What did you buy and hate, then replace?

[Allisonfaye]

I am on a mission to get a new mattress. I had a Simmons Beautyrest before I got married for about two years and I loved it. We slept on it until we moved into our current house for about two more years and then we needed a king size mattress because it was too small for the room so I put it in the guest room. We bought a really, ridiculously expensive mattress for our bedroom. I hate it. I can''t get comfortable. For the first two years, I attributed it to either a) being pregnant or b) getting up a bunch of times with the baby but now that the baby is older, I realize I can''t get comfortable because this mattress is too firm and I sleep on my side and it cuts off my circulation to my hand (not good). So, lately I have to go lay down in the guest room with the baby to convince her to go back to sleep in her crib and I am on that old mattress. I love it. I realize every time I have a guest over, they tell me how great it is. One of my friends sleeps like 10 hours a night every time she visits. So, I am on a mission. I mentioned how miserable I am to my DH and he is like NO WAY are we getting a new mattess after all we spent on the other one. Did this stop me? Nope. I keep telling him how I toss and turn all night. And I KNOW he can feel it. So today, I dragged the little munchkinas (1.5 and 3) to the mattress store. They had great fun jumping on the beds. I was afraid the little one would fall off and crack her skull open on the tile floor. Thankfully, she didn''t. I kept pulling her off and she kept climbing back up. She is very determined. In between all the craziness, I found the one I want is unbelievably cheap (compared to the one I have now). So, as I was leaving, the guy said he would also give me an added incentive if I came in to buy by Sunday. I nailed him down to saying what and he said he would give me the sales tax which his about 8.5% here which is really good. Now all I have to do is convince my husband who is in a fowl, fowl mood today.

I just read Diamondfan''s post about replacing her silver, china and crystal. What big thing did YOU hate and replace and what''s your story?

 

[Skippy123]

We replaced our bed; it was a new Sealy and it hurt my back even though it was brand new. We just gave it to my parents since they have 2 houses and now we have a tempurpedic.

Also, we were shopping and found this really cool black coffee table leather seat thing. We now have 3 coffee tables and need to get rid of one.

Nothing else I can think of.

Actually when I was a kid my mom bought a Toyota Corolla and found decided it was too small for our family after a month and traded it in for a new Camery. She learned her lesson about making sure she loved the car before she bought it; it was a costly less to her.

 

[door knob solitaire]

There is no way I could list them all. That is really what I do. I buy the cheapest to look like the one I really want...and then end up buying the one I really wanted. Save a ton that way!

Now I am so cautious I just go without. Oh...I can think of many computer things. Bought one without a DVD thing because I had no plans to watch movies. Now, I can''t save photos on a DVD on that cpu. Always buy the latest technology even if you don''t understand it or want it. You will eventually.

This is the reason my stone is still loose. It has been for over 3 years. I can''t decide what remount I want for fear I will make the wrong decision. Ugggghhhh!

DKS

we have had a H20 bed for years...just bought a simmons and love it. You can''t feel the other ones movement. Do regret not buying the Vera Wang. It was softer.

 

[monarch64]

Hmmm, probably our house? LOL! I think we were so anxious to stop renting and get into home ownership when we first got married that we did not do enough research and ended up buying the first thing we fell in love with that fit our budget, but three+ years later we don''t really like the neighborhood and have quickly outgrown our digs.

AllisonFaye, I feel ya on the mattress situation. We went through a similar situation when we bought our house...we had a queen size bed, a good mattress/box springs combo although it wasn''t expensive because it was mine that I purchased when I was in college but still very comfortable for both of us. When we moved into our house which was built in ''48, we didn''t realize that the queen size box springs would not fit up the itty bitty staircase and into the MB. We slept on the mattress the first night in our new home and ended up having to buy a whole new king size bedroom suite because king''s have two smaller box springs and they would fit up the staircase! The mattress buying experience is not my favorite, and we were in a rush so we bought the first thing that felt comfortable in the store, but as soon as we slept on it for a few months we hated it. We turned our other BR into an office and my former BR suite is in storage (well, in my SIL''s townhouse basement), so we can''t go sleep in another BR. DH usually ends up getting up in the middle of the night and going down to the basement where he has a new posh sofa and he sleeps the rest of the night down there. I toss and turn most of the night (side sleeper too), and always wake up feeling like I need about three more hours of sleep. We''ll probably wait until we find a new house to get another mattress and this time no expense will be spared and we will research a lot more so we can get the right one for us.

