The Bearable and Ugly Side of Furniture Impulse Buys

The piece of furniture you can find in Alabang Town Center is limitless. Your home, however, can't have all of them all at once.

At one point in time, you were guilty of making an impulse purchase. Whether it was a conscious decision to rush yourself or an unconscious purchase during a day of shopping, an impulse buy leaves you with consequences that are irreversible.

Most first-time homeowners with bear properties and condo units are guilty of it. As their minds are still hungover the excitement of having a home to call their own while meeting loved ones and neighbors who wish to greet them, they neglect to plan their purchases or minimize their shopping trips to Alabang Town Center to fill their home. In result, they end up with a lot of stuff they don't need. But that's the least of their worries. Other things come with furniture impulse buys.

Read on to find out what are they.

The regret that comes with spending and selecting something that doesn't match your needs or taste

Some impulse buys leave you in good graces. The side table you think you don't need, turned out to be a great addition to the guest bedroom. The crystal vases were perfect for filling bare surfaces in the hall. The black picture frames were the perfect complement to the white walls in the living room. Unfortunately, it's not the same all the time. Once in a while, you might grab something trendy yet tacky which doesn't match any of the decor schemes in your home. When this happens, an uncomfortable feeling starts to sink in your chest. Regret.

Regret is crying and being anxious over something you can't take back. Though the feeling doesn't last for a long time, it's still a reminder of the wrong decision you made. Afterwards, forget about it and move on. It doesn't matter if you spend hundreds on the item you took home. It's done. You can make most of it, sell it, or give it to a loved one who has better use for it than you do. You can offer to trade it for something valuable to you.

Purchases eat up floor and storage space

You don't need to shop impulsively to take up the spaces in your house. Pieces of furniture are enough to take up most of the floor area in each room. A desk, dining set, bed, and sofa are large enough to cover the living room, dining, and bedroom. Imagine the other things that will be part of your home. There are the appliances and fixtures to think of along with the closets, dressers and other storage solutions you might need.

In addition to all of those things, you have your supplies and food stock. Clothing, shoes, and other everyday essentials add up to your growing pile of stuff. Whenever you end up with an impulse buy, you limit your breathing space. You clog up the areas that allow unrestricted movement to and fro and each room. You also end up with additional chairs and chests you never used.

Too much stuff compromises art

As mentioned before, impulse purchases induce regret. When you don't think through your selection, there's a chance you end up not liking your choice. It doesn't matter if the item is beautiful, soft to touch or unique among your neighbors. If it doesn't match any of your home design scheme, the stuff you accumulated from unplanned shopping sprees destroys the dream you have for your home.

Extras are particularly useful, but they tend to disrupt the flow of your interior decoration. The wrong color, material or texture can clash with the existing items in the room. In the case of furniture, giving in to an impulse purchase and ending up with a modest design is a good thing. There's a chance you can find a place for it in any of the rooms in your house. However, something that stands out negatively is still useful without contributing to your home’s aesthetic.

The wrong size poses problems in the long run

Buying furniture without preparing for it is not only an issue in financing. It also covers your house’s structure and household dynamics. Without knowing the measurements of the room where the furniture stays, you can end up getting a small one or a large-scale piece that doesn’t fit in the space. Minuscule pieces are easy to adjust. You can add accessories or complete the set to fill in the remaining floor area. Another option is to select pieces of furniture that might look odd but fit well together. It helps the room look put together and comfy.

When you have the wrong size, you might end up with a piece of furniture that can’t get past your front door. It pushes you to disassemble the furniture or place it in a room where you don’t plan on putting it. Assembling them back doesn’t guarantee it has the same quality and stability it has when you first bought it. Moreover, the rooms in your home might end up imbalanced. Some spaces are full while others are almost bare all because you can’t bring the right furniture through the door.

The piece might clash with the paint

It’s not only the design scheme you have to think about when shopping for furniture. You must pay attention to its foundation—wall paint. The shade on the wall dictates the attributes of the piece of furniture you wish to take home. Most colors work on a white wall and neutral hues. But if you have other paint colors on your walls, you have to be selective on the furniture you wish to bring indoors.

It might be too late to regret a decision once you cave into an impulse buy. Once you realize that the love seat you ordered doesn’t match the wall, you have to choose which one to adjust. Fortunately, paint is inexpensive. You can get a bucket from a hardware store or home renovation section of home improvement stores. With the right tools, you can give your home a makeover. Those in rentals are not lucky. They have to ask permission from the landlord, and if he or she is not open to making changes, then you are stuck with furniture that leads your decorating skills down the drain.


Impulse buying is a part of life. It has its perks, but it can be a nightmare at times. Thus, it’s best if you are sure with your purchases before going to a furniture shop. Have a plan of attack and double check your decisions before heading to the checkout counter. It can save you from the frustration and remorse that comes with shopping impulsively.

Note: This post was first published on September 4, 2015, as "The Downside of an Impulse Buying." It has been updated to help homeowners make informed decisions over their finances and home furniture

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