Taking Worthy's comment one step further, you might be able to do the math by taking the overall sqft cost and deduct the non-changing majors (HVAC, windows, doors, appliances). The figure you have left can then be divided to determine the adjusted sqft cost. As an example, 2000 sqft @$105 per equals overall cost of $210,000. Taking figures out of the air to cost HVAC, windows & doors (low priced), appliances, mediocre roofing shingles, and tiling for kitchen and bath, I came up with a majors cost of $40K which was then deducted from the $210K; that gave an adjusted sqft price of $85. That means removing 250 sf from the original 2000 would save you about 10% of the dollars while losing 12½% of the space. Personally, I think that's a bad deal. It is far more likely that you can save an equivalent amount (or more) by buying the least expensive for all replaceables. "Replaceables" means anything which is not actually structural, and which can be replaced without excessive effort. That means all appliances, kitchen and bath counters and cabinets, flooring, and doors. i.e. that lovely $2K front door should be put on hold and a $300 one used instead (or refinish a discarded antique for even less cash out of wallet) and using vinyl tiles instead of terrazzo. Some may disagree, but I consider roofing to be a replaceable -- unless you are spending big bucks for tile or metal, roofing IS going to be replaced at some point. Therefore it is not unreasonable to use elcheapo-15 year warranty now and in five or ten years replace with the wonderful bigbucks-50 year warranty stuff. The difference in cost is considerable. Unless you are planning to use insulative layers of window covering [$$], it is *not* cost efficient to not use sealed double-pane glass. However, using standard sized ready-made windows instead of custom sizes can save quite a bit (multiplied by the number of windows). Using elcheapo hollow-core interior doors can also provide a nice savings. Some savings can be less obvious, such as standard chrome faucets from a box store (the price difference can easily be $100 per, times the number of sinks). It can be painful giving up "I-wants" for the new house, but if you think of the less expensive stuff as temporary and the wanted stuff as deferred pleasures, it can be bit easier to accept the differences.

LOL, OJ, I thought it was going to be.... "Stop Eating" Easier said than done for most folks, including myself, unfortunately. But you know, I've really been thinking along the lines of ... since I already know I'd feel better and look better ... and probably live longer... if I were successful in shedding all these pounds I've accumulated over the years ... and yet I haven't, or at least I've taken them off and then put them right back on ... Maybe it's time this old tightwad put a new spin on weight loss. I know there are a lot of folks out there who will think, "Now you've lost your mind, Ilene, because it's expensive to eat right." And yes, it can be. But it's also expensive to eat WRONG. Have you priced a bag of chips lately? Ice cream? And face it, on a diet I'm probably going to eat less, in volume, than I would while indulging. It can be expensive to join a health club, too. I joined the YMCA many years ago, and I went in for my workout every other day for almost a year. I kept waiting for it to become fun, or addictive, or ... SOMETHING ... and it never happened. I joined in March and I was still there the first of the following year, and I saw all those "newbies" coming in, in their brand-new workout clothes and shoes. After a month or two, they weren't there any more. All the money they'd invested in all the trappings was wasted. Is anybody up for joining me in a Frugal Diet? --Ilene

