When you fall in love with something out of budget?!

[YorkshireTea86]

What do you do when you fall in love thing out budgets how do you put it out of your mind? Can you be happy with what you settle for or will you always be wishing for the other?
In the middle of planning new kitchen and have fallen in love with silestone stellar grey quartz top but budget is laminate pricing! Will I be able to be happy with the laminate we've decided on?

There are three options - cut corners elsewhere to free up money for the lovely thing, do an honest pros and cons list to try to fall out of love with the lovely thing, or find more money...

We went for a quartz worksurface and it's finished the kitchen beautifully. I'd stretch if you can !

I feel the same. We're going with laminate with the idea that if we can afford it later we will change the worktop.

Hmm.. the difference seems to be about £1500, I could save a bit on tiles but there isn't much else I can cut on as I've shopped around for everything, the only way would be to forget about adding in the utility until later but that wouldn't really work as its where we are moving the washer and dryer to. Dh suggested getting the laminate now and they swapping in the quartz anywhere to a terrible ate but I know us and if it's not done at the same time it will never get done. (Bathroom still has no flooring almost 10 years terms starting it )

*At a later date not anywhere to a terrible ate!! No idea what happened there!

I was in the same position last March. I went for the silstone in the end and I'm so glad I did... it's a million times nicer and more practical than laminate. I saved by keeping my old built in dishwasher, getting a cheaper induction hob and painting the walls between the Sile stone upstand and wall cupboards instead of tiling.

I went for laminate, a kind of mid grey stone effect with square edges and I'm really pleased with it.

What about a part way compromise, something like this ebay grey quartz

In our last house we went to a granite dealer and talked to them about that they had available. We got a stunning large island top and two smaller pieces for either side of a belfast sink for £500 locally delivered. We had a lot of sideboard and so did one straight length in oak.

In our current house we have a stone countertop and undermount blanco sink off ebay for our utility shed. £70 for the two ex display with upstand.

I don't fixate on things I can't afford. I'd probably reason that the savings made by choosing laminate over Silestone will be enough to finish the bathroom. I'd prefer that outcome for the same budget to a fancier kitchen and manky bathroom.

When something is out of budget I view it as art. I don't lust for what I can't have the same way I don't dream of having the Mona Lisa in my living room. I'm just glad I got to see something so beautiful.

If you can't afford it, and have no real way of finding a way to afford it by cutting back elsewhere, that's the end of it. Focus on what it would actually cost in credit card fees / overdraft fees if that is the only way you could finance it, and what you'd have to go without whilst you pay the credit card / overdraft off.

I don't get buying twice (laminate then quartz) so that wouldn't be an option for me. What I did in my previous kitchen however was the have dark laminate (walnut effect) on the "working" run of units (by sink / hob) and then very light quartz on the island unit. Think that looked great even though I was a bit dubious originally.

Also, have you done a ring round / visited stone merchants in your area? I found the price varied massively especially if you can find sufficiently large off cuts to fit the space you need.

We have enough in savings to cover it but didn't want to go into that as it's our safety net so dh doesn't want to do that. Haven't done a ring round or visited anyone yet, just done a few online quotes.
(We also have enough to finish the bathroom but dh has to finish getting the subfloor level before we can get the vinyl fitted)

Think what else you can do with £1500. Would you trade down a holiday abroad to a uk hoiday for it? Get the outside of the house painted? Get a car 1-2 years older next time you replace yours?

Saw another thread on here last night about silestone worktops getting chipped. You might have had a lucky escape choosing laminate!