I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge bargain-hunter. Getting a good deal makes me very happy indeed however it it falls apart several days later then the smile is soon wiped off my face.

I remember feeling I was a changed woman when I heard two ladies scrambling over £1.50 vests in Primark exclaiming “at this price you can wear them once and then throw them away”. I was horrified by such a declaration, surely it’s not cost effective or ethical to throw away products after such limited use. Wouldn’t it be better to save up and invest in several high quality threads that would last you many years?

Around the same time my £4.99 Toaster blew up (after just one week of use) and so I decided to take note of the the “buy cheap, buy twice” saying. I’d like to think I’ve now become a more considered purchaser and spend where it matters.

Splurge – Kitchen Appliances

In our first house, our kitchen was smaller than most people’s utility rooms. You wouldn’t have been able to swing a cat (not that you would ever want to) and I had to store all my pretty crockery and glasses in a glass cupboard in the hall. Therefore we ended up with a space-saving fridge (with a poor excuse for a freezer compartment) for several years. When we moved into our cottage the little fridge was dwarfed in the recess and the inability to store Magnum ice-creams was really beginning to grate. It was time for an upgrade and the little fridge went off to my sister-in-law’s very first flat.

I suppose we all have several things in life that we aspire to own, yes this makes us materialistic and I am somewhat ashamed that I have bought products rather than experiences to mark milestones in my professional and personal life. I suppose I am not alone though as I have seen several Mulberry bags purchased for this very purpose! My personal aspiration was to own a Smeg fridge, and I appreciate that the desire to own an appliance wouldn’t necessarily be high on everyone’s wish list.

After a long period proving myself at work I was rewarded with a promotion and so to mark my climb up the corporate ladder I went out and bought a shiny black fridge. I know there are cheaper white goods that can do far fancier things and I’ve heard many reports of style over substance. However in the two years of ownership I have nothing bad to say about mine and would definitely make the decision again.

I replaced my burnt-out toaster with a second-hand Dualit. The beauty of this was that I got a design classic at the bargain price of £40 thanks to a work colleague heading to the States. I’ve had it over 5 years and its still going strong so I think even if I had splashed out on a £200 brand-spanking-new one, I would still be quids in on a cost-per-use basis.

Splurge – Bed

We’re in the market for a new bed. Mr C doesn’t know it yet but my research period is about to commence. No doubt I will devour hundreds of reviews before committing and it’ll take months of saving before I finally make the decision. Does anyone else agree that when you’ve waited months for something, it’s so much better when it finally becomes your own?!

Team RMS had a good chat about the expense of office chairs a few weeks ago but the same principle applies. You can end up using your bed and chair for over eight hours a day so surely it makes sense to invest in a quality product. As much as I love my friends and family though, our spare beds are only used once or twice a month so they are subjected to Argos’ finest mattresses instead.

Splurge – Sofa

I remember when our first sofa was delivered. It was a modern cream three seater from sofasofa.co.uk bought for less than £350. A bargain. We may have jumped on it in glee as we could now move the futon bed out of the living room of our flat and sit on a settee like proper grown-ups. Interestingly enough the same three seater sofa now resides in the office and so proves that you don’t actually have to spend thousands to get furniture that lasts.

However, moving from a new-build to a character property we felt that we needed a more traditional style of seating to complement the decor. I was used to seeing adverts for sofa.com in the back of my Living Etc magazine and so it was my first port of call when looking for a new settee. Several visits later to their very friendly Battersea showroom, we became the proud owners of two comfy brushed linen Snowdrop sofas and shelled out more than we have done for any other home-related purchase. However I know the classic design will suit us for many years. Personally we had a negative aftersales experience with sofasofa.com, however the range of designs, breadth of knowledge from the staff, and comfiness of the sofas wouldn’t deter me from ordering again or recommending them to you.

Save – Accessories

I rarely splurge on any of the accents in my house; most of my cushions are from H&M, I get all my bedding and towels from HomeSense and although I adore my ‘posh’ candles the majority of my tealights and votives are from Ikea, I love my anglepoise lamp but the rest of my lighting is from TK Maxx, BHS, Achica or picked up from antique shops.

Art is one thing in the future that I would really like to invest in, in the mean time though I am more than happy to buy prints from Etsy.

Save – Occasional Furniture

My coffee table and side ‘table’ were created from old palettes and apple crates picked up for next to nothing and my lounge bookcase is a vintage ladder that was about £30. In the spare room the chest of drawers and dressing table were second-hand and given a new lease of life with a lick of paint. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who splashed out on an expensive coffee table but if it was a choice between that an a gorgeous comfy chair then I’d opt for where to sit every time.

Anyway, enough about me and I how I like to spend my hard-earned cash. What are your splurges and saves in your own home? Are there any pieces you firmly believe in investing in or any that you would never splash out on? If money were no object what item would you have in your pad?