New House Expenses

[Anonymous]

Curious as to how others are budgeting for new house expenses. After the downpayment and closing costs there are those nickel and dime expenses that really add up. And then adding new furniture/electronics/artwork/bathroom stuff on top of moving, trash haul, etc.

Curious about how the current homeowners went through this setup phase and the associated costs. I'm wondering if I am spending too much.

I also want to hear how the homeowners to be are planning on handling all this and how much they are budgeting to spend.

Thanks all.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious to know this too. Trying to create a budget and its difficult to do with all the unknowns. Can't wait for the s responses to this....

[Anonymous]

Look for many types of coupons..

Home Depot, Lowes, Bed Bath and Beyond as examples all offer coupons when moving into a new home... Any little savings help...

Try to spread out the cost of the things you need. Buy the things that are a must need first and the do not need right away things over a few months...

[Anonymous]

Forunately we are getting $10,000 back at closing because one of us is a realtor, unfortuantely, $5000 or so is going toward a fridge right away. The other $5000 we plan to spend on window coverings as that needs to be done ASAP in my opinon and maybe front landscpaing, depending on how much is left.

For other things we need, we plan on doing it over time as we have the cash, don't want to load up any of the credit cards. We really aren't planning on buying much new...we have nice electronics already and furniture. There are some new rooms that we don't have now, like a den, that will need to be furnished but there's no rush. So I guess our plan is to do it slowly over time and not buy everything at once.

[Anonymous]

Thanks JM-AM, that is definitely the reasonable approach to take but it so hard to fight that because of the strong desire to have the house all setup right away.

I'm definitely hunting for coupons. I got a lot of stuff from the builder, realtor, and inspector too. I forgot about the ADT house alarm setup...ugh!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Forunately we are getting $10,000 back at closing because one of us is a realtor, unfortuantely, $5000 or so is going toward a fridge right away. The other $5000 we plan to spend on window coverings as that needs to be done ASAP in my opinon and maybe front landscpaing, depending on how much is left.

For other things we need, we plan on doing it over time as we have the cash, don't want to load up any of the credit cards. We really aren't planning on buying much new...we have nice electronics already and furniture. There are some new rooms that we don't have now, like a den, that will need to be furnished but there's no rush. So I guess our plan is to do it slowly over time and not buy everything at once.

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Depending on the Brand you prefer to buy I may be able to save you a few dollars. I only pay contractor pricing on certain Branded appliances and sometimes still get additional discounts. Last refrig we bought for some one we know saved them $725. Sometimes its more and sometimes its less. But its free if you want me to give you an idea of cost.

EDITED TO ADD. Once I looked up price if you wanted to purchase you would do it directly yourself. I Would give you the information needed to  gain access and you purchase with your information for warranty's and delivery stuff.... I dont make a penny, just a perk I offer people who can take advantage of it.

[Anonymous]

Wow that's really nice of you to offer that! The fridge we are looking at is a KitchenAid KBRC36FTS: http://www.ebay.com/itm/KitchenAid-Architect-Series-II-KBRC36FTS-/121061322289

[cclee]

Mike, another great place to try is Spencers on Bell by Arrowhead, they beat everyones prices when we were looking for an appliance, and I remember looking at their built in refrigerators and they were a lot cheaper than what we had seen elsewhere.  But if JM can get it cheaper, that is great too!  

[Anonymous]

Ok, once again my little midwestern-low-cost-of-living mind is blown away...$5000 for a refridgerator?? I bought mine brand new, with ice maker in the door, very nice fridge, for $700 just about 4 years ago. I already knew the housing prices in my area were lower than most when I saw that some of you have monthly mortgage payments that are more than my gross monthly income, but you mean to tell me appliances and such are that much more expensive in other parts of the country??? Y'all need to move to Indiana! My new mortgage is $301 a month (that includes taxes, insurance etc), I just bought a new loveseat and two new recliners for $900, its gonna be a little under $100 for the uhaul this weekend, and the trash haul is free, I just called the waste management company that picks up our weekly trash and arranged an extra trip out here to get the bigger junk we're throwing away. My closing costs were lower than I saved up for, so that extra money paid for the new furniture and what I have left from that will buy a couple new TVs.

If I didnt have that extra money we would just keep our junky old stuff and make do. I don't have a credit card and I hope to NEVER have one again. I have learned to live with the motto that if I can't pay cash or save up for it, I don't truly need it

[Anonymous]

You are lucky BetterHalf. 300 bucks for a mortgage!!!!?!?!?!?!  $300 in New York City won't get you a night on the town. Lol.