apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

for years i have wanted a big flokati 8x10 for my bedroom, an eames plywood screen and light fixtures from rejuvenation. maybe next year. this year my bonus had to go to an electrician.

This is what my best friend from high school used to call "a high class problem to have." Half off of WAAAYYY too expensive is still... well, don't we all know that answer?

Seriously, don't waste another minute worrying about the $2200 you might have spent on a rug. Be comfortable in the knowledge that you now have (however many weeks or months worth of rent or mortgage payments, depending on whatever your housing costs are per month) in the bank instead of one dream rug, in case you end up having to deal with the kind of financial fallout that waaaay too many of us are dealing with right now.

As for me, if I had $2,200 to throw around, I'd furnish my entire bedroom and part of my living room via antique stores and Craig's List. I mean, AT is all gaga over midcentury modern furniture, right? Consider that even in NYC where everything costs more than nearly anywhere else, $2,200 could recently have covered the following on Craig's List:

$225 for an absolutely gorgeous mid-century modern Danish/atomic credenza with beautiful carvings in the sliding doors

$475 for a stunning and unique queen sized midcentury bed (headboard and footboard)

$400 for a pair of fabulous, tall, frosted glass wardrobe doors

$160 for a pair of super cute atomic 1950s nightstands with storage

$750 for a seemingly comfortable, good-condition velvet button tufted three-seater sofa

$150 for a funky 1970s bar/cabinet

That's $2,160... you'd still have $40 left over to pay for the gas you'd pump into the pickup truck that you'd rent to haul all this stuff to your totally new bedroom and living room.

So, Wes and Kalya, maybe it'll make you feel better to realize that you may have lost your dream rug, but you could get ALL those amazing pieces instead for the same amount... or similar pieces via the Craig's List near you.

Hope that helps lessen the blow of consumer regret...

Wegner Wishbone chairs. They're too iconic to fall into the "naive seller" scenario on eBay or craigslist and too pricey for me to buy new. But right after Christmas, a pair popped up on craigslist for $150 . The only catch was, the listing had been up for two weeks. So I sent the "these are probably long gone but..." email and amazingly they were still available. The next day I went out to pick them up, expecting something to be horribly wrong with them, but they were beautiful vintage condition. And they weren't knock-offs, either. The guy wasn't naive about what he had, he didn't seem to care. He had a garage full of junk and just wanted these chairs gone. I was too happy to accommodate. Now I have one in the living room and one in the bedroom. I look at those chairs every day and still can't believe they're mine.

I'm coveting a built-in Liebherr refrigerator for my small kitchen. If it were ever half-price, I would definitely buy it.

I want that skirt!

The one's that got away, always painful memories.
I would definitely have bought your dream rug. Damn the torpedoes!

Mine is the Eames leather lounge & ottoman. Just a few years ago a new one retailed at under $3000. I just looked the other day and prices have risen to $3700. Makes me feel like I should grab one now before they head north of $4000.

I can totally relate. You all have far more restraint than I would if confronted by one of my dream items at big sale prices (a swedese lamino chair, a blu dot Nick dining table and a blu dot strut coffee table). If either of them goes on sale; I'll jump on them. Thankfully, I have some cash in reserve if they become available at sale prices. These items have been on my list for a long time though; so, I know they are not fleeting desires.

i'm with austinjohn. that robshaw pushkar bolster pillow has been on mind for a while now. looking through my flickr, that pillow has been calling me for a year. $200 is ridiculous, but my birthday is coming soon, and it's time to settle this.

jplee-

The point is we don't want or need those other things. Wish list items have nothing to do with needs, quantity, or economy. I think if we didn't have Bacon (the french bulldog who loves eating leaves) we probably would have bought the rug. We knew if we bought it now we would probably not have been able to put it on the floor and not have the dog ruin it. We said, ok we could buy this now and store it until the dog is older or wait to buy it until it makes more sense? That along with the realities of the economy and we passed on the rug but not with out a little regret.

I will probably go to hell for being an enabler, but that same size of Little Field of Flowers rug (in red, though) is on sale at The Conran Shop for $1,920.

The Vas-One ginormous planter from DWR.

And it was 60% off recently, which would've made it roughly $500.

Still didn't get it. I'm just too practical. And broke.

The older I get, the more I realize that "stuff" is just stuff. If you love it and can afford it without agonizing over it, fine, but the happiness it brings you is only temporary.

Matt in kc: congratulations on nabbing the chairs!

