Saving For Big Purchases

Since we no longer use credit, I've been putting away as much cash as possible to save for some big purchases that are long overdue. Everything on the list is absolutely a necessity and we will take our time before spending our hard-earned cash to make sure we're getting the best deal without sacrificing quality. Here goes, in order of importance:

1) Pancake needs a new computer. This is a necessity (and a business expense) because our livelihood depends upon it. The ThinkPad he is using is five years old and I fear that it may die soon, which would not be good. In fact, it would be a disaster.

2) We need a car. We only had one car and that was totaled in an accident back in July. The settlement check is sitting in the savings account while we save a few extra thousand so we can buy a decent used vehicle. Pancake's folks have been letting us use their truck and we can continue to use the truck for as long as we need, but I don't want to take advantage of their generosity for too long.

3) We need a new porch roof and a new roof on the ad-on. This is third because neither roof is leaking. Yet. We need to have this done before winter sets in. There is the very real possibility of an ice jam which could cause considerable damage.

4) We need to reupholster our sleeper sofa and loveseat. This is last because we can't pay for the sofas if Pancake's computer bytes the big one and it would be silly to put newly upholstered furniture in a room with a leaky ceiling. They are quality pieces and it will cost less to reupholster than to buy new. Unless, of course, we bought cheap furniture, but I don't want to spend money on disposable sofas. Once these are reupholstered we'll never have to buy another set as long as we live.