What are your priorities when you are buying things...

[Gypsy]

I'm fairly sure as this is PS that we are mostly like-minded in our purchasing priorities...but I thought I'd ask anyway.
Is you have X budget for project 1... and you must buy a, b, and c to complete the project... where does the bulk of your money go?

For example-- If the project is an e-ring

I'd spend the bulk of my money for a nice stone... and then buy the nicest setting I could with what ever was left over.

Another example-- I'm buying bedroom furniture.

I spent the most $$ on our mattress set. Our backs need support and health trumps all.

Found a great deal on a four poster bed (got here yesterday and it's lovely, haven't assembled it yet though). And spent about 10% of the matress price on the bed. Was willing to spent more, but was perfectly happy with spending less.

And spending twice the price of the bed on nightstands, because they are the only storage visible and the cats will be on them... don't want something destructible or overly scratch prone. We'll be buying glass for the top of these too. Plus they've been miserable to shop for, and I haven't come across anything for less that I like the quality of.

And will only be spending around 150 for a dresser because it's just going in my closet not to be seen. IKEA!

On the bedding-- bought the nicest and most expensive mattresss protector I could find to protect the mattress investment.. Spending the $$$ on sheets as they are what we sleep on. And buying a reasonably priced duvet and shams as they are decorative mostly.

How do you tend to prioritize your budget???

 

[Skippy123]

My priorities are to try save about 15-20% of my pay for retirement (401Ks, roth IRA). Pay the bills. Buy high quality; I don't care too much about brands versus durability.
Buying brand name is fun on occassion!
We like to take nice vacations each year; I think it keeps a person sane and is a mental break (we budget for that). We don't always stay at the ritzy hotels (looking more for quality). I guess for example
I like to price a nice hotel close to stuff and which has received good reviews. We do not do the spa thing; we see the sights, spend money on nice dinners and some shopping versus 5 star hotels. We can do the 3 star and 4 star.


We like to pay our cars off right away. We are big about no debt. We don't live in the biggest house in my city but a very nice neighborhood (location, location, location); good schools if we ever have kids.
I like to find things on sale since most stuff usually is on sale so I wait the for the following week to buy it if it isn't. I try to do my research before I make a purchase.
Read, ask advice, look at publications regarding safety aka consumer reports. We always budget for things and think through what we will need in the forseeable year.
Over all we budget and have a plan before we make major purchases. We also like to give each other turns for big ticket items or places to visit; it keeps the each person from feeling the other
got what they wanted.
I hope that is what you are looking for.

I think you guys are thinking things through for your needs Gypsy and that is great.

 

[asscherisme]

My priorities are:

1. no debt (except mortgage), we worked hard to pay off our student loans.

2. retirement!! We put away 20% for retiirment

3. college funds. hopefully our kidss won''t need to borrow as much as we did. But we save for retirment before college because you can borrow for college but you can''t borrow for retirment and we don''t want to be a fincancial burdon to our kids

4. When we do buy, we save and buy quality. Early in our marriage we bought Ikea stuff. It fell apart. We did not buy a nice bedroom set until 10 years of marriage. We wanted quality.

in a car we look for safety over flash.

 

[Gypsy]

I do try to go for quality over flash, generally.

But with our furniture right now...the stuff we have is all really high quality or heirloom. But we don''t have much as we tossed a TON of it (anything that wasn''t high quality of heirloom) when we moved cross country. So, right now... functionality over quality is the goal with the bedroom furniture (all we have is a mattress set. Nothing else!).

 

[firebirdgold]

I try to get the best value for my money and even though I love beautiful things I tend to be fairly practical. I also research the heck out of big purchases.

I took forever finding my w-band and ended up with something really special and unique looking with real style... but I had it made in palladium because it was more affordable and practical.

We''re going to buy new furniture soon, and we''re getting a Dr.''s Choice mattress from Denver Mattresses since it''s the best combination of price and comfort/support. For new sheets we''ll go to Target and select the best sheets we can after carefully reading Consumer Reports. (I love that thing!)
Even though we can afford more expensive furniture, we feel morally opposed to spending a few thousand dollars on a sofa. We''re going to get the most attractive and simple slip-covered sectional we can. (We figure a sectional is more practical long term).
We''re going to also buy a flat screen tv, but again it''ll be researched to death and then bargain shopped... and we''re going to splurge on Apple T.V. But we figure we''ll save ultimately by getting rid of cable and just buying the shows we really watch.

