Decorating Bargains-Buyer's Remorse

15 years ago

I have a hard time making decisions because I always seem to find something that is a much better deal, or that I like better after I make a purchase. I just bought each of these two items for a higher ticket elsewhere & while looking at the K-mart ad in the paper I saw all the patio sets, so decided to browse on line. I found both of these items that I like for great prices.

Anyone else see any decorating bargains out there? Maybe you can help others before they make a mistake by posting a link here.

$62.99 duvet with 2 pillowcases!!!

$129.99

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (22)

ttodd
15 years ago
Are they still better deals after S&H?

I used to often find myself in that boat so I finally stopped lurking at my TJ Maxx (2), Marshall's (3), Homegoods & Ross every Wednesday & Friday. My sanity & pocketbook are much happier.
neetsiepie
15 years ago
Well, I hate to say it, but I could almost guarantee that the patio set is flimsy as all get out. I spied some cute things at Kmart when I ran in to get a vinyl tablecloth (to cover a garage sale table!!). Upon closer inspection, they were really shoddy and lightweight...not worth half the asking price.

The Martha Stewart collection is a little better, but still not long term quality, IMHO.
Related Discussions
Have you ever had buyer remorse?
Q
Comments (25)
We got impulsive in the fall of 2005 when we realized that my good-paying job was not just for the year that had just ended, but was going on indefinitely. DH's dad had moved in with us in June, when his wife died. We loved having him with us, but he had to go to the basement to do laundry and down 6 steps to let our three dogs in and out, and at a very independent 86 years old, there was no getting him to NOT do those things. Plus, there was the only having one bathroom issue and the fact that we were using every square inch of that house before he moved in. So we got impulsive and went house hunting and within 8 weeks closed on a much more practical house that was 225 sq ft bigger (1450 to 1675) and had an extra half bath and a first floor laundry. Talk about minimum requirements! [We were very happy in the long run that we did not "win" the two-buyer bidding war on the slightly larger house with the finished basement, huge lot, and in-ground, heated swimming pool. It was 25% more expensive than the house we bought, and with what happened next, we needed the smaller mortgage.] With all of our stuff squashed into the old house, with peeling wallpaper I had lived with for 14 years because it was pulling off the skim coat of plaster and meant getting the room replastered, with a bathroom ceiling that needed replacement, with original oak floors that needed refinishing, and no room to put everything to do this work, we knew that we would need to move first, then do repairs and put the house on the market. We did this and got the house on the market March 1, 2006. I tried For Sale By Owner with a Realtor/broker back-up who would get a small fee and who got the house into the MLS. I offered selling Realtors a 3% commission. I had printed "Open House" signs with arrows that I posted around the neighborhood each Sunday, I had strings of colored flags like you used to see at used car lots and grand openings going from trees to the front porch and a big For Sale sign with info about the house on the front lawn. I baked cookies. Lots of lookers, no offers. I had the house assessed and he said we should UP our price! In June we hired a full-service Realtor. Over the months we lowered the price regularly. A year and a quarter later, I brought him a nurse I had met who wanted to do a rent-to-own with my house. We agreed to a price that was 84% of our original asking price. The nurse had recently gone through bankruptcy because of a husband with a drug problem and business debt that fell on her. So she needed a two-year rent-to-own. It didn't matter to us, her rent paid our mortgage! Since we had not sold the old house first, we had no down payment for the new house. Originally, we were going to do 100% financing with an 80% first mortgage and a 20% second mortgage on the new house. Then our mortgage guy came up with the idea of putting a second mortgage on the old house, instead. We would pay it off when we sold the house. It was a good idea, we thought, because it brought the mortgages on that house up to $25,000 less than it was appraised for, a good cushion, we thought in October 2005. When we got into the rent-to-own agreement, however, it was low enough that it meant bringing money to the table for the closing costs. In 2007 housing prices began to fall. In 2008, we all know that the entire economy fell. In late 2008, my DH was downsized into "early retirement" and it took him 7 months to get another job. No sooner were we comfortably back on track from that, when the nurse in our old house figured out that it was cheaper for her to buy a foreclosed house and lose her down payment on our house! That left us hanging in the winter of 2009 with an empty house in a housing market in which the empty house was now worth about $69,000 - precisely what I had paid for it in 1994 before replacing the furnace and ducts, kitchen, electrical service, water heater, concrete driveway, windows and doors, siding, trim, garage door, fence, porch, and adding central air and lots of insulation. Not to mention refinishing the wood floors throughout. Meanwhile, Dad had gone suddenly blind at the age of 91, then had prostate cancer, then skin cancer, and was bed-bound with daytime caregivers at our house. His favorite aide had left his employ and returned to her home state the summer of 2009. Her replacement was NOT comparable. Dad missed his Jenny so much, because Jen would go with the flow when it was okay and let him sleep, but force him to wake up and get food and drink in a gentle way that did not bother him, when it was necessary. She read to him and knew what he liked to hear. She read his moods well and could tell if he wanted to listen to a ball game on or wanted to rest. She kept a positive attitude even when cleaning up horrible messes from his hospital-acquired C-Dif. We could all see that he was declining without her. I heard through the grapevine that Jenny had her car and purse stolen and that neither she nor her husband had managed to get good jobs in the several months that she had been back home. After consulting with DH, I called and gave them an offer they could not refuse: a car to drive their menagerie of mammals and reptiles back to Mich and to use when they got here, shipping for their household goods, low rent in our old house. That way, we got Jenny back for Dad and had renters we knew, liked, and trusted in our house. Dad passed away several months later. Because he paid for unemployment insurance for his homecare staff, Jenny got to have free training and ended up with five health care certificates during our economic depression. She is working now, but her DH was hurt at work and is fighting for disability benefits and worker's compensation. They are still in our old house, so we have nothing to worry about as far as renters trashing our house, but they can't currently pay much. Okay, they can't pay anything, I'll admit it. It has been about three years that we have carried them. The husband has had multiple back surgeries and our Jenny is working as a nurse's aide and just not making a lot of money. But she studied hard and got her GED and all of those medical certificates, so she is trying. We don't have children of our own. I guess we got the