We are paying cash for our new kitchen and we started by paying the deposits (half of estimate) to the countertop guy (had to pick my marble slab) and the cabinet guy. I have spent HOURS and DAYS figuring out how to do the kitchen reno in several stages, which I believe will help me know what (upper cabinets for instance) I really need. So, doing the demolition, base cabinets, new range, knock down wall, move other 5' wall by 6", sink, peninsula, tape and float, and hopefully backsplash first. Later I will do range hood (having hookup and flue for hood done in first stage though), open shelving, backsplash (if can't do it earlier), upper cabinets (if I need). Lastly I will do floor. If something has to change with my plans, I may have to use our line of credit, but it shouldn't be more than $5000 or so and we will pay it off asap. Hate borrowing money. Also it helps that I found some of our kitchen floor tiles in the creek 15 years ago and saved them! They will replace the flooring where the island is getting removed. P.S. My GC knows about this plan ahead of time and is being very understanding.

We have just packed up and moved downstairs. We got rid of our dishes. Out of a set of 8 place settings, I had 6 dinner plates, 2 lunch plates, and 4 bowls left. Got rid of our glasses. We didn't have anything that matched. I also got rid of the vast majority of the plastic cups for the kids. At ages 10 and 12, they are needing bigger glasses for water. Got rid of gadgets that have been collected but not used. Got rid of all those silly plastic margerine containers that I swore I would use but never did. I hope never to see clutter back in the kitchen, although I'm not sure how realistic that is. All the electrical outlets that don't hold onto a plug anymore will be GONE. I'm so excited about that! We'll actually be able to plug something in, and it will stay plugged in. How cool is that? When we asked the kids what they wanted in this kitchen remodel, the only thing they asked for was a toaster that actually toasted properly. We have an ancient inherited toaster oven that has never worked worth beans. We'll buy the boys a new toaster. Sadly, our coffee maker died 5 days before demo. So, we have our new coffee maker now before moving into the new kitchen. Oh well.

I had kind of the opposite feeling. We have lived in this house 11 years, and that whole time, I felt like I was using someone else's kitchen. Nothing about it was something I would have chosen or placed where it was. I liked the color of the countertop (black), but I hated everything else about it the whole time. I didn't do much of anything to change it because we were always "about to" start the remodel. When my new kitchen was finished (or mostly finished, since we still have a few things to do), I felt like I was walking into my own kitchen for the first time. I still feel so incredibly right at home in there. I did get a tiny bit of the "this is too nice to be mine" feeling you describe, but it was quickly replaced by the "damn it, this is what I deserved all along!" feeling. :)

I went through this too, but will never let Katie go. She is more like a friend than a cleaning lady. My kids adore her. She was a doctor in Albania and came to this country and had to start over doing anything she could to make money, including waitressing, babysitting, and cleaning houses. Cleaning is where she found she could make the most money, but in the meantime she put herself through nursing school, while working fulltime cleaning houses. She graduated last spring and now has a full time nursing job but still comes to help me when she can. Some weeks she can't come at all and every week the day changes, but she always comes in the afternoon so that on that day my son can take his nap in his bed instead of in the car (since I have to pick my daughter up at 3 ). She loves to cook like me. She brings me recipes and I share mine with her. She lets my son follow her around the house and gives him little jobs to do. When my daughter is around she does the same for her ... she'll have my daughter pick up her stuffed animals, etc or bring laundry downstairs. I like this, because I too worry about the kids thinking they don't have to pick up after themselves. Anyway, post renovation, I researched different products and am using different things now, but it was just a one time short conversation about the new stuff we are using (most particularly, this Bonax wood flooring cleaning system). She knows that the new house is my baby and I did tell her that I would take care of certain aspects (like cleaning the Butcherblock counter). She'll move on eventually. She is still cleaning because she is saving up money for her wedding next year. She is such an impressive young woman. So personable, hard working and caring. She is so there for me when I need her. She babysits in a pinch (or gets her sister to babysit for me). I hope I won't have to do without her until I am done with the classes I am taking because she is part of the infrastructure that is allowing this to happen for me. sorry so long winded but I feel so fortunate for the situation I have and wouldn't give it up.