To think my family are being weird trying to encourage me to buy things on credit?

[AwfulMaureen]

We have a new flat...we don't have a lot of money and we're moving in this week. Our old sofa was awful so we left it behind with the idea to buy a "new" one second hand.

My Mum and sister keep saying "What are you going to SIT on??" in a sort of panicky fashion...quite honestly I had thought we;d use our beanbags and the kitchen chairs until we found a decent second hand suite....they keep on about the sale at DFS...I've had a look and don't think any of them are very good quality and I don't like getting into debt and paying things off....I think "If you can't afford it you can't have it" sort of thing but they keep on and on.

Why? Why do they keep on about it? I feel judged for not wanting to get into debt! I could get the sofas from DFS ...take 4 years to pay them off and then find it's worn out!

[Lucked]

I think you are sensible but running into trouble down the line because you have no credit rating rather than a bad one can happen. I had problems getting a phone contract because of lack of credit. I am a professional with a high paying job. I ended up having to get a credit card aimed at those with no or low credit scores.

But I still only buy things we have the money for.

[Ewock]

I think you sound very sensible. We bought a sofa from dis (saved up and paid for it up front) and although I still like the style, it isn't wearing very well. Had it for just over two years and will need a new one soon. We will be getting a second hand one this time and not wasting our money!

[LittleprincessinGOLDrocks]

I'm with you on this OP. My family were very much only buy when you have enough in cash to pay for it. If you can't afford you either save for it or go without.
DHs family are buy it now pay it off over the next 5+ years. This means that whilst they always have nice new things, they are paying over the odds in the long run. By the time they pay off the item it is old, broken or there is a better model out they "need to upgrade to".
They do it with everything, cars, TVs, etc. Then they get loans to pay off other loans. I just don't know how they sleep at night with all those debts for things that were binned years ago.
DH did once get a card for a store for buy now pay in 9months. He had all good intentions of paying it off monthly, so by the deadline he had paid just the ticket price... except it didn't work like that. He ended up paying over £100 in fees for paying late (after miss reading the paper work and thinking it was paid off in full - he owed £1.50 and got charged late payment fees on that!).
Since then DH has learnt the value of saving up or going without.
I guess it just comes down to how you view life and money.

[FryOneFatManic]

DP and I don't do debt.

I have a credit card only for use online. Simply because a credit card has more protection than a debit card online, and I was once the victim od online fraud (although I did get my money back).

I use the card to buy stuff more cheaply online than I would locally, and rarely use it anyway. Paid off in full, or depending on the item, over 2-3 months.

[Cerisier]

Waste not want not Thislife- our first sofa came from PIL, they had a spare one that they rarely used. I passed it on to a colleague who was setting up home about five years later when we bought a new one. It was in excellent condition, and a lovely olive green velour .

[Laquitar]

I would go for something in the middle.

No dfs, too expensive. No second hand, if it goes then you have to get rid of it and pay another 30 for another second one. I would save and then buy an IKEA one for 80 pounds. We have one for 10 years.

[Thislife]

I must say I have never understood why anybody would buy a second-hand sofa.

[Handsoff7]

Second hand or Ikea makes much more sense than DFS on credit

[Handsoff7]

OP you sound sensible and are not being unreasonable.

Sec

[Cerisier]

You are totally right, ignore the pressure from your family.

We set up our first house with second hand furniture from the for sale board at the supermarket. It was good quality stuff and cost us very little. Some of it is still going strong thirty years later.

[Eastpoint]

Freecycle and local auctions are a great way to get furniture. You can go to an auction viewing & then bid online using thesaleroom, you don't have to be there. Modern coffee tables erc come up as well as brown furniture.

[MexicanSpringtime]

You are totally right, stay away from credit, it's a downward spiral

[Lanabelle]

we got a sofa from dfs, took 2 years to pay for it and it was done before we finished. just ignore them and do what you want

[foslady]

Do you have a BHF shop near you - our local one has some mega furniture bargains in. We also have a local project that works by people donating what they no longer want/need and then sell it on cheaply.

[Catflap1]

I got my sofa off eBay, huge 4 seater sofa and massive snuggle chair, was 8 months old (sellers had to move xmd wouldn't fit in new property) comes with full 4 year guarantee covers spills, sun damaged etc, all for £104 bloody bargin

[deakymom]

we have just got a two seater and a three for fifty quid including delivery i know what you mean about easy credit my husbands friends are trying to get him on xbox one we cant afford it and they are forever telling him this one is on credit get that one on buy now pay later etc he has said no to the point they are not speaking to him now he is now refusing to save up for one because if they cant talk to us when we are poor etc............