Other than those two things, I''m a research addict. I don''t buy really anything major unless I''ve done a ton of homework on it and decide I can''t live without it! I grew up with a father who would research his next car purchase incessantly for about six months before biting the bullet and buying something, so I think that''s where I get it from. My mom, OTOH, is like my DH, she''ll buy whatever strikes her fancy at the time but for the most part she''s lucky. My DH is finally starting to take notes from me...he''s been known to purchase stereo equipment from guys in trucks in gas station parking lots

, but thankfully when he got his highly coveted big screen t.v. a few months ago he did a lot of research on it and even said to me several times, "see honey, I''m doing my homework this time!" I''ll never forget the day he brought home that stereo system...he forked over $200 cash and ended up with complete crap that is now collecting dust in a dark corner underneath the basement stairs. I was livid, he is usually very street smart and I couldn''t believe he fell for such a scam. Oh well, lesson learned!

 

[Miranda]

My bedroom furniture!!!! I''ve had it just over a year and I''m already replacing it. I hate the color, I hate the lines, there is not one thing I like about it. It is nothing like I wanted in the first place. Why did I buy it??? I do not know. My friend has a furniture store and I guess I was sort of persuaded becase she wanted to get rid of it. It was a floor model so she offered it at a deep discount and I guess my cheapo side got the best of me. The good news is that I''ve learned a good lesson. Don''t cheap out! I now buy what I love even if it is a bit more. Usually it is cheaper in the long run.

 

[marcy]

I do this all the time. I try to buy "bargains" then hate them and replace them ending up costing myself more money. Last spring I bought a 1/2 carat diamond heart solitaire ring from a B&M. The diamond was nice for a RHR. I was enjoying the 1/2 carat solitaire so much I asked my DH if I could buy a wedding ring to go with the heart diamond and wear it as my wedding rings. He said he didn''t care. He did ask me then if I didn''t want to go to Denver where we could pick out a really nice set but me being a bargain shopper said no this one is fine. (My original ering had a .15 ct solitaire with about .18 channel set diamonds between the ering, ring guard and wedding ring and a 1/3 carat anniversary band.) So I went to the same jewelers at the mall and bought a comfort fit band to wear with the heart diamond as my wring. Soon I missed the sparkles of my anniversary band so swapped in the gold band for a 1/2 carat anniversary band. After a few weeks of being really excited over my new wedding set I started to notice flaws, dead zones, color issues, cut issues, etc. I just was not happy with it for my wedding ring. I spent about $1600 on the set so what did I expect? I send everyone I know to a jewelers in Denver to get their wedding rings and I buy something from the mall to save money? What was I thinking? Anyway, after becoming more and more unhappy with my new wedding ring I returned the anniversary band and had the heart diamond reset in a different mounting. I wear it as a RHR with an enhancer and enjoy it for occasional wear.
For our 15th anniversary last summer we went to Denver and upgraded my ering and wring. I had learned about cut before we went shopping but I didn''t know about PS then. I compared a 0, 1, 2 make diamond and preferred the 0 (ideal cut) diamond then we picked out the diamond from there. I got a .53 carat ideal cut, RB, E, VS1 diamond and picked out a wedding set that had .33 PC diamonds. It cost me more than the bargain rings from the mall but I am absolutely in love with it. My husband got a new wring that day too. He got a thick gold band with tricolor gold. It has 3 rows that spin to make different patterns, designs. It''s really neat. I found PS looking for answers after I saw my ideal cut diamond in sunlight. The fire was awesome but the diamond appeared dark so I was freaking out thinking I made a bad choice. Luckily I found PS which answered my question that ideal cut diamonds will do that.

 

[neatfreak]

What HAVEN'T I bought that I later regretted, lol.

I guess my most recent "regret" purchase was my wedding dress!!! Not one mistake dress, but TWO.


FIRST, I bought a gorgeous Ulla Maija Alencon Lace dress from preownedweddingdresses. It was a dress I had never tried on, with a neckline I should have known wouldn't flatter me, but I bought it anyway because it was SUCH a good deal for what it was. Anyway, luckily I sold it on ebay a few weeks later without much difficulty...

Not having learned my lesson I went to a sample outlet near my house and found a gorgeous Judd Waddell gown. I loved it and bought it despite having no one else with me for opinions, and we hadn't yet picked our venue.

