'm not sure about, since the only other mattress I've owned had reached the end of its life about 10 years before I bought it.

An antique jelly cabinet (that I've used in the kitchen, dining room and also in my bedroom as a dresser), a Noguchi lamp, some Merimekko throw pillows. Not much, only because most of our furniture is from family or auctions.
I can understand the choices people have talked about here: the chairs, couches, beds. Items you'll have for many years that need to be comfortable.

Our George Nelson Bubble Lamp. Is the focal point of our kitchen/dining/living space, and we love it. The $300 or so we paid is not bad for an icon of mid-century design.

lexid - I just looked up King Furniture sofas and wow! I wish we had that line here or something similar. Beautiful and so versatile with a little imagination.

Hmmm.... I don't really have many "splurges" - my bed was a "hand me over" from a former roommate (it was brand new, and she got pregnant and moved out), my entry furniture is from Ikea (I guess that's full price, though I don't think the ensemble cost more than $100), most everything else is stuff I've built, garage sale, Craigslist, or street finds.

My biggest splurge, if I had to pick, would be the stand for my aquarium (the aquarium itself I bought from another student when I was in college). I wanted to make sure I had something that could hold the weight of the water.

I paid full retail for my Mac and a few kitchen specialty items, everything else I bargain for and have a number of 'designer' furnishings purchased for a song, I'm kicking myself now for not grabbing a Thomas O'Brien Hallings Secretary when I spied them for $1,400. Now I'm considering paying full price for one which is absolutely insane at roughly $6K. Lesson learned: be flexible in your decorating and never fixate on one item even if it IS a Hallings Secretary!

My toilet! Brand new dual flush but not elongated (to fit in our aging cottage). Waiting for a sale would have meant wasting water, right?

I paid full price for a mattress that I HATE, so I really enjoy reading your mattress review series!

So far (I just bought a condo so I'm sure this will change) I've only payed full price for the paint I'm going to put on the walls! Of course check with my once I'm all moved in!

@ Downtowncook , no, you are not the only one, those chairs are kind of silly.

Custom made armoire desk for the bedroom. It was inspired by an Armani Casa piece that cost 4 times more than my custom version, so while it was expensive, it was still a deal. I wanted to have a workspace that could completely close up at night when I go to bed so I don't have to sit and stare at the work I still have to do when I am trying to go to sleep.

Frames (museum quality is worth it). Closets (adds value to your property). Window Shades (protect your valuables from sun damage). Buy quality and cry once.

mattress and sofa. Everything else is vintage, Goodwill, Target, or IKEA.

My biggest indulgence is my apartment. I probably pay too much for it.

I need a quiet place away from people to decompress from my day.

Our professional grade stove and temperpedic mattress. We cook a lot and we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so they are both well worth the money.

Full price is reserved for The Perfect Thing that you Love Passionately and Cannot Live Without! (And will love forever, of course!) Otherwise, there HAS to be a bargain somewhere!!

Paid full price for my leather chair-and-a-half and ottoman. Best decision I ever made.

My viking gas range!

This fantastic danish modern bi-level hutch to store my tiki mug collection in. I couldn't believe the price. It was soooo expensive. I have never spent so much on a piece of furniture in all my life. But my husband and I felt like we would live to regret it if we walked away from it. Now I don't have tiki mugs scattered everywhere, and they are all tucked happily away. We lived off of pb&j for a few weeks instead of eating out to make up for it, but we would do it again in a heartbeat. Totally worth it.

Since it's out in the open, visible, and used every hour or two, I'd have to say my Mac. They're never on sale where I live and since the computer is a big part of our home lives, we pay what we must.

everything major in my house (ie furniture) is second hand, nothing over $100... I did buy a couch at Sears a few years back for $1400, and it pretty much fell apart after like 2 years. :s I got our current Ikea Nikkala couch off Kijiji for $40 and it's in MUCH better shape after a few years than our sears couch was!

We bought a German-made chandelier to hang over our dining table. I'd seen knockoffs for less than half the price, but I hated the cheap, obvious welds on such a sculptural piece. It was beautiful... till our wiring kept frying the delicate components. Had it repaired twice. Now it's up in our attic, waiting for us to either redo our wiring, or sell it at a loss. :(

On the other hand, I keep adding a few pieces at a time to our collection of Heath Ceramics dinnerware. I do try to wait till they have free shipping, and sometimes even a discount, but even at full price they always make me happy when I use them!