5 Things to Budget For After Buying a Home
Budgeting for a new home does not stop when your realtor hands you the keys. You may have spent months strategizing your spending so you’re organized when it’s time to front the down payment and closing costs. While the down payment and closing costs are commonly large sums of money, these aren’t the last expenses to account for when moving into your new home. The feeling of “why is my house so bare” will have you thinking about all the shopping you need to do after buying, when you’ve signed your pile of closing documents. Here are five items to budget for after buying your new home.
Make Room in the Budget for 5 Things After Buying a Home
Appliances
If you’re moving into a home that had a previous owner, sometimes they may leave some or all of their appliances behind. But in case they don’t or you’re moving into a new construction home, you will need to budget for appliance gaps after buying. At the very least you may need:
–Refrigerator. As much as you believe you can live out of a cooler for an extended amount of time, you will soon find that a refrigerator is necessary in everyday life. Filtering water, storing left overs, and holding ingredients for future meals are only 3 reasons why a fridge will make your life easier. Compare prices.
–Microwave. Say you go out to dinner in the hopes that your left overs will be your meal the next day. How will you heat up your meal if you don’t have a microwave? Plus, every now and then we all want some microwave popcorn while watching a movie. Compare prices.
–Stove/Oven: So you’ve been to the grocery store to plan for this week’s meals, but you don’t have an oven or a stove… the chicken can’t cook itself! Buying a combination stove and oven is the most common for new home buyers and is the most space efficient in your kitchen. Compare prices.
Appliances can add up, so research what’s included in your new home and what you need to provide. If the latest model appliances are out of your budget, going to an outlet store or buying used may save you a significant amount compared to the price of new.
Lawn Mower
Unless you are moving into a home with no lawn or plan to hire a gardener, you may need to budget for a lawnmower. If you’re moving to a HOA community, you may have rules that enforce the residents to keep up with their yards to maintain the overall look of the community. Along with a lawn mower, comes the question of where will you store your lawn mower? If you don’t have room in your garage, consider budgeting for an outdoor shed for your yard tools and appliances. Compare lawn mower prices. Compare shed prices.
Outdoor Furniture
Another question you have to ask yourself is “where will we entertain?” If the answer is outside, you’ll want to invest in outdoor furniture. Think about how much time you’ll spend out in your back yard and what will be the most comfortable. Summer also calls for barbecues and potlucks, which means you may need to invest in a grill. A great starter grill is the Weber Grill from Amazon, and it’s reasonably priced. Compare furniture prices.
Floor Coverings
Floor coverings are important additions to maintaining the quality of your home, especially if you have pets. Door mats, area rugs and bath mats are needed to keep the dirt out of you home and keep your floors pristine as these coverings prevent liquids from hitting the surfaces. If you have pets, you will need to consider having pet beds and play areas designated throughout your home. These require floor coverings as well. Compare floor covering prices. Compare pet bed prices.
Window coverings
If your home does not come with blinds or any other type of window covering, after buying you will need to install these as soon as you move in to maintain privacy and keep the light out. Ask yourself if you want blinds or curtains or both. Sometimes black out curtains are necessary to keep the strong light out of a room. Compare prices.
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