What’s it like to have a new car/kitchen/bathroom?

Lovely
I've lived in my house for 30 years and we put up with our early 80s/designed for an older lady kitchen and bathroom. Couldn't afford to change due to kids/life/being skint for years. New kitchen last year and new bathroom this. It's great to have rooms that are easy to clean,look stylish and im not embarrassed by.

Agree, stressful. So many questions to answer that I'd never even considered, like which shade of grout would you like, e.g. choose from grey number 1 all the way up to grey number 17? Oh you've got 5mins to decide. Which orientation would you like the tiles? Why didn't you plan it like this/that, it would be much better? Now we've ripped this bit out, there's this other bigger problem underneath....oh and that'll be another 2k please. BTW your electrics are so shockingly ancient we can't possibly leave you with them in this state, so we'll just have to disconnect them for a week and rewire. And the boiler. Then you'll need a full house rewire, new circuit board and replacement combi boiler. That's neither 5k please. And while I was up the ladder I spotted a hole in your roof. Another 10k. Yes I know you only started as a kitchen refit project but now it seems to be a whole house refurb. Another 3k please for those thingamajigs. Ahh, there goes the plasterer. He had a fall-out with the plumber so he isn't coming back....wait another week for the other plasterer to join the team...can I have another biccie?

Etc etc.

I got a new bathroom 3 years ago. It is my absolute pride and joy. The rest of the house is tired (artex, kitchen cupboard doors falling off, really old white goods, 30 years old carpets). I love my bathroom.

Iv never had a new car and i personally don't have any interest in one they devalue significantly the second you drive it. Never had a new bathroom and we recently got a new kitchen but took years to save for and we sacrificed a lot for e.g. haven't had a holiday or even a weekend away in years.

I was in my fifties before I had a new kitchen and bathroom. I can't lie, it's amazing!

Never had a brand new car. Had new kitchen and extension 5 years ago. Had builders here for 13 weeks 🙈 not fun but worth it in the end. Getting a new bathroom in next few months. Its exciting but stressful. OP you sound lovely, I hope you get some of your wishes sooner rather than later x

I’m in my mid 50’s and have never had a new kitchen. My current kitchen is probably 35 years old, we just replaced the oven as it broke! I have had a new bathroom (10 years ago), my dad fitted it. I’ve had 1 new car which was prior to having kids (20+ years ago). I had my new kitchen all picked out about 18 months ago then had an unexpected large expense which had to come first.

We are just getting a new bathroom put in right now and love it though missed having an upstairs toilet whilst it was being put it.

We did a renovation project when our kids was 2 and 3 buying a house that needed everything doing - that was a bit crazy - going to work then coming home to a building site and a 2 and 3 year old. Also young kids can trash new things. Though it is nice to have designed things yourself and see end result. Hope you get to do that one day.

We had a new bathroom and kitchen when we moved into our house when DS was newborn. It was a new build so we could choose tiles etc.

we couldn’t afford 2 kids in nursery at the same time though so had a wait a while to have DD.

never had a brand new car but have never really wanted one- I’m prone to scratching cars!

My car is from 2008.

My partner got a new front door fairly recently. Was devastated when it got a little scratch on it.

I think having new stuff can be a bit stressful. Sometimes, I'd rather have old crap that no one wants to steal, and it doesn't matter if it gets scratched or dented

I’ve never had any of these yet don’t feel hard done by.

I just want the things I have to work.

DH and I downsized once our DDs left home. We struggled a bit throughout most of their childhood - not massively but didn’t have many new things. Once we downsized, we released enough money to update our new house and had a new bathroom, kitchen, flooring, decorating throughout and new furniture. We also got a new car! I’ve never had do many new big things at the same time and it was fantastic! 10 years on, the kitchen and bathroom still look good, we’re about to redecorate and bought a new sofa a couple of years ago. It seems that it’s kids that ruin your house 😂

Never had a new car or bathroom.
About five years ago we had our first new to us kitchen - I love it, but as with everything in life what we had was dictated by budget.
I still smile every time I walk in there - mind you, the old kitchen that we'd lived with for 18 years was hideous.

I presume that you had 2 new babies ?

It feels lovely and so is much better when it’s been grafted for, we didn’t own a home until we were in our 40s and I dreamed of a kitchen, bathroom cars etc and after 20 years of running my business I finally started to make profits that allowed us to renovate. I enjoyed every moment, the choosing the installing etc.

We are back to a smaller place and renovating again and I’m about to take a dive in salary but keep going and keep dreaming!

It's fine, I guess?

tbh lots of those things don't have to be that expensive. I have a brand new car for the first time in 20 years of driving. There was a really good deal on which made it cheaper than 2nd hand versions of the same model. It was quite nice to be the first one driving it, and was cleaner when I got it than any other car I've been in, even ones that have been professionally valeted, and it's nice not to have to worry about MOTs etc for a few years, but still have to have it serviced, pay for new tyres etc.

A few months in it's lost the new car smell and cleanness, and I don't feel any different driving it than I did any other car. It's not a fancy car though so maybe that's why?

Same with built in wardrobes - the previous owners of my house had one and took it with them when they went so if I hadn't had one I'd have had to have new skirting boards etc put in anyway. It looks nice but was an ikea job, and honestly wasn't really much more expensive than buying separate new ones, let alone the time spent putting them all together.

