How much does your life cost?
>> 9.11.2009
Don’t take the title the wrong way, I’m not asking how much kidnappers would put you up for ransom. Really, I’m referring more to the stuff in your life. Recently, I had to make an estimate of the cost of everything in my home for my new insurance. The big question came up: How much would it cost for you to get everything in your home (aka life) back together? It’s crazy to think about everything I own being destroyed in a fire and having to start from scratch!
Being the thrifty shopper that I am, I went ahead and threw out a number I thought it would take to get everything back together. Apparently, I’m not a great ball-parker because the number I threw out was below the minimum for coverage ($10,000). Thinking, “I bet I could replace all of this stuff for $10k,” I went ahead and did a more detailed estimate of what my budget would be like to go out and buy similar pieces:
Living Room-
Couch $800
TV $600
Rug, coffee table, side tables $500
Misc Art, shelving $350
Dining-
Table $300
Rug, hutch, accessories $300
Kitchen-
Pots, pans, dishes $400??
Bedroom-
Mattress/ bed $1000
Side tables, dresser, etc $350
Guestroom/ Office-
Furniture, bed, etc $700
My total on the home stuff was about... $5,000 I still needed to buy clothes, tools, toiletries, bedding, lighting and all the other little things that add up quickly! There is a chance that I could go and get great deals on everything this way or this way, but who knows how long it would take to get everything back at the level that I have it now?! One thing I know for sure is that this motivated me to go out and check my fire detector!!
So, how much do you think it would take to replace all the stuff in your life?
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9 comments:
That would be so hard for me to answer because my whole bedroom set was my grandparents. It was the first items they bought when they came to this country, soooo I'm going to have to go with priceless.
LizzieBeth- I thought about that! There are so many things that would be awful to lose-- Again, gotta check the fire detectors!
I totally went through this, too! There are lots of secondhand, re-purposed, and super-duper bargain items throughout my home and wardrobe.
I had to realize the meaning of 'value', I guess: those insurance folks mean 'what everything would cost to replace', all at once (while I was only thinking about how little I'd paid for everything). It takes TIME to source all those bargains - so if I ever needed to, it would be impossible to go out and replace them all for the same amount I originally paid!
thanks for stopping by my blog! i am enjoying yours. hope to see more projects from ya!
I'm with you, Kerry!
I think that everything in my house (barring the things that just can't be replaced, regardless of money) is probably worth twice as much as I actually paid for it. I'm so careful about buying things at just the right time, using discounts and coupons and refinishing old furniture (our bedroom set is my Grandma's from the 50's that we completely refurbished) that to replace everything at once for the price I paid would be nearly impossible.
I'm such a pack rat, there's no telling how much it would take to replace it all. I'm thinking not much though. lol
The sad thing is that all the items in our home have been collected and cared for over time. Oh, what a sad thought to see everything go and start from scratch!
First of all, like Kim says - it would be awful to lose everything. Almost everything I have is a thrifty find or sentimental item.
But I haven't spent much. Wow. My whole home - under $3k. Thanks for the inspiration - going to do a future blog about it! I'll be sure to link up. :)
I think everything can be replaced for under $3K. All m y furniture is used. I think my most valuable would be my wardrobe. I have acquired like 8-10 suits that cost $100 when I bought them. Suits tend to be a side effect of law school.
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