boomerang phenomenon without having the first half where you give birth and raise the little critters, LOL! We were thinking that we might have to wait until my DH reaches the age of 59.5 and take some $$$ out of our retirement to finally unload this house. We have that second mortgage down to $25,000 from $40,000. The house is now worth about what is left of the first mortgage. It has been hard. Our new house had a expensive foundation disaster two years ago and needed a new roof last Christmas. The roof will be paid off at the end of this year, so we can be more relaxed after that. It does not help that my health has worsened and I am not working. DH is a saint! But now Discover is offering us $25,000 at 7.99%. We have to investigate it more, but if that is still being offered at the end of the year, we could use it to pay off that second mortgage and get the house on the market next spring. Incredible. We weren't sure when that could happen, but did not expect it for several years yet. In a couple, three years we might be able to have that Discover loan gone, too and be FREE! Buyer remorse. I don't know. Who knew that the market would tank so bad? I do like this larger house. My knees appreciate not having the steps. I agree with DH that it is a darned good thing that we did not get that house with the pool! We have thrown money around the past six years like it meant nothing, and I have come to the conclusion that this is partially true. As long as you can keep your heads above water, money is just a tool. It has allowed us to help our young friends have a place to live through their hard times. We will do it as long as we can. We will give them warning when we decide to do the Discover deal or not, but they will have to be on their own eventually. With luck, they will get Social Security to allow disability benefits by then. All the long timers here knew this sorry story. If anyone has read this far, I hope there was something to learn in all of this!
...See More
Major Buyer's Remorse: I Really Screwed Up
Q
Comments (47)
I can relate! I don't know if I am making the best possible decisions trying to make this place work. At the age of 63 I moved from a rent controlled apartment to a 96 year old "fixer". I wanted to be able to grow vegetables, so I did not opt for a condo. They are not that much less expensive around here anyway, and for the most part, poorly constructed. The home inspector, and all the contractors who have worked on this place give it flying colors for construction. It is apparently a very solidly built house. We talked the seller down considerably, but it still wasn't cheap. I know going in it would need $35 thousand dollars to replace broken water heater, heating system, plumbing, etc. before I could even move in. I also ripped up the carpet and refinished the beautiful hardwood floors underneath. I also replaced the old, stained fiberglass bath/shower that was growing mold and made me shudder whenever I stepped into it. I figured I would bolt the house to the foundation (living in earthquake country) and leave it at that for a while. Then over New Years, the wind blew down part of my fence and the 20 year old cook top had a gas leak, so PG&E turned off the gas. I couldn't find replacement parts for the old corroded burners, so I bought a new Kitchenaid cook top...WRONG! It emits a low hum even when it is off. I looked it up in the manual, and sure enough, under troubleshooting, it says this hum is a normal part of the functioning of this product. My bedroom is fairly close to the kitchen, and I couldn't sleep, so I returned it (with a 20% restocking fee). Now I have ordered a GE Cafe model cook top. It scores consistently in the top ten cook tops, and I read reviews from two professional chefs who installed them and were very happy. I haven't received it yet. I can't help but wonder if I should have just called Kitchenaid and asked them if they had a quieter model. I live alone, This is all new to me, never having owned a home and not having to deal with these things myself. I don't have anyone to advise me on these things, except friends who laugh, pat me on the back and saying "welcome to home ownership". I am not particularly handy, although I am not opposed to learning. This was supposed to feel liberating, having my own home, but I've been here for 4 months and am feeling very stressed. I'm not thinking of selling though-yet.
...See More
Show us your best Craigslist or eBay bargain?
Q
Comments (82)
I love many of the finds pictured here. I live in an economically depressed, rural area, and most of Craigslist is uninspiring and often unintentionally funny. Some people have big ideas about what their junk is worth! We've done well in the Farm & Garden section, however, both buying and selling. This summer I acquired a riding mower for $375 delivered. The owner is a mechanic (turned out he retired from the company my son works for), and the mower was well cared for. But mostly I came back here to thank My3dogs for starting this thread. As soon as I saw the title, I remembered that it had been awhile since I last checked Craigslist for a cedar wardrobe. My house is very old, and has almost no closets. I've been keeping my various jackets in an ancient but worthless wardrobe that is ready to fall apart, so I've been looking for a good replacement for about a year. Most of the ones listed had no bar for hanging clothes, and were overpriced anyway. So I saw your thread and went directly to Craigslist, where I found the perfect cedar wardrobe: just the right size, with a bar inside the top and a nice drawer on the bottom--for $75! The people even agreed to keep it for me until after Christmas, when my son can get it with his pickup. Thanks, and happy holidays to all!
...See More
Floof-ish: Buyers Remorse: The perils of shopping hungry
Q
Comments (47)
When I was working in an office, the company provided plastic cutlery and paper plates, plus there was pizza day the first Friday of every month, and there were tons of pizzas for everyone to have for lunch that the owner provided. Those were the only days I ate in the company lunchroom. I lived 1.3 miles from work, and my commute was four minutes, which meant that I could go home for lunch. I used to take excess food to work to give away, but it was generally something I grew and had too much of, such as figs, when they were in season. One woman from Israel particularly liked my figs, and so I invited her to come to my house one week-end and pick some for herself. She brought her husband, and they picked quite a few figs. I was getting about 40 figs a day and needed to get rid of them. She made some fig jam with some of the figs and gave me some of the jam, which was very nice. Sometimes we would have potluck lunches at work (for special occasions), and people would bring all kinds of homemade exotic dishes that they had made at home, although one woman would bring a bucket of fried chicken that she had bought, and a few people would bring chips and drinks that they had bought. There were always massive amounts of leftovers. The main time that I overbuy is when I go to a farmers' market, and the reason for this is that I do not go more than once a week, as a rule, and that is on week-ends. I often buy more vegetables and fruit than I can eat. I know this is an old thread, but I saw a link to it at the side of the page.
...See More
haberichter
15 years ago
During the summer, I try to stay out of the retail stores entirely. I can usually find items of better quality and lower costs at garage sales. Doesn't bother me a bit to buy used merchandise.

