Building a New House on a Budget.

 That should be the name of my blog. As we are

new to the building process, one of our worries

was the cost. Especially after talking with friends

& family, & hearing how the budget starts at

one end (comfortable) & then ends up at the

complete opposite end (over budget). We vowed

to not fall into the trap of having to pay more for

what we wanted to create our dream home. And

our builder said he's never met a couple who was

so conscious of cost but in a good way. He's been

so good to work with & helped us stay in the

budget we're all working with. The two things we

went over we knew we would but still managed to

negotiate the additional fees into our comfort zone.

So how do you build a new house on a budget?

You make very frugal choices that look good!

Case in point, our fireplace mantels. These were

listed for $1,950 plus taxes & shipping from 

the manufacturer to our home, for both mantels. 

Made of stone and sealed, we love the look & 

chose two different styles to complement two 

different rooms in our home. The total would be,

in Canadian dollars a hefty $2,160 each, with a

grand total of $4,320. A big cost but we like them!

Two different popular home renovation stores carry

these mantels online. I've been watching these mantels 

since we first found them last spring. Recently, the one 

store reduced the price. It was time to order! We were

going to order from the one we often shop at but only 

one was available immediately. The other is back 

ordered & when I pressed order today, it came up 

with a note that there was an issue & the back order

was "indefinite". So I went on to the competitor's 

website, only to discover the fee was higher but they

had them in stock. Then I noticed the disclaimer

that they will match prices. I called the listed number

& just a few minutes later, we had an order # in

hand. So here's the best part. Our price, you wonder?

A lovely $1,890. Isn't that sweet. Before you start to

do some calculations, I want to clarify that price is

for both units, with taxes & including shipping.

We saved $2,430 for the same products, same sku

numbers, same colors, nothing had changed. And 

all it took was a few minutes of being online to

check out our options. Then picking up the phone

to ask for the matching price deal, which was granted

to us, without hesitation, argument or negativity.

Easy peasy and we get exactly what we want, at a

very frugal price from what we originally budgeted.

We keep coming up with deal after deal for the items

we'd like to include & feel so good about taking

the time to investigate what our best price will be.

Time consuming but in the grand scheme of things,

so worth it! And I have fun getting my "deals"!

Have you ever built a home on a budget?

Or renovated and stayed within your funds?