Plants are always being marked down, especially throughout the summer. By seedlings, do you mean young annuals in market packs? As soon as it gets really hot and things start dying, that's when to check. July is a good month for half dead or dying market packs. After 4th of July, I think most people have their gardens planted, so sales drop off and plants get neglected in stores. However, I've already gotten Lacecap hydrangea shrubs for $1.00, creeping phlox for $0.25, and other perennials and ferns for $0.05, yes five cents! My husband found the receipt and asked what in the world could I possibly have gotten for 5 cents at Lowes. I never really see garden supplies get marked down, as they store them for next year's market (20% off is not a markdown to me). I don't consider anything a bargain if it's not over 75% off. It's always hit or miss, so I swing by the major retailers if I'm already in the area (trying to save gas). Happy hunting!

Hey SPF, I was there today and did the same thing you did. The reason HD doesn't do it is that they don't OWN the plants, they RENT the space on consignment so they couldn't care less if the plants die or not, or get sold. Lowe's, on the other hand, owns the stuff and wants to make what they can on it.... I still have an HRC in a bucket for you but I don't see where the maters are growing...I have five of them that are 75 days old and only 8" tall! Thought I'd wait a few more weeks to see if they are worth messing with or not. Tom

Brocks! We're heading down there and to Dearborn Farms tomorrow. To be honest, I shop all over. We bought 12 boxed roses at Dearborn Farms last spring, but I got some really nice potted roses in Lowe's (Woodbridge, Jersey City, and Old Bridge) and Wal-Mart (Secaucus, Cinnamonson, and Old Bridge) -- all of them did really well, and have leafed out like crazy this spring. Like you, I've been buying Superthrive at Wal-mart (it's not out yet, and I don't have all that much left right now -- and not every store had it, either) as well as fish emulsion. We got some great annuals there to fill in the gaps in the plants we bought in Van Wingerden's and Gro-Rite up in Lincoln Park. I get potting soil for my containers and garden soil to beef up the beds in Lowe's, and I get mulch there, too. I get pots and little plastic garden fencing in Wal-Mart. Home Depot was disappointing last year, especially since we'd gotten some wonderful roses there in the past (in Clifton and Woodbridge). But Clifton's garden center has gone -way- downhill, and Woodbridge isn't what is used to be. But none of them compare to Hoverman's, now sadly closed.

About 10 years ago, we undertook a large house remodel project that cost many $. We ran out of money so we could not do the kitchen. This is what I did over the years: Replaced appliances because I, at least, needed that. I bought a make-do refrigerator at Sears outlet. Less than 1/2 price of a new (not dented/rejected) one. I bought a range at a local appliance store at a discount because I forget why... Scratch maybe. You might call around the appliance stores and see if they have "reject" or "seconds" section. Many do. Replaced the awful double sink and faucet with a single deep sink and a low/mid grade faucet from Lowe's in the same cut out. This was about $3-400 (my DH did the replacement). This was a huge functional improvement. I am living with my laminate countertop. No burns marks like yours... Obviously, if you are painting the cabinets yourself, it is the elbow grease you need. You have options if you are looking at gently used appliances. Every town has used appliance stores. I would call these stores and have them keep an eye out for downdraft range in the size that you need. My brother uses these stores for his rental properties. No issues at all. You can also look at Craigslist. My very cheap as noted above brother also found a range this way. I don't know what your long term plan are for the kitchen and the house is. This will make a big difference in how you chose to spend/save your money.... For us, we knew that we would get around to doing our kitchen later. We are doing it now. 10 years ago, I did not want to do a make-do remodel at a price we could afford then. I wanted to save and do the remodel that I really wanted to do later. From your post, I am not sure what your long term goal is. This will be most important... If you just want to have a reasonable kitchen for a few years until you can really remodel, then you should do as little as possible and live with what you can. Then later, do the remodel right. For example, when and if you do your full kitchen remodel, you may not need to use a downdraft range. For the floor, again, live with it until you really do the kitchen. You may extend the hardwood or do the tile later on....