Poll: Budgets: How far over or under did you go?

[Mara]

In light of some of the questions lately about budgets and the like, and knowing how many of us say we came in OVER budget, figured this would be a nice poll

Note: For clarification....'slightly over' or 'way more' would probably be your personal thought on how well you did--but if you want some hard numbers:



--'slightly over' could be something like an extra $500 on an initial $5k budget (10%)


--'moderately over' could be something like an extra $1000 on an initial $5k budget (20%)


--'way more' could be something like an extra $2000 on an initial $5k budget (40%)




This should be interesting! Enjoy.




Happy Holidays!

(edited to add: Sorry I accidentally added the question as a poll answer, so disregard the Q below and use my question & comments up above...)

 

[Mara]

[/quote]

 

[sxn675]

We started with a general budget of 5000 and we came in at 5.2k. I would have been under, but at the last minute I decided on the fine line solitaire instead of the sleek line and that's what brought us over!

 

[Hest88]

We came well under, but if I'd discovered diamond forums before we'd bought the ring we could well have blown the whole budget.

 

[curiouscanuck]

I had set a budget of CDN$10,000. Luckily for me, at the time I purchased it, the Canadian dollar was rising relative to the U.S. dollar. The final cost (taxes, conversion and wire fees) was CDN$10,013.

 

[bof]

12% over for the e-ring, and i voted slightly over.

bof

 

[magna2]

Started with a max range of $7250 for diamond and a platinum setting - final cost was $6150 for the entire package.

 

[Groovy Chick]

Tee hee! My fiance said $6,000-10,000 max and i got him to $16,000 (New Zealand dollars) for my pear! How clever am i? The trick girls, is to pout.




PS my avatar is me jumping for joy when he said 'okay'

 

[hawaii_justine]

I voted under budge. We were very lucky to find PS and Whiteflash. There would have been no way I could have found exactly what I wanted for the budget we have ( we both just graduated from college and work for non profits, so our budget was very conservative).

 

[yngdaniel]

Started with a budget of around $3,000 going to B&M stores. I decided what type of ring I wanted, stone size, ring type, etc. and then found this place. I found the right stone and setting at DCD for less than the B&M store quoted, and made sure I got a good stone and setting for my money, not whatever junk the store had lying around.

 

[knowverylittle]

Agree 100% with Hest88. Info on the web + this Forum will probably save me a bundle. Otherwise I was easy prey someone to sell a bigger rock in the high clarity range - would have probably overpaid for it too.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Do those of us who bought diamonds for jewelry other than rings get to vote in this poll???

 

[Mara]

Yeah pretty much PQ....90% of the people tend to be buying e-rings, but if you bought something that you budgeted for...add it in

 

[fire&ice]

How about waaaayyyyyy under.

In the intial e-ring, about 25% over budget. But, I think the initial budget was wishful thinking. We were kids. What did we know? No pricescope to figure out how much anything cost. So, we knew nothing.

 

[ringbling17]

Started with a budget of 10K, and wound up spending more than double.

 

[smaggard]

When I first looked I thought $5k total. Then after learning more, talking to people like RockDoc and I told them what I was looking for I upped it to $7500.


Then I found a stone that I loved, and knew she would love so I went for it. $10,500 after the Vatche setting and all was said and done.


I probably paid more because of the VVS1 (which I wasn't necessarily after) but I love the rock and it was worth it! She loves it more too, so that makes it priceless

So I voted for way more

 

[Mara]

HAH Kayla...thats because you kept returning the stone to get a bigger one!!

Smart girl!

 

[ringbling17]

----------------
On 12/11/2003 5:43:24 PM Mara wrote:


HAH Kayla...thats because you kept returning the stone to get a bigger one!!

Smart girl!
----------------

Actually, I only ugraded once. I got the 1.5 carat in March and traded it for a 2 carat in June. I don't know about being a smart girl, but I am definitely a greedy one.

 

[fire&ice]

Actually, I went from wanting a 2 carat to being all said and done forever with a 3 carat. I probably wouldn't have considered that option if I had stayed in the regular B&M world. I would not have known at my finger tips how much more a 3c over a 2c would cost. And how doable it really was.

Now, why in the world can't there be a vacuum cleaner forum.

 

[hoorray]

wasn't there a vacuum cleaner thread a month or so ago? I remember thinking...how weird

, and then finding I wanted to answer. never thought I'd care about vacuum cleaners

.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 12/11/2003 6:26:13 PM lop wrote:

wasn't there a vacuum cleaner thread a month or so ago? I remember thinking...how weird

, and then finding I wanted to answer. never thought I'd care about vacuum cleaners

. ----------------

Yes, started by me. Lots of good thoughts. But, not a PS type comparision on a listing. I know many of the vacuum cleaners are made by the same manufacturers. PS lists same stones; but, you know it. I want a G/VS2 vacuum! But, I'll take the I/SI if it's just as good. Geez, so much anx over a dopey vacuum.

 

[Chrisk327]

my budget I set at 6-7 and I came in under by 20 bucks after you count tolls to pick up ring ($10), Dinner that nite ($5), Wire transfer fee of ($25).

So essentually I was less than 1% under budget.

I was really hoping to spend less, but it was the right stone at the right price I couldn't pass it up.... Only do this one so why not push to the limit of the budget.

 

[pqcollectibles]

OK, I won't VOTE. Since to poll is about e-rings, after all!

But I will say I came in 2% under on the pendant and got much better quality than I could have ever dreamed possible.

 

[caratgirl]

Somewhat over. Wanted to get close to 2 carats, H VS2 for about 14-15K, ended up with F VS2 1.90ct for 17.5K. I thought that was moderately over.

 

[canadiangrrl]

My budget - zero. Wasn't even sure I really wanted an e-ring...way back before I discovered this mecca of rampant consumerism forum.

Mr. CG's budget - "Whatever you want, sweetie. I think Kay's is having a sale. Or maybe it was Zales..."

Total - Substantially over mine, substantially under his.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My budget was a lot less than everyone elses

I became engaged in my very early 20s, I think I was 21 or 22 at the time and both my husband and i were students and super broke, so our initial budget was $1000. We were young and very uneducated in the diamond department sooooooo we shopped for my ring at the mall. Well you can imagine what one grand buys you at the mall, and i bought the WORST you can picture in your head: It was a 1/2 carat poorly cut princess, I1 or possilby I2 clarity, who knows what color!

Less than a week later, we went back and exchanged it for an AMAZING gorgeous round brilliant diamond, weighing .42. I still love it today!!! We spent 2700 for it, including the setting. Unfortunetly we paid WAY too much for my ring since getting a well cut b&m stone at the mall pretty much guarantees being ripped off. But, what can I say, this was nine and a half years ago, way before my knowledge learned from PS. . . At least it's a great stone and one I wear proudly.

Michelle

 

[chris-uk04]

I initally started with a 5 K budget because i was looking on diamond.com. I have since come to learn that a "good" cut is actually crap. That and I know the gf want platnum with side stones so that's prolly a 1.5 K setting. I'm up to about 7.5K budget or so.

 

[Toska]

$5000 over the budget.

ouch

 

[Mara]

i was looking for my old color poll and found this one, figured it would be interesting for the newbies to vote!!

 

[marriahlyn]

I put that we "didn''t start with a budget" because I don''t think dh really had one, just wanted high color and clarity at 1 carat and platinum x-prong. I would probably say he paid "under budget" because he was looking at stones at high end B&M stores and ended up ordering the ring from his cousin. With that said, I have no clue, not even a ballpark figure, of what he actually spent. I''d love to know though LOL.