Ended up that the dress wasn't quite as flattering on my body as I wanted AND that it ultimately would not work for our October wedding in San Francisco (it was a very beach wedding dress). After a few weeks, I JUST sold it (cross your fingers for me here) today.

Anyway, my expensive taste on a graduate student budget certainly got the best of me with the dresses. Luckily, despite these TWO mistakes, I probably only lost $100-150 total. Add to that the fact that the dress I ultimately chose is considerably cheaper than the others and I think I actually came out pretty ok.

I consider myself VERY lucky to come out of this pretty unscathed and I am thrilled with the dress I finally chose with the help of all you PSers.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Allison...

I just wanted to tell you that because of this post I LAID AWAKE last night wonderig if my Simmons is too hard! Hmmm...did I make the right decision? All I can say is your sleepless nights now are not spent alone!! I am right there with you! Arggghhh.

DKS

 

[diamondfan]

Allison, I think you are right to do this. Sleep is so critical and depriving yourself of a good nights sleep, well, there is not a price to put on that. I would just tell hubby you need to chalk it up to a mistake, not the most costly one ever, but one that needs to be corrected. Admit you guys got the wrong mattress, and how long should you suffer over it? I mean, you cannot keep that thing for 20 years, can you? I know a couple who bought a Duxiana mattress and HATED it, it is supposed to be amazing, and it was around 10,000.00 or something insane, and they insisted the store take it back, which they did. I also know some people HATE throwing away something new and still decent. Is there someone in your family that likes a firmer mattress? Maybe give it to them or something. A good nights sleep is priceless. It is not the end of the world, but it would be silly to keep it and suffer.

I admit I was totally frivolous in my case, I used the old stuff twice in 16 years (probably because I hated it!!!) and really did not need it, but I kept seeing this one china pattern and fell in love with it. Then, the crystal and china had to go...like re paiting or getting a new couch makes you realize it ALL needs to be refreshed...it sort of rolled from there.

 

[Beacon]

My oven.

I had a really old, lousy oven that finally was so bad I could not cook with it, so I went out and feeling very cheap I got a replacement that was a "bargain conscious" white one. It cost around $400, I don''t remember exactly.

Once I saw this in my kitchen I realized my kitchen was a horror. So I changed the counters into brown/black spotted granite. Once I did this I realized everything had to go, including that brand new oven cause it did not match. So, I donated the oven to Goodwill, having hardly used it a few months.

I felt stupid, but my new kitchen was so much better w/o it cause it did not go at all! Big waste of my money, but I bit the bullet and did it. Here''s a picture of the colors, you can see a white oven would be TERRIBLE! (sorry about the dishes in the sink

)

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 7/15/2007 3:51:46 PM
Author: Beacon
My oven.

I had a really old, lousy oven that finally was so bad I could not cook with it, so I went out and feeling very cheap I got a replacement that was a ''bargain conscious'' white one. It cost around $400, I don''t remember exactly.

Once I saw this in my kitchen I realized my kitchen was a horror. So I changed the counters into brown/black spotted granite. Once I did this I realized everything had to go, including that brand new oven cause it did not match. So, I donated the oven to Goodwill, having hardly used it a few months.

I felt stupid, but my new kitchen was so much better w/o it cause it did not go at all! Big waste of my money, but I bit the bullet and did it. Here''s a picture of the colors, you can see a white oven would be TERRIBLE! (sorry about the dishes in the sink

)

I would totally do this! But your kitchen is gorgeous.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 7/13/2007 10:39:13 PM
Author: monarch64
Hmmm, probably our house? LOL! I think we were so anxious to stop renting and get into home ownership when we first got married that we did not do enough research and ended up buying the first thing we fell in love with that fit our budget, but three+ years later we don''t really like the neighborhood and have quickly outgrown our digs.

AllisonFaye, I feel ya on the mattress situation. We went through a similar situation when we bought our house...we had a queen size bed, a good mattress/box springs combo although it wasn''t expensive because it was mine that I purchased when I was in college but still very comfortable for both of us. When we moved into our house which was built in ''48, we didn''t realize that the queen size box springs would not fit up the itty bitty staircase and into the MB. We slept on the mattress the first night in our new home and ended up having to buy a whole new king size bedroom suite because king''s have two smaller box springs and they would fit up the staircase! The mattress buying experience is not my favorite, and we were in a rush so we bought the first thing that felt comfortable in the store, but as soon as we slept on it for a few months we hated it. We turned our other BR into an office and my former BR suite is in storage (well, in my SIL''s townhouse basement), so we can''t go sleep in another BR. DH usually ends up getting up in the middle of the night and going down to the basement where he has a new posh sofa and he sleeps the rest of the night down there. I toss and turn most of the night (side sleeper too), and always wake up feeling like I need about three more hours of sleep. We''ll probably wait until we find a new house to get another mattress and this time no expense will be spared and we will research a lot more so we can get the right one for us.