I do want something in particular that's a couple thousand ... and recession be damned, I decided to go for it. It's a spectacular oil painting of the George Washington Bridge on a sunny afternoon by Bennett Vadnais ... I simply could not let the show come down and know that painting wouldn't be mine. It's packed away at the gallery, and I'm paying it off slowly ... and looking forward to bringing it home!

rugs by the same designer, the roses rug etc, were also half off at ABC during their huge rug sale. RUN! maybe they're still there!

I don't know, but in this lousy economy, who can afford to splurge $2,200 on a rug? Seriously?! I'm more concerned about keeping my job than buying expensive items for my home.

That is THE rug I want. Maybe in a different color though. It's too beautiful. I'd pay if one is on 50% off and in white or light grey:)

I bought mine, and I'm still dreading this month's Visa bill.

I've been looking and lusting after antique oak stacking cabinets for about 15 years. Old card catalogs, barrister bookcases, that sort of thing. I have... er... let's just say "several" that I'm putting to good use. On February 1st I went window shopping in antique stores, knowing that I didn't need anything and wouldn't spend money I didn't have. Then I saw THIS:

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/LetterFileCabinet2.jpg

$399.

I've never seen one before in my years of looking. Twenty-five flat drawers (like, for legal sized paper, and pencils, and paintbrushes) in 2 barrister bookcase solid tiger oak sections, with a base. No top. But still I know $399 is a steal for this piece, so I bought it with the intention of selling it on eBay and making a couple hundred to help with my finances. Only... between the store and the eBay listing, it captured my heart. I made the listing. Looked at the cabinet. Decided it was mine for life. Pulled the listing down.

I know for a fact that if I hadn't bought this, I would still pine for it five years from now. Flipping that around, I know that in five years I'll still love this, and will have forgotten my momentary lack of $400.

Obviously, I'm not losing my home or anything. (And hey - flower rug with Bacon? You made the right call.) But sometimes, you have to follow love.

Mary

I've, even in this economy, come to realise in the last few years, that when you see a deal on something you really covet, if you have the money at the time, take the plunge, in the end you'll be both happy and well sometimes it ends up being more frugal. I say more frugal because for years I tried to play the "I just can't justify spending that kind of money on (item), maybe when it's on sale, maybe when it's even more discounted, maybe when I'm more established in my career, maybe something else cheaper. etc." game thinking I'd be frugal and smart by only buying things that weren't so expensive. What happened though is that instead of the one thing I really wanted, I'd end up buying a bunch of things that were cheaper, more frugal, yes, but not what I wanted. A closet full of cheap target and thrift store clothes I never wore because they were a pale substitute to the single item I shunned due to expense, and so a worse return on investment. Maybe it's just me, but my attempts to be frugal have so often ended up like when you're hungry, and you're really hungry for one item, usually horrible for you junk food, but you either don't have that item on hand or you're trying to avoid it's negative health/ massive calorie load, so you try to fill the hunger with something else, and before you know it you've eaten 1200 calories of muti-grain pretzels, and you're still hungry for the 800 calorie burrito, which you would have been better off eating in the long run.

So, yeah, I think you sort of sate your retail demons by purchasing only what you really love and and if you splurge on the still expensive deal, you're probably less likely to fritter away the money you think you're saving but will probably end up spending on something else as a substitute that will be a bigger waste of money.

I limit my furniture and houseware purchases to quality items. I am by no means wealthy but I prefer to save up for a well made, timeless item rather than by many items for cheaper that aren't always necessarily well made or quite frankly, necessary in the first place.

How do you clean that rug? It doesn't look like you could vacuum it.

i think you made the right decision, its just not wise right now. that being said, i would love a womb chair too! i just keep telling myself that i dont have one because my cats would scratch it... not because its $3000 :)

I'm with bonjourmiette!

I'd also add that my grandparents are a cautionary tale of the downfalls of frugality.

They were careful souls who stashed their savings away for "rainy days", and lived a very frugal existence. Well, not once, but twice, they lived through currency devaluations, and all their scrimping and saving brought them nothing. Had they but bought nice things for themselves, or used the money to properly heat the home or buy meat a little more often...

I keep a "list" of things I want to buy for my home and wardrobe. When I see one of those items on sale, I get it because when it makes the list, it is almost a need, not just a want. It keeps me from making purchases I will regret later. My list is pretty short right now...

some of you people... it's called a WISH LIST! lighten up and have some fun. do you dream in coupons as well?