This week I found sturdy metal patio chairs at a sale. They are shiny silver with a bit of rust, but will be primed and painted black. Four chairs at the ridiculously low price of a quarter each.
marciagaye
15 years ago
Yard sales, cheapcycle and craigslist are definitely the way to go. Oh...especially Estate and moving sales.
estreya
15 years ago
I agree. My "Craigslist" victory (one of several, but the one i'm proudest of) is a LaBarge mirror i got for $225.00 for my dining room. Not too long ago, i saw it on an antique sale sight for over $2500.00. I felt pretty great about that. :)
mclarke
15 years ago
Have no remorse. I saw that KMart lawn set and it does look good. I would have bought it, except that I have read in several places that it's flimsy.
flyingflower
15 years ago
It seems to be Murphy's Law that no matter how long you hold out to buy something as soon as you do that's when you see it cheaper. That's the story of my life. ;)
kitchentime
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for making me feel better about the k-mart bistro set. The one I purchased was not much more expensive ($149.00), it was from Wal-mart. Here it is. I guess I just always second guess myself. I have recently gotten a couple good finds on craig's list and don't seem to second guess with those, because I think I am getting a better deal.
haberichter
15 years ago
I think the set you bought is much nicer than the first photo. your set has arms and nice wide seats. They look to be much more comfortable which you will appreciate in the long run!

