He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Some things are so easy to purchase. Other things represent more of a challenge. My favorite way to deal with big purchases is to put someone else in charge. Of course, once they make a final suggestion I usually want to weigh in on the decision, so that doesn’t work out to well in the end.

Girlfriend Guru and financial expert MIATA EDOGA has some great advice about how to deal with big purchases. What are your tips for staying sane while contemplating a buying a major item?

It was finally time to buy a new refrigerator. Our old one was on life support, so we swapped it out for a brand new model. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy the process of buying big ticket items. First, I’m never sure we have the money for these things. Then, when they finally die, it takes me by surprise! I don’t like surprises, so a few years ago I decided to follow these rules:

1) I started setting money aside for emergencies, such as expensive car repairs or appliances. By placing a little bit away every month into a non-investment account (money market or savings), I knew I’d be at least financially ready when disaster strikes.

2) Comparison shop. I visited three stores: Sears, Home Depot, and Best Buy. While these three had very little in the way of overlapping brands, I was able to compare features that I liked to find similar models. This gave me an idea of the prices available.

3) Look online. Because of big sales in-store, I didn’t find any better deals online, but I did find a $20 off coupon to use on my refrigerator.

4) Ask about additional costs. While Home Depot offered free installation, Best Buy wanted over $100 to install my appliance. Best Buy’s similar refrigerator was $50 less expensive than the one at Home Depot before factoring in this extra cost. Had I not factored in the cost of installation, I might have spent $50 more buying what had first appeared to be the cheaper option.

5) Verify the warranty. Ask what the warranty covers and what is omitted. For additional protection, buy the appliance using a major credit card. Call your card issuer first to find out what additional protection from problems they’ll cover and above any warranty offered by the manufacturer or merchant. At the very least, if you have a dispute, you can also dispute the charge with your credit card company.

I still am not a fan of buying big ticket items, but by following these five steps, I’m as sure as possible that once I go through the process, I won’t have to worry about whether I made a good purchase decision.

MIATA EDOGA is the President and Founder of Abundance Bound, a 10-year old company committed to utilizing humor, inspiration & lots of love to give individuals around the world the necessary tools to thrive financially, while keeping focus on the things they treasure most. Visit the Abundance Bound Facebook Page for your free copy of Financial Success for the Creative Soul!

How do you feel about buying big-ticket items?

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology  and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with over 50,000 women (we block guys!) and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes. & Did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our BIG 2012 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!