On #s 15 & 16, I think it's important to point out that often the alternative to refi and the like is simply pay down the principle! Especially if you're early in the mortgage, every nickel you pay toward the principle means the balance of the loan's interest on that nickel goes into your pocket. Ol' Joyful, I'll need some of your expertise here, but could you figure a rough calculation of an average type house loan, average refi costs applied to the current loan and how that would compare in the end? I think it'd be interesting. Also, said before, but often people think they "need" a new car and don't consider if they put some money into the old one, it'd save in the long run. Remember, new cars have higher insurance and license costs so there's more than the initial price to consider. I would take a bit of issue too with the convenience store avoidance. You could actually save money if wise. Often, convenience stores sell eggs, milk, bread etc at very low prices, often far less than the markets. Plus it's not a special trip, saves time plus there can be (tho not guaranteed - it's up to you) fewer impulse buys. The longer you're in the grocery store, stats say you'll spend more. Again, it's how savvy you are, but be careful. #18 (Shudder) Buyer's Brokers are seldom a good thing. Let's face facts, no real estate agent/realtor or the like works FOR the buyer! Who pays them? The seller. How do they get paid more? By "benefitting" the seller. There's no way the buyer benefits from realtors. The fewer the better in most cases. Why? Because you can often negotiate the realtor fees. If you have one realtor taking the entire commission, it's far easier to negotiate them down than to negotiate with multiple agents and try to negotiate down when they're getting 1/4 or less of the commission. Beware of this statement and check into these claims. You're far better off to have a good real estate attorney on your side. S/He'll be working for YOUR benefit. Mine found problems in the paperwork and embarrassed the daylights out of the stack of realtors, closers and the like at my closing! It was hilarious! Now as for the inspector, yes, that can be worthwhile, but don't use one recommended by the realtor (kickbacks) and make sure you know what they're inspecting, their qualifications and the like. A good alternative can be a trusted friend with qualifications. Hire like any professional. Realize, though, that the inspectors DO NOT GUARANTEE the house! So if they overlook something, it's not their fault or responsibility and they won't be doing anything for you so know what you're getting. A title examination, especially of abstract properties, can be very important especially if you don't know how to read an abstract. Torrens is less problematic. Buying a home brings up a pandora's box of potential problems and far too many to go into here, but there's some things to be careful of. #21 Consumer Reports is a pet peeve of mine. They're often very biased in their reporting. Plus, keep in mind that they do not "test" ALL models and versions, even of similar products! Do you realize that the washer you buy at Home Depot is different than the one you buy at Best Buy and they're both different than the one you buy from a mom-n-pop dealer? That can have significant differences in the specs and needs. One can have cycles and features the other doesn't. Don't get caught up in the CR myth. Read their magazine with a shaker full of salt and do far more research than CR. You'll be doing yourself a favor. That's enough for now. There's more opinions coming, I'm sure! :) Happy saving all! Enjoy the frugal season!

OK, hopefully we've put to bed the "don't hire an architect, designers are just as good and cheaper" mentality. Now we can get to the subject of economies and cost savings. Every time one of these threads appears (which is often), the poster asks about savings--but it's almost always addressed to the issue of fixtures, finishes and equipment. Where can I buy the cheapest: countertop, range, flooring, "scratch and dent" stuff...Consumers miss the point (or perhaps they simply don't know or recognize) that the truly expensive stuff lies elsewhere. What one may save on fixtures, finishes and equipment is peanuts compared to the cost of the rest of the custom home design and construction! For example, the type and configuration of the land and how the design of the house accommodates the land, and its characteristics, is the very first place to start looking and analyzing for economies and savings. There are sites easy to develop and build on, and there are site which are just the opposite. The second place to look is at the design concept and how the design can be developed into a final design which addresses the site, the needs and wants of the owner and the budget, while still making good, appealing and envigorating architecture. For example, a simple, well-organized house is always less expensive than a rambling, undisciplined and inexperienced design. Where are the major costs in any custom home: site development and improvements, foundation, exterior building shell, structural elements, and the building systems: HVAC, electrical/signal, plumbing service and waste. All the stuff that HGTV never, ever films or has their stars discuss. What do they discuss? Building custom tables for the dining space and putting lots of pots and pillows everywhere. The design concept and the developed design and construction documents are where all of these things are explored and resolved. This is one of many reasons why experienced architects offer much more professional service than designers who sit at a CAD keyboard. The third place to look for savings is the extent and quality of the design and construction documents--the drawings, specifications and bid documents. Skimp on these to save a few bucks, and in many--most--cases the consumer will wind up paying much, much more through misused and inappropriate allowances; through construction oopsies (a technical architectural term) where the builder or his subs use their own ideas and experience to fill in blanks in the drawings; and on and on. And then there's the situation where skimpy documents leave the consumer to spend many, many hours trying to make decisions about stuff which is necessary by not specified--door and drawer pulls, paint and stain colors, yada, yada. When it comes to design and construction documents and services, you get what you pay for. There is thread after thread on this forum of consumers with bidding and construction woes; consumers venting about all of the decisions and selections needed once construction starts. So...the point here is to shop for saving on flooring all you want. But if you really want to economize, pay attention to the truly expensive stuff, and the professionals who can best guide your through these sorts of decisions. Good luck on your project! :-)