Help me with my 'needs' and 'wants' list!

[busymama77]

I'm thinking I need some sort of reality check to get this list in order.

Next year, we have quite a few things on our list that we would like to get for the house or for myself. For the house, a fence. For our room, new bedroom furniture and for myself, a new car.

The fence: we've lived in our house for almost a year and we're really in need of one. We have two dogs and two boys. The two dogs run in to the neighbors yards on occassion and deer keep trampling some of our flowers.

The bedroom furniture: We've been using DH's Great-Aunts' set for almost 7 years now. The bed is mine that I got for my bday almost 8 years ago and we're going to need a new mattress as well since a) it's been almost 8 years since we bought our current one and b) we're moving up to a King Size bed. Also, we were thinking of foregoing Christmas gifts to each other this year and put that money towards the new set.

The car: my car will be paid off in January and DH would like to get me an SUV. Something like a Maza CX-7 or a new Kia Sorrento - our budget is $20K to keep the payments to where they are now.

We'll have the money for the fence come February/March. We'll have part of the money for the bedroom set in a couple of months and then the rest after the first of the year.
The car, we'll have my trade in as a down payment and will have the taxes shortly thereafter.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? What would you put off for a while? And what would you find to be a 'need' more than a 'want'?

[treeoflife3]

Well, I understand the beauty of having a good fence. Honestly, I'd put that at the top of my list.

I would LOVE to live debt free so paying of the car and having it be MINE and not the bank's sounds wonderful. I would hold off getting an SUV unless there is a size/safety issue with your car. If it works but just isn't what you WANT then I'd keep it for now since not having the payment will be wonderful.

not having the payment also means that payment can go towards the fence and bedroom furniture. However, for the furniture you can consider building your own. Check out knock-offwood.com. I've been following her for close to a year now and she has some great plans that help getting furniture cheaper because you buy the materials and build it yourself rather than paying the cost of labor for premade items.

so yeah, if I were in your position, the fence would come first and the car would come last assuming your car is perfectly functional and meets all your needs for space for children as well as safety (everything works how it is supposed to) Having no car debt will leave extra money to go to the first two. Once you get the first two, you can get a new car again.

[JudiAU]

I'd say the fence and the mattress would be my priorities. We've been steadily replacing our matresses with nontoxic ones and I feel like my family is much safer.

The car comes last because although you can afford it, it doesn't sound like you actually need it, merely want it.

[zebra15]

IMO they all are 'wants'.
You can train both the kids an the dogs where the property line is. It takes work but the dogs can be trained and kids can be taught where to play and where not to go. Some garden netting over the plants will keep the animals off your plants.

You want new furniture, you dont need it. Yes it will make things nice to look at and maybe more comfortable but what you have works and is functional.

The car... you have one that works. A new car almost always brings a car payment, higher insuarnce, a SUV is going to eat gas like no tomorrow.. again with 2 kids you can fit into a regular car just fine.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

1. Fence = Need
2. Bigger Car = Want
3. Nicer Furniture = Want

[Chamomile Girl]

They all sound like wants to me too. Of all of them the fence is probably the closest to a need (pesky deer).

I can't for the life of me understand why you would want to get a new car right when you finally own the one you have! Do you hate your car, or are you just mildly tired of it? I find that the new car bug tends to be a regional/cultural thing...where I grew up in Michigan if you didn't get a new car every couple of years you were seen as seriously falling behind , but here in California its not uncommon to drive a car to 200K. I was when I finally paid my car off last October.

Its a tradition in my family to keep bedroom furnishings from the previous generation, so I can't help ya there. My bedroom set actually came from a friend of my Grandma's, my Mom is using the set my Grandma's mother bought new in like 1916.

[EFmom]

I think they are all wants. If you don't get any of them, there are no dire consequences.

A need would be either car repair or a new car if the car you have no longer runs, but not a new car because it would be nice. Honestly having no car payment is nicer than anything!

The fence would come to the top of my list as most important. If you were growing your own veggies to feed your family and the deer were destroying them, then it would be a need.

The furniture would be nice, but unless there is some serious reason why you can't sleep on the bed you have, or there was a safety issue with it, it isn't a need.