I could afford a new kitchen but cba with the hassle.

tbh if I got to the point where my 'dreams' were about having new kitchen appliances I'd be having a word with myself. It's not like you'll be reminiscing about your american fridge freezer on your deathbed, is it?

I put up with our mouldy, decrepit bathroom for the best part of 20 years 😂
Can't deny the new one is pretty sweet.

New car - had once and was mortified at how much depreciation had affected it in 5 years (about £11k) Only nice while it still smelled new. Never again.
New kitchen post divorce move - so nice.
Orher than that I’ve enjoyed buying stuff on Facebook Marketplace and up cycling. I’m a furniture addict and adore looking at all the things people are selling. I did invest in an expensive wardrobe/toy cupboard/pantry about 20 years ago was was painted off white then, with a little key with a lock. I adores it as much then, as I do now, having just moved into my final home for life. So for 25years. If something makes you REALLY happy to look at, and is well made, and you can alter or change the colour of it, invest in it. Good luck OP, your day will come 😊

I dont know what to tell you other than youve prioritised the right things (your 2 children!!!)

I would never be arsed with a new car so cant comment..

My new "dream" kitchen actually makes me slightly angry...for various reasons.

It started small and kept going.. in the end it went 50% over the "final" budget.
You also have to make about one million decisions. Not joking which tap, which sink, which way does it open, how high, knob or handle? Arghhhhh

These in and of themselves were so stressful..
our kitchen is perfectly nice but very bland as I ran out of steam so its all quite greige which isnt very me...

Anyway beyond that.... Many of the decisions are inconsequential and one "bad choice" doesnt matter much overall.... but unfortunately for me two decisions i made overlapped and I made 2 x bad choices and that lead to bad outcome and that leads to the anger.

Due to costs spiralling we put in cheaper flooring. I had similar lvl in a previous place and I tested the sample I liked... it was strong in knew the floor would wear well it was cheaper... tick tick tick! I felt good about the floor.
Cool.

The builders asked me did I want it under the units or not. My mum jumps in and says oh no its soooo much better under the units. Okay fine.
Builders say okay and fuck all else until its laid AND the kitchen is on top then say - that's normally only recommended for fully tiled floors not lvl like you have. Whatever. Floor is new it'll be good for years.

6 months on the floor is clearly crap. It looks 10 years old. Honestly...Like utter crap. Damaged warping, the texture holds dirt...
I am cleaning it weekly with a toothbrush

Psychologically i make my peace with buy cheap buy twice...and start saving another 3-4k to sort the floor.

i go get quotes...
But as it LVL flooring UNDER my units and quartz worktop no one will touch it. They are nit confident they wont effect the units.

So now I have a niceish brand new kitchen with fucking garbage floors that look dirty even when clean and used almost every penny of our savings at the time....we are talking over 45k
Gaaaaaah!

Tldr the stress of new and perfect is often more hassle than its worth.
You have 2 beautiful children you dont need a new kitchen that makes your eye twitch!

Edit: Get the big fridge. I had never had one before and WOW!!!! mine really DOES make me happy/ spark joy...!

You can get a bigger fridge for about £250 - £400 and have quite a lot of choice if you have somewhere to stand it.

I’ll be honest and tell you it’s absolutely amazing. I could cry with happiness daily. My house is brand new, new kitchen, new bathrooms, new walk in wardrobe, new everything and it’s just so refreshing. I’ve always been super organised and tidy, having a new house makes everything easier too. We also have a brand new car and an 11 yr old car for good measure 😅

We had a new kitchen 28 years ago when we bought the house, the kitchen it had was at least 40 years old. I'm in the thinking stage of another new kitchen so we may get one in a few years. DH just changed the sink and toilet himself and tiled the bathroom, we kept the old bath as it was good and sturdy. We usually buy cars that are about 2-3 years old, never had a new one. Our house is a bit rough around the edges anyway so would never look Instagrammable however many new kitchens and bathrooms we had.

A bit like @ElfAndSafetyBored - you go through a process of designing something and often find you get fixated on something small that doesn't quite work / caused difficulty in the build. I remember having huge days of stress over how to hang a particular bedroom door and whether it was ok to shave x off the top but only y off the bottom and would it look dreadful etc etc - it's been two years and I would never notice the tops and bottom of doors in day to day life but at the time I went down some odd rabbithole and it seemed incredibly important. Pocket doors was another few weeks of my life. The colour of the bathroom grout another. Plus decision fatigue where by the time you need to choose doorknobs etc you can't see straight.

And I am NEVER as comfortable in a new car as I am in a more worn-in one.

But - I loved choosing an expensive tile / bathroom design / plant for the garden when we had the garden designed and landscaped and basically not looking at the price. I liked it, we bought it. I realise that we are very fortunate and I enjoyed that and didn't take it for granted.

Saved up for a long time for a new bathroom and utility room. Cost a fortune, felt so much dismay seeing the money leave my account. Whole thing took 6 weeks, had to shower at the local leisure centre. First week uncovered so many horrors that it blew the budget. Luckily the builders were great, me and DP kept our cool and our sense of humour and we got through it. Absolutely love it! It’s perfect, but it makes my kitchen look a mess. The bathroom and kitchen were new-ish when I moved in 20 years ago. Unfortunately some unforeseen circumstances have committed any savings I can build again for the foreseeable future and I’m not keen on borrowing so will have to live with the kitchen, flooring and garden that I want to redo for a while longer. I too spend too much time on social media looking at the gorgeous houses everyone else seems to have. Maybe they borrow the money 🤷‍♀️