I asked folks to give me their opinions about the stress levels associated with various purchases earlier this week. not surprisingly, home purchase ranks near the top of hand-wringing events in our lives. I'd surmise that the associated cash outlay is the primary driver.
home renovations, though, were most frequently cited as the "most stressful ever." given the uncertainty in the world today, who needs to undertake such an uncertain endeavor?! I can speak from first-hand experience. when we began the journey last year of re-doing a bathroom, it became 2 bathrooms.....and new hard-wood floors and new support beams and....... every time the contractor tore out something, there was something else that went wrong. my favorite "discovery" was finding an empty can of Schlitz embedded in an old bathroom wall. no kidding.
what was surprising, though, was the frequency of flip-flopping people admit to when it comes to buying business suits, flat-screen televisions and.....bathing suits. they're all fashion purchases, outward symbols of ourselves.
and then there were the "walks in the park," those purchases that apparently created zero anxiety - the wedding reception band and 1st anniversary dinners. my take? the "difficult" part of those equations were already taken care of (i.e. pulling the trigger and getting married in the first place). hey, if you screw up the anniversary, no big deal.....she's stuck with me.
truth be told, my top 6 all-time most stressful purchases......
6. recent cell phone (I debated Blackberry vs. iPhone for weeks)
5. baby stroller (who freakin' knew how many options there were out there?!)
4. life insurance policy (would I pass the medical exam to get the coverage I wanted at the premium I was able to afford?)
3. grad school (a Stafford loan + 2 years without a salary....jeez)
2. new car for my wife just before our daughter was born (yes.....we got a Volvo)
1. first Christmas gift for my father-in-law (would he regret having me in the family??) I wound up going with a bottle of scotch.....good scotch.