<prompt> Human: Im closing on my first home early next month and Im trying to decide what to do about getting appliances. Im getting a conventional 30 year mortgage with 20 down and will officially begin mortgage payments January 1, 2015. There are a few things I dont currently own that will definitely be necessary like a refrigerator, washerdryer, lawnmower, and a replacement dishwasher. I was thinking it may be best to go by SearsLowesHome Depot to get everything at once since maybe theyll cut me a deal. I only have one credit card that I use for everything so Im thinking it may be time for another. Id like to get a 12 month no interest credit card and just pay it off in March with my annual bonus. Ive never carried a balance on my current credit card and Im leery about doing it. Is there anything that I need to know about when it comes to these 12 months no interest cards? Are they legitimate in that I wont pay a penny of interest so long as I pay it off before the 12 months is up?  <response>: Congratulations on your new home!There are a few things I dont currently own that will definitely be necessary like a refrigerator, washerdryer, lawnmower, and a replacement dishwasher. Do you have to buy new? Getting a free or cheap one that works will save you in the short term and allow you time to shop for the best deals. Do you have to buy all at once? Do you live in a region where a lawnmower necessary before Spring? Anyway, we moved to our new home in May, and only needed a weed whacker and got a refurbished one for 20, and my husband used that until he found the lawnmower her wanted at the price he was willing to pay. If you have a large yard, obviously this may not be doable unless you have super nice neighbors!Check out shopping discount sites such as slickdeals.net. Set up alerts for everything you want to buy, maybe get notification at one thumbs up. When a deal is posted, folks jump on it and things sell out fast. We got the weed whacker via a slickdeals post Black and Decker eBay deal, so its legit. They also have posts about how to maximize savings for Lowes, HD, etc.Check with you local power utility company for rebates, and what would qualify. Ours offers 50 or so for an energy-efficient furnace, etc., not much but it helps as you know what energy efficiency target you want to hit.If your new home has an older reffreezer already, check with your power co about deals. Ours will replace old refrigerator freezers for free. Im sure its the 500 plain vanilla reffreezer, but theyll haul away your old one and put the new one in place, for free. You havent listed a water heater. Do check the age of the water heater and whether or not it needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. Ive heard of them rusting out at the bottom within five years, but Ive had ours last as long as 18 years, which was stupid of us not to replace as we lived in a condo. Damages from flooding are not likely covered by insurance.I was thinking it may be best to go by SearsLowesHome Depot to get everything at once since maybe theyll cut me a deal.In my experience, those salespeople arent able to do much as far as really cutting prices. Lowes and HD offer a 10 discount on stuff as a standard: new address file your change of address notice with the PO, accept the coupon offers and print them for use; retireddisabled military every day, all military vets on Veterans Day and a few other major holidays. So 10 is really the baseline discount you should shoot for. They sometimes offer 20 coupon deals if you can wait. If I had to buy new appliances, Id prowl the aisles on a daily basis as I have seen both Lowes and HD put out discontinued and floor model appliances at huge discounts. If you can pick up the item yourself, you save on delivery charges, too.I only have one credit card that I use for everything so Im thinking it may be time for another. Is it a card with any perks? Miles, points, cash back? If so, that would be the one to use. If not, the stores also offer their own cards and you may get a better deal using their card. However, be careful that youre going to pay it off. Sears often offers a 6 month no interest if you use their Sears MasterCard. ShopYourWay rewards and their reward program can earn you points for the purchase.Id like to get a 12 month no interest credit card and just pay it off in March with my annual bonus. Ive never carried a balance on my current credit card and Im leery about doing it. Is there anything that I need to know about when it comes to these 12 months no interest cards? Are they legitimate in that I wont pay a penny of interest so long as I pay it off before the 12 months is up?Yes, they are legit. As long as you make any required payments on time, and pay it off at the end, you wont get hit with the 24 interest rate or whatever it ends up being.Tl;dr: Enjoy your adventure! and check out rfrugal for other savings tips and discussions. 