Mary B C -- You and I seem to share an identical furniture fetish. I cannot BELIEVE you found that gorgeous piece for $399. I'm out of my mind with jealousy. Out. of. my. mind.

So sad!!

Humm. My wish list? A new couch. Any couch. I need something bigger than my loveseat. I guess I dont have a expensive wish list. HECK I felt bad buying a 35 dollar rug (orginally $200)

oh my god..... i totally bought my wish list item which is a mid-century couch from room and board for around 1500.00.... sucks cause i have to wait 2 months to get it but i know it'll be SOOO worth it.

Rosenati... I hope it helps you that I am out of my mind with happiness and satisfaction to own the cabinet. I have absolute confidence that someday you will have one, too!

Mary

Thanks, Mary! I'm keeping all of my toes and fingers crossed. And should you ever feel the need to sell anything... *coughcoughcough*

I don't have a wish list. I read AT for ideas more than for finding items I'd like to have.

That's not to say there aren't a lot of improvements I'd like to see in my home or new things I wouldn't mind having, but I don't have particular items in mind. I know generally what I might like to have, but I don't have special items in mind to fulfill those ideas, nor do I actually care that much about fulfilling my visions.

It's not about frugality. It's mainly about not caring that much about particular "stuff".

Oh, I think you should have bought the rug.

Many years ago, I was laid off from my job, along with hundreds of others. I found a beautiful pearl and diamond ring (actually multiple pearls and diamonds) at CD Peacock for $6k. I had the cash for it, but didn't think it was smart to spend that money at the time. Over the years, I never saw another ring like that one. I knew it was a ring I would wear forever and wish I would have bought it. I kept the card with the numbers on it but haven't been back.

Currently, I have a sofa that I'd like...it's Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams Celia Sofa in the aqua color. I work part time so it's just not practical that I spend my money on that. The other item that took my breath away was an item on Craigs List a while back. It was for Wedgewood Columbia Powder Blue bone china-they wanted $10k for it. Blue isn't my favorite color but the china was EXQUISITE. I dream about that china. The pattern was made from 1882-1999. I saw a serving piece for $1699 on one of the discontinued china websites.

I don't ever think it's wrong to spend money on something you really love. If you have thought about it, and know it's something that you really want, versus something impulsive, then I think it's worth getting. More often than not, the things we really pine for, don't always come up again. As long as you have the cash, I think it's o.k.

Poverty is such a drag. I want a trust fund for my birthday.

hmmm... wish list...

a fancy schmancy freestanding shower to go with my new clawfoot tub (and newly finished bathroom).

a flat black cast iron bed.

and a mini cooper s in black with the works kit. hey, i dream BIG.

My wish list is a three bedroom craftsman house.

And then everything it would take to restore it.

Womb chair. Definitely. Almost bought one off CL, but it was an early model in dire need of reupholstering, and would have ended up being prohibitively expensive. And that was back when I still had a job, lol. btw--Wes & Kayla, not only do you have great taste in home design, but that Bacon, now that's a stylin' dog. What more do you really need? (Except maybe friends like Mary and Matt to scout for great finds!)

If you love something and that's what you really want, I think you should at least reason with yourself why you want it, and why nothing else is good enough. At the end of this discussion, different people may come to different conclusions.

I think people buy things for stupid reasons, but they also tend to deprive themselves for stupid reasons. It is in the same vein as pennywise and pound foolish. Things can definitely improve our life and the way we feel about ourselves. Different people have different thresholds for this sentiment also. I think one of the driving factors is that people will justifying treating themselves to things that don't actually make them happy to make up for the fact that they don't have, and can't justify buying, the thing that actually does make them happy. They will very likely spend more on a small pile of things over the course of time than they would have on the thing that they denied themselves in the first place. All of that is short-term satisfaction that adds up, because they have it in their mind they can't have that rug or chair or whatever is too extravagant, and meanwhile there goes the money they could have saved up for it.

I don't know you Wes & Kayla, but there's probably never going to be a great time for you to get this rug if you mean to be practical. You have a dog, maybe you will have kids, is this rug just not a good fit for real living? I would not buy it if it's going to get ruined anyway, that's a fact. The price, on sale, is still high - I would not let something silly like that stop me if this is what you wanted and would treasure for a good long while.

