Wants vs. Needs

The one bad thing about owning a home is that I suddenly have the urge to SPEND. We don't have a lot of furniture, and what we do have is mostly second hand or cheap. With this nice new house we want and need so many things for it. I'm trying very hard to be frugal and only purchase things we need, while making sure that the things we do purchase are quality items for a good price. Wouldn't it be nice if we all just had an unlimited amount of money?

Needs:
electrical panel
appliances (stove, fridge, water softener)
dining room table
fence
blinds

Wants:
TV
sofa
pots and pans
dishes
rugs
shelving

We are slowly working on this list, but it seems like every time I turn around we need to purchase yet another item. It is a struggle to balance the wants vs. the needs.

I have news...

We bought a house. Maybe not the best idea, but we did it anyway. Our free housing was coming to an end, and we either needed to rent or buy. We walked through quite a few rentals before we decided that it just wasn’t for us. The average price was around $650/month for a 2 bedroom that would allow dogs. Add another $50/month ‘pet deposit’ and the price is bumped up to $700/month. Unfortunately, most of the housing came with roommates (mice!) and looked to be on the verge of being condemned at any moment. We were at a standstill. We can’t afford to rent, and we certainly aren’t in a great place to buy. So, we are now the proud owners of a small three bedroom home in a great location.

I honestly don’t regret it a bit. Our mortgage, taxes, and insurance come in at an estimated $436/month and are well under the cost of renting. This month’s net worth report will reflect our down payment, and the addition of the loan.

So how's that for delayed gratification?