I think they key is to stop looking once you have made your purchase. I'm the same way and I drive myself crazy finding "a better deal" afterwards. Ohhh, look what I could have gotten if I had waited a week.
cooperbailey
15 years ago
I like the set you bought too. It looks great on your patio! Walmart, Sams Club have some very nice things I think. So put away that remorse!

I also am confirmed CL buyer, consignment shop. If I have a Sat.morning to spend I will stop by yard sales if it is community wide.
And I make stops by Homegoods every now and again.
My favorite thing is "Goodwill hunting" as I call it. yup. Goodwill stores, there are some great thrift shops in my area.
At a Goodwill store,I picked up a Herend bowl in perfect unused condition ($250 value) for $4 bucks. Thats my biggest bargain to date. My next is the free wicker loveseat I got from CL on Friday and painted on Saturday. Of course the fabric I bought for cushions probably cancelled out the "freeness"! But it looks good on my porch.
kitchentime
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks haber. I didn't even think about the chairs having arms. I would love to see your .25 cent chairs when painted. lol $1 for the set.

Cooper I wish that was my patio, that is actually from the walmart ad. Hope it looks that nice here! I would love to see your freecycle loveseat.

Maybe we need a thread with craiglist finds so we know what to look for, like esteya's mirror!
scarlett2001
15 years ago
Sigh - everybody in the family ridicules me for this but..I go every Saturday to yard and Estate sales and have done so for years. My whole house is furnished in bargains. The problem now is - the house is "done" but I still go to the yard sales...seriously thinking of opening a shop when I retire. You just develop an eye after awhile and "think outside the box" and you will have some lovely and very unique pieces. Some of them I have actually sold to friends. If something "speaks to me" I buy it.
cooperbailey
15 years ago
I absolutely love thrift shop stuff,and Craigslist- and upscale consignment shops!
Here is the free wicker loveseat from Craiglist we picked up on Friday. It is in my DHs shop- he tightened the loose wicker on one leg, then I went crazy with spray paint
( and a ventilator mask) Don't have after photos of it painted yet. It looks good on the front porch. I bought some fabric yesterday to make cushions. What fun I had painting!
User
15 years ago
My best bargain is a bistro set I bought at a grocery store, of all places.... $75 for the table and two chairs, black iron and brown "wicker." I needed something immediately for our outdoor spa deck and purchased it at Kroger while grocery shopping in another town. It has held up for two years and looks great. Any time I feel I paid too much for something I just think about my great deal from the grocery store, lol.
oceanna
15 years ago
I have a hard time making decisions because I always seem to find something that is a much better deal, or that I like better after I make a purchase.