I would also add a caution to you and/or others, don't buy almost what you want. This rug is on sale, so you reason to "just" buy the smaller size, it's cheaper. Don't buy rugs that are too small just because they're cheaper. Don't invest what you consider a lot of money in something that will still make you wish you had what you really wanted! It only comes in purple, but I wanted red. The purple one (in this example) will not suffice. When you're spending a lot of money - if it's a steal, if you can resell it for immediate profit, whatever, go for it. If you are envisioning your heart's desire and you settle for the bargain wrong size wrong color, you might as well not.

I had said, "The price, on sale, is still high - I would not let something silly like that stop me if this is what you wanted and would treasure for a good long while."

and should have added, and have the current means to do so. There's the "it's a lot of money" part, which may amount to all of your savings and if your forecast is clear, opportunities you can afford to get even if you eat rice and beans for a month and let the cable bill lapse. If there's really no way to get it together to get the thing, that choice is already made and you do without.

Orchid says: "It's not about frugality. It's mainly about not caring that much about particular "stuff".

I agree, Orchid. I'm notoriously frugal among my friends. I drive a 1999 Corolla. Buy clothes at Salvation Army. I cut my own hair. But none of that is hard - not any kind of a sacrifice - for me. I just don't care about cars, clothes, or fancy haircuts. (Nor HDTV, gas grills, jewelry, kitchen appliances.)

However, I care so very, very much about antique furniture and home decor. The day Todd Farm flea market opens is so much better, for me, than Christmas, Easter, New Year's, and my birthday. (Two months! Two months!) My dream vacation wouldn't be in Aruba or the Mediterranean; it would be a visit to every great flea market in the US and Europe.

I think we all probably get passionate about different non-frugal things - our shoes, clothes, high-tech media equipment. Why? Who knows. It's probably a combination of psychology and genetic wiring.

Mary

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. And that's a problem: Forever is a long time.

For years, I wanted a certain kind of antique table with a very, very thick top, usually used in kitchens and by butchers centuries ago. And then, finally, the clouds parted and the angles sang and there IT was! Gnarley wood top, the base is all these pieces that fit together, kind of Zen...To me it is the most beautiful table ever.

And the most useless.

It really doesn't fit anywhere or go with the house. And I don't really want to take up butchery...

What can I say? Love is not blind. I can't give up this table.

I really, really want a giant antique circus poster screen printed on canvas and a certain kind of 18th century carved baptismal angel with candleabras in each hand. I hope I don't get them.

Things can make a difference in your life. I recently caught a clip of Kathryn Hepburn on an old talk show and she said:

"If you find a piece of really good furniture - you buy it! If its really good it will make you happy every time you see it and you'll forget all about how much it cost"

I have to agree. In spite of the recession I took the plunge and bought a pair of Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs. They were waaaaaaaay more than the $150 the lucky guy above spent. But they just arrived and they make me SO very happy!

I also want that skirt, and the happiness it would bring me lasts a little more than temporary!!!=)

I don't understand all the 'in this economy?!' guilt tripping that I keep seeing. Not everyone's circumstances are the same. Not everyone is in danger of losing their jobs. Some people might find $2,200 easier to swing this year than a year ago.

That being said, Wes and Kayla, given the Bacon factor, I think you made the right decision. Dogs can live for a long time and you might have a new dream object by then. But, it is a very cool rug.

Yeah, I can't chastise myself for not being broke "in this economy" either.

Years ago I was making about $18,000 as a teacher, and my 6-year-old nephew (in that blissfully naive childish way) revealed that my brother, a computer guy, made $85,000 - not including bonuses. For all the years I've been working, I've been similarly behind the salary 8-ball of my siblings who went into different careers.

But now I'm living a comfortable middle-class life, and after being laid off and having to relocate early in my career, I've landed in a fairly stable place where I'm unlikely to lose my job. Teaching (at this moment) looks like it was a wise choice. Finally.

I find the "how to survive in tough economic times" articles mildly amusing: they all describe the lifestyle I've been living, consistently, my entire adult life. (You can get books for free from a library? Who knew? You can actually drive a car for longer than three years!? What a revelation!!)

I won't let myself feel guilty for maintaining the same frugal but content lifestyle I've had all these years. Folks who were a lot richer than I was during boom times - living in much nicer neighbhorhoods, taking much sweeter vacations to much warmer locations - haven't felt guilty all these years about spending their surplus money freely and whimsically. I've struggled to pay my mortgage while my students jaunted off to Hawaii and the Caribbean for school break. I've chugged my dented old car to work while my students were chauffeured in Hummers and Lexuses. (Lexi?)