For clothes we don''t buy brand names but look for sturdy, classic clothes for a good price. I wait for the sales... and then the extra 25% off email before shopping at J.Jill. We don''t skimp on shoes... but then we wear them out. I''m not buying manilo whatever they are but birkenstock''s (they make some really attractive shoes.. honest!) and Camper''s for dress shoes.


We save money by being frugal and looking for good value in life.

 

[neatfreak]

It depends for us...

I love to buy quality if it is something that I will keep for years. I'll save up for something that is really good quality even if it means I need to wait.

But on the same note, I love to experiment, so I will also buy clothes, furniture, etc. from places that won't last (i.e. target, H&M, etc.) if it's just a look I'm trying out as long as it's appropriately CHEAP!

I think value for my money is really where I prioritize things. I'll spend for something I deem "worth it" but if I don't see a reason to spend I am a cheapskate!!!

 

[lumpkin]

Gypsy, I wanted to tell you I love to look for furniture in the local classifieds. We got a whole dining room set for $400 -- 4 side chairs, 2 arm chairs, a table with 2 leaves, a buffet and a hutch. A lot of times people don''t really use their dining rooms and the furniture is in great shape. Same with our bedroom furniture. We got an armoire, a huge dresser with a mirror, and 2 nightstands for about $400, too. And they are nice, not junky cheap furniture, but heavy, well made stuff. As for a bed, we just have the frame and if we decide we need a head board we will make one (we have the tools and watch a lot of home improvement shows). I got the mattress and box springs when I used to sell them and got a top of the line Sealy Posturepedic King size for $400 (gee, $400 seems to be a theme in my furniture spendind, LOL) because Sealy''s philosophy was that if you were using a Sealy, you''d be much more credible selling them. I have to say they were right. I sold a ton of those mattresses! Anyway, I do believe that your mattress should be the biggest priority in your furniture spending. You will literally spend more time there than on anything else in your home. And if it''s not a good one, it will affect your whole quality of life.

I always got everyone''s junk (from my family) that they felt too guilty to throw away but was pretty much shot, so for a time I wanted to buy brand new things. We couldn''t afford the entire dining room set without going into debt and thought we''d add to it as we went, but shortly after it was discontinued and we ended up with a mish mash, and ended up selling it at a garage sale. I decided right then there was no point in buying new furniture (except upholstry, can''t do used, never know what yucky things have happened to it that can never come completely clean). A used kitchen table can be had for minimal dollars and if you are careful will be much better made than the Target or discount furniture stuff.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Our priorities furniture wise is to buy for our downstairs first. I figure when people come over THAT is what they see so I rather spend money there. We probably won''t have a bedroom set for YEARS and YEARS. But we do have a great mattress that we bought a few years ago so at least our bed is comfortable.

 

[Gypsy]

You know the classified advice is GREAT! I will start looking there for a dresser, instead of Ikea-- I've actually been looking at thirft shops for them too, but have found NADA that will work... they are all really long... and I need height not width. (I agree about used upholstery, could NOT do it)

My dining set is DF's grandparents, and I love it-- all handcrafted. My persian rug was my graduation present from lawschool it's 8x10 so it's a good size, and premium quality (silk and wool and super high knot count) . My couches are very highend ones that my parent's owned before they re-decorated (leather so no upholstery ick). I need a good coffee table and some end tables in there... but I'm waiting for those till next year. I have a cheap Ikea desk I bought in college. It's functional (if unattractive) and we will probably be replacing that last.... unless we get my grandparent's nice HUGE walnut desk that they don't use anymore, which we probably will if we have space.

Another reason for the bedroom redo is that I'm very enviromentally sensitive. I'm prone to depression, and one of things I've noticed make a huge difference for is to have nice refuge space to retreat to. So it's also a matter of health, not just asthetics. Still I'm being very responsible about it as I don't want to spend a ton at this time. This will eventually become guest room furniture.

Matresses are so important. We really shopped/researched ourselves out. If Costco had carried S&F then, as they do now, I would have definitely considered buying at Costco, cause I know people who've bought from them and been very happy. We got our S&F set on the net... after trying them out in the stores... much more cost effective.