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Staying on Budget poll

W

wishingstar

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Messages
113
How many of you actually stuck and/or are sticking to your budget within $1k and finding basically what you want.
If not, how much did you go over? Just curious, as I''m thinking something''s gonna bust in this equation for my search!
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My budget had been a 1.5 carat G VS2 with sidestones in platinum for 15k (All the B&Ms were at least 16k after tax). But after looking at all the e-tailers, I managed to get a great ring of those exact specs for a little under 13k through James Allen. I managed to stay under my budget (which sounds like an oxymoron considering I spent 13k on a rock/ring, but that''s for another thread).
 
First Ring - 4K over budget
Second Ring - 6K over budget

We are real good at not meeting our budget :)
 
Was looking for an eye-clean 1.1x SI J or 1.0X SI G/H in a Fishtail Pave setting. I ended up with a 1.007 SI2 G with Fishtail Pave setting and was under budget $280. Plenty left over to pay for the independent appraisal.
 
First ring - a lot under budget for just the ring, but I thought I wanted a whole set so I saved plenty for a bracelet, earrings...
Second ring - about 5k under budget - couldn't pass up the stone, and I still wanted a pair of pave drops
Final ring - exactly $211.47 under budget. I know because I was preening to FI about it last week
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. No drops in my near future, though!
 
Date: 5/10/2010 6:55:11 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
First Ring - 4K over budget
Second Ring - 6K over budget

We are real good at not meeting our budget :)
Click to expand...
CharmyPoo - my kind of girl! this is my first upgrade, so looks like I''m in line with your budgeting
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Myster - kudos to you! but maybe cause you were buyer and not the wearer.
 
Surprised that you would call being off by $1K being within budget. when my husband says stay in the budget,he means, to the penny. He gave me $10K to buy earrings with two years ago and said that if I went to $10,000.01 the deal was off. And this meant, including any taxes and S & H.
The earrings cost exactly $10K.
the ring that I bought slightly before that from Blue Nile was $100 under budget.
I''m not complaining at all--how many people get to buy $10k earrings? And we have significant savings, still have a 401K and most importantly no debt, because he is the same about everything--never, never are we allowed to go over whatever is budgeted for a specific item, he says that is how problems start.
 
Date: 5/10/2010 7:16:18 PM
Author: yssie
First ring - about 15k under budget for just the ring, but I thought I wanted a whole set so I saved plenty for a bracelet, earrings...
Second ring - about 5k under budget - couldn''t pass up the stone, and I still wanted a pair of pave drops
Final ring - exactly $211.47 under budget. I know because I was preening to FI about it last week
5.gif
. No drops in my near future, though!
Click to expand...
Yssie, that is awesome! too bad my budget is only your underbudget,
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is this one ring or were these upgrades? by the sound of it, may not be your final ring
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Hey wishingstar,



The second two were upgrades - same company. I probably shouldn't have done the second, actually - I loved the stone but it wasn't quite big enough (
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) and I lost quite a bit on the setting. Oops! This is definitely my final ring though, at least for the next ten years - we simply can't throw any more at this thing, much as I will probably sometimes want to!
 
before or after tax? :)

my boyfriend used his bargaining skills to get exactly what i wanted IN budget. i was very happy.
 
My budget usually somehow magically shifts to include what I want to spend
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But with my most recent upgrade we had a soft budget and a hard budget. We ended up spending about $1500 more than the soft budget but came in right under the hard budget.
 
yes, exactly dreamer, my boyfriend gave me a range. we are under the top of the range but above the bottom. what do you expect???
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also dreamer when do you get your upgrade, i am dying to see :)
 
Date: 5/10/2010 8:01:09 PM
Author: slg47
also dreamer when do you get your upgrade, i am dying to see :)
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Friday
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I was $100 over including customs duties.

Without duties I would have been just under!

I was lucky in that the exchange rate was very favourable at time too or I may have been a bit higher.

My budget was $2500 for the set (sapphire centre, not diamond).
 
Well, I started out with a budget of 5k for a used/estate/antique anniversary ring. I looked at a lot of well regarded sites, but most of the rings had no GIA or needed to be sized way too much. I got very concerned that I was about to throw a got hunk of money on some very unknown things.

After much thought and some research help from PS, I realized that I wanted to spend more but really go for what I truly wanted, so I up'd my max budget to 10K hoping to hit at about $8500.

