Should I splurge or save??
alina_1
10 years ago
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Comments (16)
alina_1
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Splurge vs. Save?
Comments (14)We put the extra dollars into things that made sense for the way we live, and where we live, and trying to keep things like retirement in mind. So we did geothermal, some 2 x 6 walls, standing seam metal roof, we splurged on our wrap around porch and while it didnt really seem like it would classify as a splurge, I can now see we have alot of dollars in it and a family of 4 could live comfortably on our porch... We tried to go with some materials that would be maintainance free. Our porch is covered, so we saved a few bucks on the decking, maybe if we have to replace it down the road we will go a different route. We did go with the see-thru railing. I LOVE this across the entire back of the house and also the upper deck. There are many thinks I love about the porch, but that tops the list. Anyways, we did some spray foam, we extra tinted the windows, we made an effort to attempt some soundproofing almost every wall on the inside. My main goal was to stay warm in winter and cool in summer, and to have a dry roof over our head. My trade-offs and places where I feel I saved some money -cultured stone over real -fiber cement brick panels over real -vinyl siding -engineered hardwood and laminate direct from dealer -direct vent gas fireplace over real If my home were smaller, I might have done some of those things differently, like the flooring and vinyl, etc. On the back is 3 storys up, and we live in the country, so it seemed like a good place to save 10's of thousands of dollars. The flooring was high enough with over 5000 sf so that seemed like a place to save 10's of thousands also, and we can upgrade later if we so desire. also saved with -- -appliance package online -light fixtures online (about 18k worth of lights for about 6k) - I shopped shopped shopped for everything all online. But this was my job for the last 15 months and counting, so I could put in the time necessary to find good deals. But again, we aren't in a fancy schmancy sub-division or gated community. Well, I do have a gate across the drive right now but it is so the horses can "mow" the tall grass until we can get some work done and actually have a yard to mow again. But for us, the Bones was important and that is where I put a great deal of money. I made concessions, but I am very happy. I love this house. I love my choices. Even the cheaper choices like the laminate flooring, I think it looks great and when something gets spilled, no one freaks out. It is a home we can actually "live" in. I thought long and hard about each decision. Tried to think of pros and cons. I feel happy with each decision for the way that we live. I love it, it all makes me happy. Everything about this house makes me happy....See MoreWolf 48 inch dual fuel range- should I splurge?
Comments (24)I really like the Wolf range but never even looked at ranges at all before this week because of price/oven issue. However, that was before I found this deal which put it in my upper price range. So I'm trying to research the range and look at it realistically vs getting swayed just by the price. If I didn't get the range, I would be buying the Kenmore double convection oven with Wolf 5 burner gas cooktop. Not sure if Wolf range ovens would be better or not. I do LOVE the cooktop part of the range and the "wow" factor however just concerned with oven heights. However, I would have the steam oven at perfect level above the warming drawer so that may offset the lower ovens on range. I live in southern TN. Not that I want this to influence my decision, but houses in my neighborhood (range from 500k-3 Million) do have majority high end appliances. So even though we don't plan on selling , I believe the Wolf range would fit the house better... However, for me personally, I would be happy with both scenarios. Thanks for all the help/input!!...See MoreWhere did you save? Where did you splurge?
Comments (29)Too early to tell but the one piece of advice I have clung to, I got it out of some kitchen magazine, is that less expensive materials can look much more expensive when they are installed well. I always remember this kitchen (see link) not for its' soapstone counters or beautiful lacquer\painted off-white cabinets which are lovely (and important to the overall effect of the room) but for that composite vinyl tile floor. The custom pattern, the great colours it's fantastic and I am sure many have spent more than 20 times as much on their floor to not achieve 1\2 the impact. What I take from that is while $$$ dictate that you may have to compromise on materials to stay on budget you don't have to lower your standards in terms of the quality of the design and workmanship that goes into the kitchen your working on. One of the reason I chose the box store I did is because the installer is excellent and he gets paid the same to install my stock "Instant Kitchen" as he does someone elses Kraftmaid semi-custom "Venicia" kitchen that cost 4 times as much. So I suppose you could say that I saved on the cabs and splurged on the labour. Time will tell if it was a smart trade off or not. Here is a link that might be useful: pics of mjsmama's kitchen...See MoreFirst time buying a sofa-Should I splurge? What length? HELP?!
Comments (7)I was able to sit on the sofa before the stores closed in the previous months which is how I know I want the upgraded cushions. I would really prefer a reverisible chaise so I could swich from left to right if I wanted to but they don't offer that. This style comes in a sofa so I could get a seperate ottoman like suggested but the sofa only goes to 103" which I think would be too short for the space. It would cost $2,635. These prices are after the current 15% off sale. How long of a sofa should I be looking for?...See MoreBongo
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