Are New Kitchen Counters a Possibility?

Over the weekend, Doug and I went through all of our finances.  We had been able to save more over the past few years than we originally thought we would and wanted to make the best choices of what we could with that money.  One item that we both agreed upon was paying off Meg's loan.  We had hoped that Biden's loan forgiveness would pass, but it didn't, and we knew that the new administration was against any type of education breaks.  Another important budget item for us was to add to my IRA and Doug's 401K.  The topic of retiring had been discussed by us a lot lately, and although it wasn't on the near horizon we wanted to make sure that we kept on top of our savings.  

Once we got through the majority of the items on our list, I brought up updates to the house.  Last fall, I had come up with several projects that needed addressed around the house.  I got a quote for one of them specifically and researched the cost of the others.  I realized after looking at the list that I really didn't want to spend the money.  I decided instead to do some of the projects on my own, like the cabinet and sink in the garage.  It turned out so well and I saved so much money that I thought that I would wait and see if my dad could help me with the items that needed fixed or updated in my bathroom.  I was very impressed with how that turned out and the money that it saved us as well.  

With all of the savings and repairs that I finished on my own or with help, I decided to bring up the one household project that I couldn't do in our house, replacing the kitchen countertops.  Doug definitely agreed that although they were functional, they were outdated.  Thus, we came up with a budget for the project and I made plans to call a local countertop store in Ocala that had very good reviews.  Within a few hours, they had sent me pictures of granite that would match my kitchen and told me how to come up with measurements so that they could give me a quote.  Imagine my surprise when the cost was half of what I thought it would be.  With that information I could also replace the twenty-one-year-old stove and microwave.  When I added it to what I spent on the bathroom and garage project, I was at half of what I originally thought that I would have to spend last fall.  That was definitely good news, and we agreed to move forward.  I was thrilled and happy to know that I would soon be done with household projects.