How Much a 26 Year-old Spent on Common Large Household Items

Okay I’m no longer 26 but these were things I got when I first got my place in 2020. For context, at that time I lived in a 3-rm HDB with my hubby and 2 cats. Now we still live with our cats but my mil often stays with us and we also have a 13 month-old toddler. We also cook most of our 3 meals.

Fridge: $387 (Delivery included)

Brand and Model: Midea MD212, 2 door fridge, 209L

Bought from: Goh Sin Huat Electrical Pte Ltd (Lazada)

Warranty: 12 year warranty on compressor, 2 year warranty on parts

Even though it only has a fair energy efficiency rating, it has an annual energy consumption of 322kWh, which is lower than any of the other fridges I saw. In fact there aren’t many small fridges with high energy efficiency ratings. I didn’t need a big fridge at that time so I settled for this. My electricity consumption is also much lower than my neighbourhood and national average. (Perhaps also because we don’t use aircon.) However at the moment for my family of 4, I am starting to find it a little squeezy because I often buy produce in bulk from open taste. Good thing about this though is that I’m forced not to over buy. But with government subsidies for energy efficient appliances, I’m tempted to upgrade to a slightly bigger one, hopefully there will be models that fit in the same space!

Ceiling Fan cum light: $189 (Free delivery, installation & disposal)

Brand and Model: FANCO B-STAR, 52in

Bought from: Kaze Lighting (Shopee)

Warranty: Lifetime warranty on motor, 4-year on-site warranty on parts

I bought this in Dec 2022 for my living room but got other similar but smaller ceiling fans for my bedrooms. They all cost around the same price, but this seller was recommended by another mummy and just nice they were offering free installation. Usually installation would cost another $40-50. It would cost more if you didn’t already have existing electrical wiring or if you had a high/false ceiling. I absolutely love ceiling fans with light especially for small spaces like mine. No need to get additional standing fans that look terrible and waste space or worry about my son toppling it over. The wind is also strong, I usually put them on 1 or 2, at most 3.

Main Gate + Front Door: $1098 (Installation & disposal included)

Model: 

• 3’ x 7’ Non-fire rated laminate main door, stainless steel hinge, magnet stopper, peep hole, grip press lock
• 3’ x 7’ Mild steel gate, double panel, lever mortise lock, 30cm (height) bottom panel, unit number plate with unit number

Bought from: Door Lab (Blk 1016 Geylang East Ave 3 #02-159)

Warranty: 1 year

I got a lot of compliments for my gate and door, even the neighbour came to ask where we got the set from. But I noticed some parts of the gate becoming rusty, not sure if it’s the same for others who got from different suppliers?

Curtains and Blinds: $630 (Delivery & Installation included)

Model:

• 51’ x 51’ Black blinds, tape, wood (living room)
• 64.5’ x 72’ Grey-purplish shimmery fabric, 1 layer, non-light blocking (master bedroom)
• 53’ x 65’ + 48’ x 65’ Gold fabric (same as above), curve track (utility room)

Bought from: Ace curtains and furnishing (Doorstep)

Warranty: 2 year onsite warranty

I really love the choices we made for the curtains and blinds. I was against getting Ikea’s curtains as I found them difficult to manoeuvre and there weren’t many nice designs. I almost considered DIY-ing but I couldn’t find nice fabric online and honestly I didn’t know how to go about fixing the curtain tracks or fixtures. So we went ahead with the customised ones and it really made our flat much more homely. My friend even thought I was in a hotel when she video-called me once and I had the utility room curtain behind me.

Wardrobes and Bench Drawer (set): $254 (wardrobe) + $264 (wardrobe) + $120 (drawer) (Not inclusive of delivery)

Model: STUVA kid’s wardrobe and drawer in baby pink

Bought from: IKEA

Warranty: none

Great for capsule wardrobes. Up till today my hubs still feels jealous that I chose the basket drawers haha. Because they’re kids-friendly they have rounded edges and I find that really cute and unique. But if you have a lot of clothes then it’s really a squeeze. I’m trying to keep things minimal in my house so having a small wardrobe forces me (us) to get rid of clothes that I don’t really wear.

Okay so that’s all for now! Just wanted to document my purchases so that I can have something to refer to in future when I want to renovate my place/ replace items/ move house and get new stuff/ perhaps sell them off in future haha. Hopefully some of you will find my post useful too if you’re purchasing home stuff :)