Besides, if those of us who are financially stable go out and buy our hearts' delights as we can afford them, we send a little money to the business owners who are trying to make it "in this economy." Heck, it's just darned patriotic.

I love so many things....but a true wish if I had the money? A quaint old farmhouse beautifully restored to it's original condition.....like the one featured recently on the Boston AT. *SIGH*.......

Oh Mary, you and I are so on the same page. I'm thrifty when it comes to the things that don't matter (to me), so I can spend money on the things that I do care about.

The tricky part can be trying to figure out if something really *does* matter to me (like the people trying to decide about the rug). Someone once told me that you should wait 24 hours for every hundred dollars you're considering spending on something to make sure you really want it. For example, if I want a new laptop, I'd probably make myself think about it for ten days. I've found this really works for me.

Right now the only items on my wishlist are new window coverings and flooring. If I save the money ahead of time, I'm okay with spending what it takes to get what I want.

Mary, I have to say I have really enjoyed and respected your comments on this thread. Many times, "this economy" has been used as an excuse for people to become like fussy children because they can't buy everything they want when they want it. But it's really about taking stock of the things important to you in life and weeding out the excess. And yes, to some of us home design is a passion that feeds us creatively and spiritually, much like someone who is passionate about watercolor painting or writing poetry. It's not just a collection of meaningless objects fueled by culturally-embedded blind consumerism.

And this is coming from someone who knows firsthand about the minefield that is "this economy"; I was laid off from my job a few months ago. I was extremely fortunate to find another position quickly, but I won't use fear as an excuse to deny a very real passion of mine. I just have to be smarter and more critical about it.

I understand your twinges of regret about your dream rug, but you guys did the right thing, I'd say.

Having an extra $2200 in your bank account will buy you some more financial peace of mind in these crazy times. Personally, I'd take peace of mind over a dream rug, no matter how gorgeous, any day of the week.

2200$ on sale for a rug? smh
that rug better had food growing on it.

I've been coveting a particular sofa. It has a tight back with English roll arms. I've seen versions of it everywhere from $1,200 to $5,000. It's pretty much the exact same sofa we have right now that is just getting utterly trashed. It's so grungy, so filthy, the springs are all out of whack and the cushions are just in dreadful shape. I want the exact same sofa, only new. And new is probably cheaper than re-upholstering, except on the high end. However, I can't picture having the money in the bank and not putting it towards our financial goals right now, which include getting out of debt and saving for a house.

Other things on my wishlist is the linen/brass tack upholstered headboard from West Elm and Jonathan Adler's birds. And new area, larger rugs are much needed. I sometimes scour craigslist and drool over the antique furniture that crops up but we don't have the space for things right now.

We're barely meeting our needs every month so these are extravagances that are out of the question. It's okay, because we're young and I'm sure we'll be able to afford a bit more in the future.

For LadyJ, I happen to know that starting in March, all John Robshaw at openhouse will be on sale for just a few weeks only! And we have the Pushkar bloster with insert in stock! www.openhouse-richmond.com

One day, I will buy 6 emeco navy chairs. I am saving for them, and I will not feel the least bit guilty forking over the dough.

I think it is important to reward yourself every so often. With that said, of course staying within my means, and not using credit!

Consumerism is after all what drives the US economy.

When I was 19, I found a LARGE emerald cut, watermelon tourmaline ring – it was $1500. My heart stuttered at the clarity in the striping and wanted it on my finger so desperately my hand sweated when asking for a closer view. I couldn’t, in any way, find a reason to justify buying it. 13 years later, I still ask in stores, peer in windows, and sidle up to jewelry cases looking for one that even comes close to that ring.

I get both sides of the discussion on this thread. And appreciate that we all make choices for what we consider important to us, and affordable, at a particular time in our lives. But I still wish I would have taken that leap, and bought the ring. I imagine I would still be wearing it now.

There is a work by Katherine Drew Dilworth at The Artful Home entitled Fog 5 that I have been lusting after for a few years now. Although I'm noticing that it is now %15 off the $930....

My husband and I have both wanted high quality linens for our bed for ages, and are currently saving up for what is looking like an expenditure of a few thousand dollars for our holiday gift to ourselves.

Our biggest lust is a fixer-upper in Lyttelton NZ right near the harbour, which is where we have been planning to relocate to from Canada. We found the *perfect* building, an old three storey bank that looked like it hadn't been touched in 50 years, and waited too long debating it. It truly was the biggest thing we've let slip through our fingers and we'll kick ourselves for decades for it.