Other than those two things, I''m a research addict. I don''t buy really anything major unless I''ve done a ton of homework on it and decide I can''t live without it! I grew up with a father who would research his next car purchase incessantly for about six months before biting the bullet and buying something, so I think that''s where I get it from. My mom, OTOH, is like my DH, she''ll buy whatever strikes her fancy at the time but for the most part she''s lucky. My DH is finally starting to take notes from me...he''s been known to purchase stereo equipment from guys in trucks in gas station parking lots

, but thankfully when he got his highly coveted big screen t.v. a few months ago he did a lot of research on it and even said to me several times, ''see honey, I''m doing my homework this time!'' I''ll never forget the day he brought home that stereo system...he forked over $200 cash and ended up with complete crap that is now collecting dust in a dark corner underneath the basement stairs. I was livid, he is usually very street smart and I couldn''t believe he fell for such a scam. Oh well, lesson learned!

Do you think you will stay in that house long? I kind of did a similar thing. I was so anxious to move out of the city that we bought a house that had a miserably tiny yard (didn''t know that before building) and now I want to move again. But I don''t see it in the cards for at least a few more years.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 7/14/2007 2:21:27 PM
Author: Miranda
My bedroom furniture!!!! I''ve had it just over a year and I''m already replacing it. I hate the color, I hate the lines, there is not one thing I like about it. It is nothing like I wanted in the first place. Why did I buy it??? I do not know. My friend has a furniture store and I guess I was sort of persuaded becase she wanted to get rid of it. It was a floor model so she offered it at a deep discount and I guess my cheapo side got the best of me. The good news is that I''ve learned a good lesson. Don''t cheap out! I now buy what I love even if it is a bit more. Usually it is cheaper in the long run.

Furniture is so tricky. You have to love it for a long time and when you don''t, you just can''t stand to look at it. Did you pick something out already?

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 7/15/2007 12:17:31 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Allison...

I just wanted to tell you that because of this post I LAID AWAKE last night wonderig if my Simmons is too hard! Hmmm...did I make the right decision? All I can say is your sleepless nights now are not spent alone!! I am right there with you! Arggghhh.

DKS

I will think of you tonight at 3 a.m. when the circulation in my hand is gone.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 7/15/2007 12:26:46 PM
Author: diamondfan
Allison, I think you are right to do this. Sleep is so critical and depriving yourself of a good nights sleep, well, there is not a price to put on that. I would just tell hubby you need to chalk it up to a mistake, not the most costly one ever, but one that needs to be corrected. Admit you guys got the wrong mattress, and how long should you suffer over it? I mean, you cannot keep that thing for 20 years, can you? I know a couple who bought a Duxiana mattress and HATED it, it is supposed to be amazing, and it was around 10,000.00 or something insane, and they insisted the store take it back, which they did. I also know some people HATE throwing away something new and still decent. Is there someone in your family that likes a firmer mattress? Maybe give it to them or something. A good nights sleep is priceless. It is not the end of the world, but it would be silly to keep it and suffer.

I admit I was totally frivolous in my case, I used the old stuff twice in 16 years (probably because I hated it!!!) and really did not need it, but I kept seeing this one china pattern and fell in love with it. Then, the crystal and china had to go...like re paiting or getting a new couch makes you realize it ALL needs to be refreshed...it sort of rolled from there.

Thankfully, Dh was receptive. I frankly can''t believe he agreed to it. He was pretty sweet about it. When I told him where I went that day, he was so relieved that I didn''t want a new car, he didn''t even mind. Plus, the guy at the mattress store gave me an even better deal when we went today. (Why he did that is beyond me).

What china pattern did you end up with? I see new patterns all the time that I love. I am replacing my Wedgewood Juliet with Wedgewood Oberon. I can get it for 1/2 of what they retail price is with sales and coupons. The one I was tempted to get was the Herend Green Rothchild bird but it is wicked expensive and they never put the darn stuff on sale. (At least I don''t think so).

