apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This post is perfectly timed. Two of my big ticket wish list items are on sale this week. Sadly, not enough on sale that I could responsibly buy them. *Sigh.*

Going into debt or cutting back on necessities like FOOD for something that you don't really need just because it's on sale is never a good idea.

Whenever I find something I just have to have, I will put off buying it with the agreement that if I still just have to have it in a week, I'll go back and get it. Usually I forget about it or revise my decorating plan to the point where I don't need that item anymore. Or I look for a better deal or better quality.

My feeling is if you can pay cash, and what you're buying is a permanent, heirloom-quality purchase, take advantage. If it's between a new sofa and your rent, just walk on by.

the sofa i'd been eying for almost the entire year i've lived in my house went on sale at the end of august. then the vendor also offered 24 months equal payments with no interest, so i went and bought it. opening the account with them brought it down another 10%.

it fits into my budget just fine and it looks soooooo gorgeous in my living room, i'm glad i got it.

If it's something very specific I've been looking for, I know it's the best deal I can get and I'm in a position to afford it, I'll jump.

Anything less obvious than that and I typically walk away. I like to look around and think things over for a while before I'm in a position to make a quick decision.

And If I don't have sufficient cash....I try not to even look!

I want way too many things so I out them in my wish list on Wishpot.com and then can think about it for a bit before I buy it.

Much better than Google Docs - Apartment Therapy should use Wishpot instead.

This is a good point... but it's not just a 'recession' point. America got into the trouble we did by spending carelessly and when we couldn't afford it. Acting like 'when it's over we'll go back to how we were' isn't a good idea in my book.

If you're saving money, can afford it with no financial strain, seriously consider your purchase, know it's the best deal possible, and it's something you have reasonable NEED for, then buy it. That should ALWAYS be how purchases are made.

for me, if its something i just really, really want and feel like i cant live without, and i can somehow find a way to pay for it, then i get it. that usually means just paying everything late, but thats ok cause utility bills dont have high late fees anyways.

What formatting should I use make a google doc that looks like the wishlist posted above?

*to make

Wishpot sounds like a great idea JaneG23! I didn't know about this before.

And ammanda, I try not to look when I can't afford too. Hard when it's Apartment Therapy Scavenger.

Bepsf - I should have added that we only have a small sofa and one Poang chair in our living room right now. And we have about 10 people over every few weeks or so, so we really need additional seating.

I don't have any particularly groundbreaking strategies, but reading your family adage reminded me of my mom's: "you can still go broke spending money." Any time I feel the urge to jump at a sale because it's such a good deal, I remember that (and smile because it makes me think of my mom) and usually walk away.

The only thing that we do that others might want to emulate is follow the "pay yourself first" strategy. We have our accounts set up to automatically transfer pay check money into IRAs and mini accounts for "savings" (i.e. what we go into if something horrible happens and one of us is out of work), down payment, and "personal gifts," which is for any big ticket item we need to save up for (my husband just bought a Mac this evening so that came out of that account). Since that money never makes it into our regular, everyday checking account, we don't miss it, and we're less likely to buy impulsively. It works really well for us, and we've saved a ton since we started.

I remind myself that I have what I need and it is good enough. Sometimes stuff takes away from what really matters in life.

For me it's about Needs vs. Wants. For anything I intended to buy anyway, generally for home reno (range hood replacement) or specific clothing items (a new pair of black heels for work/interviews), I'm now delaying the purchase while I hunt for the best deal and I've found some pretty spectacular deals. A Barbara Barry dining table for under $350, it's brand new and far cheaper than the cheapo table I had planned to buy, if I decide not to keep it already have a buyer for $2800. For anything that's a pure Want I'm just not buying. I went to a warehouse sale in San Francisco yesterday, where I usually spend a couple hundred each year, and came away having spent $0 and resolving to work with what I already had. The economy, imminent layoffs, and a $1K vet bill can really change your mind about shopping indiscriminately!

Occasionally, my husband and I sit down to review our budget and compare it with our wishlists. We always make sure that money goes to rent, bills and FOOD before we even consider buying new furniture. It takes a lot of waiting for some items, but delayed gratification never hurt anyone. Plus, sometimes waiting pays off. When we finally had saved up enough and walked into the store to buy our sofa, we were able to buy the floor model for 70% off--it was even the exact color we wanted!

well, we're currently doing a lot of re-decorating and reno's at home.... of course, we have a strict budget.

we have a "to do" list. If we find a wonderful sale for an item already on the list, even if we intended to buy it in a year rather than now, we'll take advantage of the sale and re-schedule the other items on the list.

Case in point: the recent custom upholstory sale at crate and barrel. We already intended to buy certain pieces next fall, and the 20% sale sweetened the deal so that we instead ordered them now... total savings: $1k!!!! Now, we're holding off on other items that we would have purchased now while we pay off the monsterous couch bill....

oh, we also scored a temperpedic floor model for about 65% off at a store that was closing.

An added benefit: it doesn't stink like a new memory foam mattress since it sat in the showroom for a few months.

I can not believe someone actually would say they regretted buying groceries (which is something you NEED to survive) over some expensive chairs they knocked only cut in price by 5% or less (which is only a want, not near a necessity).

I have taken advantage of some sales, but I won't open up credit lines to get it. I have to know I have that money on my own because if I don't, it's not really mine until it's paid off anyways. I keep a budget, so I know what I can afford - and will only buy something out of it if I really really can't live without it.