So what did I want? GIA high color (D,E,F) eye clean (for me lowest VS2) antique large faceted cushion, 1 carat-ish, in a unique and beautifully created setting.

The result? I bought a 1.01 E VS2 antique cushion and am having a custom ring made by Leon Mege for a total cost of $8100 before shipping (approx $150)
 
Date: 5/10/2010 7:16:18 PM
Author: yssie
First ring - a lot under budget for just the ring, but I thought I wanted a whole set so I saved plenty for a bracelet, earrings...

Second ring - about 5k under budget - couldn''t pass up the stone, and I still wanted a pair of pave drops

Final ring - exactly $211.47 under budget. I know because I was preening to FI about it last week
5.gif
. No drops in my near future, though!
Click to expand...

hahahaha... that''s so completely awesome, yssie
 
Budgets are just made up, so I don't bother with them.

I've never really set a budget, just a general range based on how cheap or spendy I feel.
I just have to justify the cost in my mind.
If I want it badly enough I'll buy it.

I think almost of us could have spent much much more than we did on our diamonds.
Instead we pay for food, shelter, car, health insurance, savings, vacation, kids etc. etc.

Setting a budget is arbitrary, and is frequently made up before learning much about the purchase.
After you learn more you are making a more informed budget estimate so changing a budget is no sin at all AFAIC.
 
I''ve been $500 over budget on both of my "big" purchases, my ring and my pendant ... but only because I found amazing deals slightly above the targeted price-points. It makes it hard to have regrets!
 
I''m like dreamer-the budget seems to float to include what I want:-)

having said that my last three projects (5 stone, bezel pendant, and bezel leverbacks) have all come in under budget.

I haven''t embarked on a huge project though.
 
This is a great thread--helps me not feel so bad. I went over budget by 4%. Approx $200. The problem is, that adds up if it sits on the credit card...
 
Date: 5/10/2010 7:58:41 PM
Author: dreamer_d
My budget usually somehow magically shifts to include what I want to spend
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Click to expand...
That''s kind of like me - my budget magically shifts to what I need to spend to get what I want.
 
Date: 5/10/2010 9:31:40 PM
Author: Picabia
This is a great thread--helps me not feel so bad. I went over budget by 4%. Approx $200. The problem is, that adds up if it sits on the credit card...
Click to expand...

Picabia that''s not too bad! hopefully you can pay it off so it won''t sit on the credit card.
 
I went a few hundred dollars over budget when I ordered my spacer band. However, the budget was one I set for myself. I loved a couple 10k settings but I just couldn''t get myself to spend that have already
spent a healthy chunk for my dream stone.

For me, like Kenny, a budget is usually what I feel comfortable spending for anything.
 
I didn''t have a hard budget but figured I could wind up spending about $25000 for the set. I always had this number in mind for the stone of $15,700 and the perfect diamond came up at like $16,200. After talking with the dealer I got them down to 15,700 and snagged it up. Finally I wound up ordering a matching set from Leon Mege for between 7 and 8. putting me in "well" under "budget" :).
 
I do quite bad at staying in budget. When we upgraded my wrings I spent more on the diamond alone than I planned on paying for the diamond and rings.
 
My husband went slightly over. But I think it was within 1K (to this day I don't know exactly what he spent on my diamond). I was on budget with my setting. And with all my other purchases. Or under. I'm generally not one to spend more than I budget on jewelry. Of course... I might be breaking that rule as we speak. My budget- zero. What I'm thinking of buying... not zero. LOL. On the other hand... I generally don't budget until I know what something costs. Then I budget for it, and when I can have what I want... then I spend.
 
I went way over. I thought I was going to spend about $2000 and I spent over 20,000. Ooops!

ETA - I'm going to be way under for the next project though, again I planned to spend about 2k but it will probably be 1/4 that :)
 
In general I am an over budget kind of girl unfortunately. But I can usually take it from other discretionary spending
 
My original engagment ring was a gemstone ring. There was no budget but I had to be able to pay for it with what I had in savings.

We normally don''t have a budget when we buy things. Well when we start looking at anything to buy we just decide what we want and save up for it or make room for it with our finances.

I have decided to rent out a timeshare we own and that might finance a pretty stone I have my eye on. Then I will have a budget if it happens (we are still negotiating terms) because I won''t want to use any of our savings for something like that.

But every other piece I have bought there wasn''t really a budget. I just save for what I want.
 
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