A getting married thinking post

I've just been sitting down and thinking about the practical things with getting married yada yada.

As much as I'd love to be Crystal I don't think it's going to happen - I think I'm going to have to work, and possibly full time, for at least some of the first few years of our marriage.

Electrical applicances are the things that confuse me most - I don't know what we really need and what we can live without/don't need at all?

It's cheaper to make biscuits and cakes from scratch and I quite like doing it, but is it still cheaper given I have to buy the stuff to actually use to make them (mixer, baking trays, cake tins, etc) or should I wait to get that kind of stuff?

I guess need things are: computer, internet connection, tv, radio/cd player, oven, stove, fridge, freezer, toaster, kettle, microwave, washing machine. Is there anything else we *really* need? A food processor would be good, so would a blender, and beaters - my grandmother can probably get me one of the oldschool unkillable (except by my mum!) mixmasters from somewhere so I guess that's one thing.

Out of that, we have a computer (soon to be two when Troy gets his laptop), a pretty decent radio/tapeplayer/cd player that I've had for years but still works perfectly (and has a remote!) and I guess the oven and the stove will be in wherever we live, maybe a fridge/freezer if we're lucky, ditto maybe a washing machine. Other things, the non-really expensive ones, I guess I can ask for for christmas & birthday presents, and I was thinking of asking my parents for blankets/sheets/something like that for my birthday next year. I've got to the stage where I just want practical things for christmas and birthday and stuff now - my stand for christmas, sewing cabinet for my 18th, computer for birthday and Christmas the year before, sewing machine for christmas the year before that - they're the big things that I can't buy myself and my parents are happy to buy for me as gifts. So I guess I can just ask for stuff through them too.

I don't know if I'm coming off as really materialistic in this, I'm just trying to figure out how we're going to do this whole getting married thing. I don't know what necessities really are in terms of electronics and stuff and that's hard...how do you know what to buy and what not to?

I have my china - everyday stuff, four of everything, a full dinner set plus mugs, rice bowls, a couple big salad/serving bowls and platters to match, and I have more teacups and mugs than I know what to do with.

Troy's dad will do any furniture that's able to be made out of wood - bookshelves, a table, chairs, a low table, a bed, cabinets etc, for moreorless cost price, and I can do bedspreads and curtains and things.

I'm thinking of doing a double wedding ring quilt in blue, green and cream for Troy and I, which would do a bedspread, but curtains and things are a bit harder to do now. I guess I just earmark money for it and when we settle on somewhere that we have the window measurements for I can make them up out of something that isn't too expensive.

I'm turning into a bit of a homebody, much to the amusement of my family and several friends. I've been collecting recipes up, making up cookbooks, stashing things and trying to sort these sorts of things out. I guess I just want to make this as easy for us as I possibly can.