[RedFocus]

Ebay! I am getting 3+2 sofas for £365 with free delivery and brand new!

[liquidstate]

when we moved into our house we got everything off freecycle and ebay and are replacing as we can afford. People were divided into two camps - those that thought we were weird and thouse that thought we were savvy/prudent.

I believe you have to live in a house for a while before you decorate anyhow as you may have ideas but find the colours won't work.

I agree with the comment by jennyC that people are being sold a dream.

Finally, I am currently lying on my sofa which was from freecycle, cost £1500 new and was only a year old when we got it free as the owners had to move country and it couldn't sell on ebay. Its very comfy!

[JennyCalendar]

YANBU

I think pp are right when they say that people who buy everything on credit try to pressurise others into doing so to justify their lifestyle. There is a time and a place for credit, but a new sofa when you're happy to make do or buy second-hand isn't it.

I've never had a credit card (DH does though) and didn't find it difficult to get a mortgage this year with me as the main person. In fact we borrowed a little more than required to pay off DH's credit card. Nothing had been put on it for years and although we paid more than the interest each month, it was going too slowly.

Both studying 'Death of a Salesman' at school and seeing my brother go bankrupt had a huge impact on my attitude towards credit. People being sold a dream of what they should have, even though they can't afford it, and ending up chained in debt to broken appliances that they are still paying for makes for misery long-term. Likewise we don't have a dishwasher or tumble dryer as we can't afford them at the moment.

It can be hard for others to understand this (my brother has just bought an £1800 shower on his credit card!), but I don't want to end up paying over the odds via interest and although we may be able to afford repayments now, who knows what will happen 6 months down the line.

[pianodoodle]

There is an awful lot of self righteous judging on this thread.

where?

[Lottiedoubtie]

Yes... You have a credit card for emergencies. Not that difficult to comprehend that others have a different opinion on them though?

There is an awful lot of self righteous judging on this thread.

[MaryWestmacott]

I have a credit card for on-line purchases and emergancies only.

I have never had an emergancy in DFS - I find it hard to believe anyone has ever had an emergancy in DFS.

No bag and therefore no clean pants in a country where your only sentance is the local language is "where is the train station?" = emergancy.

No working car and needing the repair done so you can go to work the next day, but not having the cash to pay for it until you get paid the following week = emergancy

Having to sit on a bean bag or dining chair rather than a sofa for a fortnight or so = not an emergancy.

[pianodoodle]

One of my favourites was getting a Dyson (had never had a good vacuum cleaner but moved to a bigger house and needed something decent) for £25 on gumtree

The reason was because it was cutting out after a minute although it worked well.

Took it home and took it apart. Looked like it had never been cleaned - sat for ages with a wire coat hanger clearing it out and it works for much longer now. Still cuts out now and then but for £25 can't complain :D

[JulietBravoJuliet]

I got a gorgeous oxblood red leather chesterfield sofa for £30 off a local Facebook selling group, from someone who had had it in their conservatory for their dogs! Yes it was ditched, but nothing a good clean and a bit of neatsfoot oil couldn't sort out. A few months later, I bid on a matching chair on eBay for £10 and have now got a lovely, sturdy suite for a grand total of £40!

Apart from my bed, which was a present from my mum 8 years ago, I have no new furniture in my house. My kitchen table - a huge, extendable oak thing - was 99p off eBay, the chairs were £10 for 4 and I spent about £20 on paint to tidy them all up. My wardrobe is a 4 door Schreiber thing that I got for £5 and ds has two wardrobes, a desk, a bedside cabinet and a laundry bin/ottoman, all from the same range, that have cost me £50 in total, yet his room looks great!

I have all sheesham/Indian wood furniture in my living room, which was all second hand and which I love as it's solid and will last years. My most expensive purchase was my sideboard which cost £150 but was a slightly damaged ex-Harvey's piece which was in store for £600. Had it 10 years now and it still looks like new.

I get very excited about buying second hand stuff! I love cleaning and painting bits of furniture and making it my own. Can't see the point in spending more on new stuff which is often lower quality.

[jeanmiguelfangio]

You sound really sensible, if you were my daughter id be really proud of you. I only buy on credit if it is 0%, and that was our last car. They are thinking about themselves not you, ask me how I know....