This is so me! I change my decorating mind so often it made my family's head spin. It's because I have to see it in person to judge it... I'm not good at imagining it. So I put it together, then don't like it. It took me 35 years to get my last home together, but I finally honed in on what I LOVED.
neetsiepie
15 years ago
I love end of the season sales. That is when I get the best stuff.

I bought a canvas/metal gazebo thing you see everywhere now last year off e-bay. After I got it all the stores were selling it for less (I DID get free shipping, tho). To top it off, the stupid thing was torn to bits in a fall storm and I couldn't salvage it. I heard those things just don't last.

So, first thing this year, here I am drooling over the gazebo things again. I convinced myself not to buy one, but then I found EXACTLY what I wanted at Costco, and I bought it. I paid $150 for it, and once again, all the stores are putting their gazebos on sale for less than what I paid for my new ALL METAL one. But then I remember, again, that no matter how pretty those screened gazebos are...they just don't last.

AND, I got smart this year...I bought two resin adirondak chairs on clearance last year. They're yellow, probably why they were on clearance. I got hammered bronze spray paint for plastic and will paint them instead. And I will spray paint all my old outdoor furniture this year to freshen it up instead of buying new.
organic_smallhome
15 years ago
My best bargain was two Restoration Hardware "Marston" nightstands, in pristine condition, that I bought on CL for $100, total. They retail for $995.00 each. The people who were selling them were exceedingly wealthy, and just wanted to change decor. They didn't even remember what they paid for them!
cooperbailey
15 years ago
Organic, Gotta love the wealthy! wow what a deal!
haberichter
15 years ago
I laughed at "exceedingly wealthy". That's how we got our dining room set. The owner of my husband's company moved to a new house and the set didn't really match their new decor.

We received the table with three leaves, 6 chairs, a corner hutch, custom fit table pads and all the tablecloths/napkins. All we had to do was pick it up!
dprisock1027
15 years ago
My mom lives in Orange Beach among the "exceedingly wealthy". A lady bought a condo and didn't want to be bothered with all the furniture inside so my mom offered to take the never used down-filled couch, new and VERY nice wicker furniture off her hands. I'm so jealous when I see them - so beautiful!

Kitchentime - I have buyers remorse all the time! But with my luck, if I waited for it to go on sale any further, they would sell out before I got there. Then I would always think "I should have gotten that!" :)
Valerie Noronha
15 years ago
pesky1: I just helped a good friend install one of the gazebos for a grad party she is giving for her daughter. One of the pieces broke off during installation so hers didn't even make it through installation. She said it needs to come down in the wind and I just thought who is going to take all the trouble to take it down and once it comes down, there is no way this can be installed again. I just hope she got a bargain on hers as she is a single mom.
parma42
15 years ago
I love shopping end of season sales like pesky 1.

My best find lately was at Lowes last year. Our new home was being built and had a blue/green front door. It's across the street from a little retention lake that the geese love and we were planning a small seating area there.

I was walking through Lowes, looking at what they had left on sale, and the manager marked down the two last chairs from a Sunsetter's set. They were heavy metal and had beautiful cushions that matched the door. Original price was $199 each and I got them for $12.50.

Kitchentime, DH won't even speak to me if I look at something even remotely resembling a prior purchase. He knows me too well and it's become a family joke.

Decorating Bargains-Buyer's Remorse

Comments (22)

ttodd

neetsiepie

Related Discussions

haberichter

marciagaye

estreya

mclarke

flyingflower

kitchentime
Original Author

haberichter

cooperbailey

kitchentime
Original Author

scarlett2001

cooperbailey

User

oceanna

neetsiepie

organic_smallhome

cooperbailey

haberichter

dprisock1027

Valerie Noronha

parma42

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Decorating Bargains-Buyer's Remorse

Comments (22)

Related Discussions

kitchentimeOriginal Author

kitchentimeOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

kitchentime
Original Author

kitchentime
Original Author