YNAB You Need A Budget

[sarahs219]

We are moving into our new house on Aug. 31st and need a refrigerator, washer and dryer. All big ticket items. All items considered essential. We have been preparing for these purchases for a few weeks. We took the leftover money we had set aside for closing on the house and saved every penny to come up with an estimated amount of how much it would cost. We researched brands and models until we landed on what we wanted. We looked at four different stores, comparing prices, discounts, warranties, delivery costs, etc. Finally landed on a store and a bottom line price yesterday. We made the purchase and came in $800 under budget! Successful? Yes, but not the best part of the story...

The last big shopping trip we made was when we bought a couch and a tv in March 2010 (pre-ynab and pre-budget and yes non-essential items). Here's the difference: When they offered us X amount of months no interest financing we jumped on it b/c that was our only option if we wanted to purchase the stuff. (We would never let ourselves get away with that now) This time when we had the option of choosing 6 months no interest financing or 5% off our total purchase. It was such a great feeling to say, without hesitation, give us the 5% off because we don't need the financing!

So once again, over our 14 month relationship with YNAB, it has helped us accomplish another goal with clarity and ease. Clarity in knowing exactly how much we had set aside in our appliance fund and ease in that we naturally spend less by tracking our spending and we budget every dollar we earn.

[Tasha]

Well done, that must be such a great feeling

[jessiebird]

Love this.

[brad]

Fantastic job!

Now, I'm going to be irritating (sorry!) and ask if you chose an energy-efficient refrigerator and washer (there's no such thing as an energy-efficient dryer, so we'll leave that out). That would be another smart financial move, because the energy savings from these two appliances over their lifetime can add up to hundreds of dollars. An Energy Star-rated fridge typically saves about $165 over its lifetime compared with a conventional model, and an Energy Star washer can save 43,000 gallons of water over its lifetime compared with a conventional top-loading model. If you pay for water, that can add up, plus you also save in lower electricity costs.

[sarahs219]

Now, I'm going to be irritating (sorry!) and ask if you chose an energy-efficient refrigerator and washer (there's no such thing as an energy-efficient dryer, so we'll leave that out).

Fridge = yes to the Energy Star
Washer = yes to the Energy Star
Dryer = we went with a gas dryer instead of an electric dryer which was a bit more upfront cost but research shows it's cheaper over the long term

[jessiebird]

I hang out laundry in the warmer months and our electric bills for the summer (especially May and September when we don't even need window fans) are the lowest bills all year. I HATE having to use the dryer at all.

Heating costs during the winter are so high I refuse to pay any more to the utilities in the summer than is absolutely necessary. Welcome to Vermont.

[brad]

Fridge = yes to the Energy Star
Washer = yes to the Energy Star
Dryer = we went with a gas dryer instead of an electric dryer which was a bit more upfront cost but research shows it's cheaper over the long term

You rock!

[brad]

I hang out laundry in the warmer months and our electric bills for the summer (especially May and September when we don't even need window fans) are the lowest bills all year. I HATE having to use the dryer at all. Heating costs during the winter are so high I refuse to pay any more to the utilities in the summer than is absolutely necessary. Welcome to Vermont.

Same here -- we use a clothesline all spring, summer, and fall, and only use the dryer in winter or during extended periods of rain. In fact when I lived in Vermont we used indoor drying racks in the winter and I did fine without a dryer for about 30 years; we bought our first dryer just a couple of years ago.

I must admit I do like having a dryer, especially for flannel sheets in winter, which take days to dry on the racks. And clotheslines are prohibited in some neighborhoods, unfortunately.

[jessiebird]

And clotheslines are prohibited in some neighborhoods, unfortunately.

This is one of the most asinine HOA rules I have ever heard of. Vermont, on the other hand, has a "Right to Dry" law that allows line drying throughout the state. We're a practical people and we don't put on airs ...

[brad]

I miss Vermont. (I lived there for 10 years.) I did have to negotiate with my landlord in Westminster West to put in my clothesline (he was okay with it as long as he couldn't see it from his house...I lived in a rented cottage on the other side of his field.

[jessiebird]

I actually like the look of a clothesline (not to mention the smell of the dried clothes, heaven). I even use my clothesline as a header for my blog: http://whathousework.typepad.com. I get that to some people it smacks of tenement living or something, but for heaven's sake, is it worth wasting even more electricity completely unnecessarily? I just don't get it.

[DeguelloTex]

I'm going to go to bat for dryers. I hate stiff clothes from the clothesline and the sun in Texas brutalizes colors in a very short time.

[sarahs219]

I'm going to go to bat for dryers. I hate stiff clothes from the clothesline and the sun in Texas brutalizes colors in a very short time.

I'm in Texas also. I'm pretty sure the humidity alone would be counterproductive. Combine the heat with horrendous outdoor allergies, hanging clothes outside is not an option for us. The two times in my life I've had sheets that were clothesline dried outside were heaven, but the allergy attacks that followed, unfortunately, were not worth it.

[brad]

Yeah, I definitely wasn't dissing dryers myself -- I love ours even if it took me a long time to finally break down and buy one. Now that I have it I appreciate it -- same with a dishwasher: i lived without a dishwasher all my adult live (I'm 53) and bought my first one this year. I was used to washing dishes by hand, and there are just two of us so it was never a big chore except when we had company. But now that we have one I'm mostly glad we got it (although we tend to run out of dishes before the machine is full, which means we'll have to buy more dishes!).

[los lobos marinos]

And clotheslines are prohibited in some neighborhoods, unfortunately.

That is just ridiculous!

All those folks who monitor and enforce 'clothesline' prohibition should be publicly flogged in front of the town hall until they realise the error of their ways.

It's just as stupid as the $500 fine you face in Detroit for throwing an octopus onto the ice during a Red Wings game!