 

[diamondfan]

I got Bernardaud Elysee which is a pale grey blue with a gold scroll. You can see it on Robert's china under dinnerware. I LOVE it. Plus my dining room is mostly pale blue, pale rose, gold, cream and pale green, so I think it looks better. I then got Ricci sterling, and crystal from William Yeoward. I got some pretty bar ware as well that looks nice with it, and mixed in some Arte Italica gold and crystal pieces, like an extra large charger and accent plates. The Elysee has a charger which is a large solid blue band with a gold rim, I did get that, but I got the Arte as well, because I thought it was nice to have the contrast. I love it. I had Wedgewood but not a pattern I liked, it is called Amherst and has touches of light and dark blue, silver and grey. It is fine, but I never liked it, and gave in because hubby did, and he hated all of my choices. So, I own it (and I think I have about 16 place settings and a lot of the service pieces) but I will keep it, it is not worth selling at this point. I will just save it for extra use I guess.

I am glad he agreed and glad the guy gave you an even better deal. I do not get good sleep so I sympathize with you! Let us know how it goes...

Beacon, your kitchen is stunning even if you backed into doing it, it was so worth it!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Ok Allison...just shake it off until the feeling comes back. Call me if you can't get back to sleeo!

I just remembered the most important and appropriate one for this forum. The whole reason I am here...I got mauled at a Jeweler at the maul. He reset my stone into what I thought was the best setting I had ever seen...on the drive home...as we all do...I had my eyes on the ring...Eureka! It is Caddy-whom-us. It was a winged cathedral and the steeple was leaning waaay over like the tower of Piza! I cried all the way home. Called the MAUL and got no answer. Of course not, they sold their biggest white elephant and closed the doors! (Not really there was a tornado in the area and everyone was forced into the shelter...) but freaky not to get an answer.

They...the traveling Dingleberries were to leave that night...and never return. You see most Maul stores don't have in house setters. But this traveling road show had what they called setters. Argghhh...I could go on...but I am trying not to be negative* (another PS topic/thread on complaining).

Took the ring back the next day...they couldn't remove the stone as they had no one experienced to do so. I had to go to another jeweler pop the stone out...return the Caddywhomus do ma flotcher and then I returned to jeweler #2 to have my stone reset into the old setting...He wanted $300 clams. Argghhh. Again I am not NEGATIVE...I am now in a happy place...all of this took place in 2004 and here I am still with no setting. A loose stone tucked away...Regrets...I'll say. Do I win the prize? (what is the prize by the way?)

DKS

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/15/2007 7:53:22 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Do I win the prize? (what is the prize by the way?)


DKS

Don''t know of a prize DKS but you can have the title of having a loose stone unset the longest. I thought it was me, until I read this this thread

. looks like you''ve got some great idea''s though and hopefully won''t be too much longer for you. It''s good to know I can go 2 more years b/f I''d catch you though

 

[door knob solitaire]

Thanks for your support MrsSalvo...if you need support...just let me know. I have a great therapist...and I have incorporated breathing exercises, menu ideas, and hobbies to take my mind off the stone fiasco. You can call me any hour if you need suggestions or support with you loose stone saga. The pain does subside...you sorta grow numb actually.

DKS

 

[mrssalvo]

haha, DKS, i hear ya on the growing numb part

sorry for the threadjack allison

i have way too many times bought the cheaper version of what I wanted and then eventually gone back to get the real thing...hence my tag line enforced upon me by hubby so we could stop wasting/loosing money...

 

[fleur-de-lis]

LOL, I too have found myself "economizing" by buying a less expensive alternative, then obsessing over the item I *really* wanted until I inevitably give in and buy the original. I recently bought a new D&G bikini after struggling in the fitting room whether to get the black or the peacock blue. Though it was wise to get the black one, I found myself pondering afterwards how nice it would be to have a blue bathingsuit for our trip, but kept telling myself $400 on two teeny bikinis would be ridiculous. I then came across a pretty good substitute for 1/10th the price at a local surf shop, bought it, brought it, and... never wore it once on the trip.

Yesterday I found myself back at Nordstrom and going through the racks to try and find the blue D&G bikini in my size.

Monarch-- If you''ve exhausted all the other options, perhaps this would work until you can upgrade: when I had a very hard mattress and wasn''t sleeping well, a friend had recommended one of those inexpensive "eggcrate" mattress toppers they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond. It worked amazingly well!