Quote:
Originally Posted by ramsey
Thanks guys for all the replies. They were/are definitely appreciated . I bought a house for 185k and am going to live below my means. But I must tell you that I have no furniture and that I am moving into a 1600 sq house from a studio apt. I am tempted to fill it up with furniture. But it is only me. I think that I could be spending that money in a savings account. I will have my student loan paid off in 2012. I need reassurance guys. help.
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Good move. Don't get in too much of a rush to get it looking good. Take your time. You ought to go around to some model homes in new subdivisions with a digital camera and when you see something you like take a picture. Get an idea what your "style" is before you start to decorate. Also, before you hire someone to do anything always try it yourself. I had no idea just how capable I was when I bought my first house. If you do something and you mess it up you can hire someone to fix it, but why not start out by trying to do it yourself?
As for furniture, I used to go to used furniture places when I was starting out. I once bought an entire bedroom set... bed, night stand, vanity, bench, dresser, armoire, and two mirrors... all for $300. I had to refinish them, but it was worth it. For upholstered things like sofas and chairs, try St Vincent De Paul. My mom works at the church and says that people are always donating brand new furniture (not nasty old stuff that the dog would nap on).
And remember... anything you don't spend you should put into some sort of savings and forget you have it. I have made it a habit to only live on the money coming in, not the money I already saved. You will be amazed how quickly it grows.
Good luck to you and I hope you can retire at 40!