China and Crystal and...Turbo Tax ?! Oh, my!

I was REALLY excited to register when we first got engaged. The future Mister and I love to cook, we love kitchen gadgets, and have been known to refer to Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma as “The Toy Stores.” Since we’ve maintained separate households up until recently, we’ve amassed a number of kitchen essentials already (garlic press, espresso maker, waffle iron, you know, the things no kitchen should be without…).

I also got scammed into jointly purchasing silverware and matching dishes for Mr. Fairfax’s place before a) I lived there b) we were engaged. Should I have been suspicious when he insisted that we invest in a nice set of Oneida flatware? That he could no longer take the rag tag assortment of dishes? Perhaps yes. I was blindsided by his proposal to say the least. But I digress.

The real point of this post was to say, it’s easy to be so dazzled by traditional registry items that you neglect to think about what else you might need to run your household. Dishes, silverware, and napkin rings are all very useful and necessary, but don’t forget to “think outside the kitchen.”

So suddenly you’re married, you have in-laws who want to come visit! Where to put them? Thank goodness you registered for that handy Aero Bed!

The Aero Bed is a real life-saver whether it's a college bud looking for some
place to crash or your new in-laws visiting. There are other brands of air bed out there, but I like the Aero Bed best, personally. A Bed Bath & Beyond or Target registry is probably your best bet for this. Picture via www.amazon.com.

You’re finally in your first apartment together! You’ve just hit Ikea, Crate and Barrel and hey, your wedding pictures just arrived from the photographer. Sweet! How are you going to hang all your gorgeous picture frames and pictures ledges you lovingly picked out? Why, with your new cordless power drill…Seriously, power tools are where it’s at. Start out with a cordless drill with multiple bits. It will revolutionize the way you hang pictures and assemble furniture.

Stores like Lowe's and Home Depot now allow you to create gift registries. Visit their home pages and do a search for "gift registry." Picture via www.cordlessdrilling.com.

Ah, wedded bliss! Oh, home ownership! Boo, filing your taxes jointly and itemizing for the first time. Hooray, for Turbo Tax Deluxe! My big sister is a personal finance wiz kid and she swears by Turbo Tax. Go for the deluxe version as it allows you to itemize your taxes among other neat tricks.

Target carries Turbo Tax products and
also has a gift registry function. Picture via www.static.howthingswork.com.

What are some of the items you plan to register for?