[JamieCatheryn]

You'll save yourself a heck of a lot of money if you put the money that would be a car payment into savings and replace your car with a newer but used SUV with that money when the car doesn't really work anymore. Then save up after that for longer, you could buy a brand new vehicle cash the next time. Just think keeping want would have gone to interest you'll have enough to upgrade vehicles every time you need a new one instead of just keeping up with loans. Or you can stick with moderate cars and put the money toward whatever else you want.

8 year old mattress? Yeah I'd prioritize that those wear out plus get yucky inside, it's a respiratory and a back health issue. Fence too when possible, that's an important quality of life thing with dogs and kids. Heirloom furniture sounds wonderful unless it's broken beyond repair, I'd keep it forever...well maybe if it was ugly I'd put it on my low priority "want" list for someday or I'd refinish or something.

[krisnic]

A couple questions:

1. What kind of car do you have now? 2 door or 4 door?
2. Are you in a safe neighborhood?

My car is 11 years old, runs well and is payed off. However, I don't have children. If I did have children my car would be a pain in the butt, as it's only 2 doors. I've had to transport children numerous times and it's so hard in that car.

We do not have a fence, and I have 2 dogs. It's amazing, but we really have been able to train them as to where the property lines are. And my neighbors have little kids, and they are always outside with them anyway. But I can understand just wanting to let your children run around in the backyard without watching them like a hawk, and that's not possible to do in an unsafe neighborhood.

Bedroom furniture is definitely a want, but look at Ikea. Our entire bedroom set is from there and was less than 1k.

[Mulvah]

If it were me, I would get the fence and keep saving for the other two items. Technically a fence is a want, but I could also justify it as a need, specifically where safety is concerned.

Is your current car in good condition? Are you just trying to upgrade?

[Zamber]

I would say the fence qualifies as a definate need to keep the kids and animals safe inside your yard (training children and pets to stay within the property lines doesn't work in all situations...it depends on the individual children/pets). As for furniture, eh, not so much of a need (eight yrs doesn't seem that old to me at all. However, if it is due to needing the larger bed due to co-sleeping, then go for it, but take you time searching for a good deal). I would not do the car. Once your current car is paid off, I would suggest paying yourself that car payment into a "car fund" (savings, etc.) until you have enough saved up to pay for a new car in full (then repeat), thus breaking free from paying car loans.

Fence= Need, do ASAP

Furniture= Maybe, depending on situation. Not as urgent.

Car= Definate want.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by Mulvah

If it were me, I would get the fence and keep saving for the other two items. Technically a fence is a want, but I could also justify it as a need, specifically where safety is concerned.

Is your current car in good condition? Are you just trying to upgrade?

Trying to upgrade and acquire more room in a car. My current car is a Toyota Camry - 4 door. It's been a great car and I'm sure it will continue to be a great car if we decide to wait. I'll have had the car for 5 years and yes, I am getting a little burnt out on it.
And we live in probably one of the best neighborhoods around. Very, very safe.

The bedroom furniture - I've been wanting a new set for quite some time but other things have come up to where this has been put on the back burner. No biggie - I guess it is more of a want than a need......

The fence - yes - definitely a need. While the dogs have been good about staying in our yard for the most part, there are times they wander and it makes us nervous. The kids - we're always outside when they are, so it's no big deal.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Fence would be right at the top of my list. With your kids and dogs and wild animals coming into your yard it moved into a need category. Good fences also make good neighbors.

[EFmom]

Originally Posted by busymama77

Trying to upgrade and acquire more room in a car. My current car is a Toyota Camry - 4 door. It's been a great car and I'm sure it will continue to be a great car if we decide to wait. I'll have had the car for 5 years and yes, I am getting a little burnt out on it.
.

My parents grew up in the Depression and I guess it's rubbed off on me.

I've got a nine year old car that I consider is just starting to get broken in. I'd call a five year old Camry a new car and wouldn't think about replacing it for another ten years.

I'd also consider an eight year old mattress to be fairly new.

[krisnic]

I have to agree - my 11 year old car that I spoke about above is a Toyota Camry Solara and it's still going strong. Toyota's are made to last (except for the milions that are involved in all of those recalls...lol)

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by EFmom

My parents grew up in the Depression and I guess it's rubbed off on me.

I've got a nine year old car that I consider is just starting to get broken in. I'd call a five year old Camry a new car and wouldn't think about replacing it for another ten years.

I'd also consider an eight year old mattress to be fairly new.

I was just thinking how much we'd love to have a 5-year-old Camry. And to think you've basically got one for free if you compare it with the option of buying another, newer car...!

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by busymama77

Trying to upgrade and acquire more room in a car. My current car is a Toyota Camry - 4 door. It's been a great car and I'm sure it will continue to be a great car if we decide to wait. I'll have had the car for 5 years and yes, I am getting a little burnt out on it.
And we live in probably one of the best neighborhoods around. Very, very safe.

The bedroom furniture - I've been wanting a new set for quite some time but other things have come up to where this has been put on the back burner. No biggie - I guess it is more of a want than a need......

The fence - yes - definitely a need. While the dogs have been good about staying in our yard for the most part, there are times they wander and it makes us nervous. The kids - we're always outside when they are, so it's no big deal.

With that said, I would prioritize like this:

1.) Fence - Get this now/as soon as you can. Getting something new (even a fence) always makes me feel perkier and excited. It may be enough "newness" to make you feel good about waiting on the other two things.

2.) Bedroom Furniture - I would keep this on my want list, maybe selling things I already have to make a new set possible. If that isn't an option, I would probably put it on my two-year plan.

3.) If the car isn't costing you money and is mostly just a boredom issue, why not spend a little bit of money getting it detailed, washed, and waxed? I would put a new car on my five-year plan.

[laughingfox]

Originally Posted by EFmom

My parents grew up in the Depression and I guess it's rubbed off on me.

I've got a nine year old car that I consider is just starting to get broken in. I'd call a five year old Camry a new car and wouldn't think about replacing it for another ten years.

I'd also consider an eight year old mattress to be fairly new.

Me too. My car's 7 or 8 years old, and I call it a "shiny new car". DH's is 15, and it's still "new" in our minds since we have both owned cars that were much much older.

There's often some really nice furniture to be found on craigslist, or in thrift stores, but you might have to look for a while.
If upgrading the size of the bed is the main issue, why not get a new boxspring and mattress and just use that minimalist free metal frame they usually come with, at least for now? That way you could take your time finding a set you really like, and in the meantime, you'll still have the bigger bed you want.

The fence would be the highest on my list. As a matter of fact, a fence is very high on my list, I just can't afford it right now.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by busymama77

I'm thinking I need some sort of reality check to get this list in order.

Next year, we have quite a few things on our list that we would like to get for the house or for myself. For the house, a fence. For our room, new bedroom furniture and for myself, a new car.

The fence: we've lived in our house for almost a year and we're really in need of one. We have two dogs and two boys. The two dogs run in to the neighbors yards on occassion and deer keep trampling some of our flowers.

The bedroom furniture: We've been using DH's Great-Aunts' set for almost 7 years now. The bed is mine that I got for my bday almost 8 years ago and we're going to need a new mattress as well since a) it's been almost 8 years since we bought our current one and b) we're moving up to a King Size bed. Also, we were thinking of foregoing Christmas gifts to each other this year and put that money towards the new set.

The car: my car will be paid off in January and DH would like to get me an SUV. Something like a Maza CX-7 or a new Kia Sorrento - our budget is $20K to keep the payments to where they are now.

We'll have the money for the fence come February/March. We'll have part of the money for the bedroom set in a couple of months and then the rest after the first of the year.
The car, we'll have my trade in as a down payment and will have the taxes shortly thereafter.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? What would you put off for a while? And what would you find to be a 'need' more than a 'want'?

well, I'll have to agree with pp's-- none are really needs, but I would probably do fence. I'm not sure about the furniture, and I would definitely forgo the car.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by EFmom

My parents grew up in the Depression and I guess it's rubbed off on me.

I've got a nine year old car that I consider is just starting to get broken in. I'd call a five year old Camry a new car and wouldn't think about replacing it for another ten years.

I'd also consider an eight year old mattress to be fairly new.

*blush* My camry is 5 years old, and I still refer to it as the new one. Although OP, if you are thinking of selling, let me know!