Hi Janralix, You are doing the right think to really think through your choices here. I agree with the above posters. I've been in your situation, and would like to share my thoughts. Re: The KD - You should not work with anyone who doesn't make you feel comfortable and informed. Communication is essential. I know you are probably anxious to make a decision and move forward, but you should keep looking if you haven't found the right fit. Also, take some time and really read the contract before you sign. Make sure you have rights regarding termination and you understand the way fees are calculated. Is the KD getting a fee or a commission on cabinet sales? Re: Manufactured cabinets - vs- local cabinet-makers: I've been all around the block on this question. The "finish durability" issue is one that made alot of sense to me (especially since I live in CA where environmental restrictions limit the types of finish products allowed). However, after talking to a lot of people, and visiting cabinet shops and completed projects, we decided to go with a local cabinetmaker after all. I think the answer is that not all cabinetmakers can produce the same kind of results as a factory - but some can. It requires a more sophisticated finishing operation. If they have the right kind of exhaust system, they can use the catalytic conversion varnishes (even in CA), which are a big selling point for the manufacturers. I visited a 10 year old kitchen with cabinets that looked brand-new - just like the mfg. ones. They were able to customize the cabinets to our exact requirements, and they were cheaper (somewhat). The turn-around time was much quicker, and in the future they could make changes or additional cabinets for our home that would match. Also, it felt good to support our local businesses. Good Luck!

preaching to the 'mom & dad CPA's & financial planners' choir here. no debt myself other than my tiny mortgage and i'm still up 200% on my house LOLOL. my DH has acquirred college loan debt but at only 3% interest after he's done. he just finished his honors BS in Mech Engineering, is 1/2 done w/ his MS and by Dec will be 2/3 done. college debt for the high earning degrees doesn't bother me but if it's not sciences or engineering i would not bother taking out $$ to do it and it's a waste of time of you are not in the top of your class academically. he has job offers pouring in nothing under $60K and they won't catch my attention until they hit $85K, some are coming close. ideally he would take a job where we live since my job currently pays for all we need. his job would then pay off the loans in a yr. but unfortunately the jobs coming close to $85K are in other states, thou all of them are significantly cheaper to live in. almost any state other than CA is going to be cheaper for us. my point in the above post was that these days most employers expect far more than they are willing to pay up for. hence my high demands for a great starting salary for DH other than he has earned it in spades w/ his special honors and i know the employer will get their works worth. back to the debt thing, back in 2000 i learned that lots of cash on hand is not as important to creditors as extensive credit history. i was starting to look for a house to buy and was buying an suv at the same time. it had been almost 7 yrs since i had used credit cards, they had nearly fallen off my credit record apparently. i was advised by banks to get some current credit history going so i could get a mortgage. even thou i had 6 figures in 401K and enough cash on hand to put 50% down if i had to on a house. i bought and paid cash for the SUV except for the extended warranty and that interest rate for $2k came in at 18% lol. i built up a bit of new credit, got my mortgage & house at what then was a good rate 7%. in 2006 i decided to pay off all credit cards and be done w/ credit. last yr i bought a new suv but instead of giving up my cash i put the amount for the car in it's own savings (pays 3% which balances out the 2% interest on the loan) and it auto pays ea month adding to my credit history which other than my house has become nill again. i will be wading back into credit cards now that all the new rules have gone into effect (been too leary), luckily i still have a high FICO and a perfect record althou not alot of different things and i do still get flooded w/ good credit offers. if i can get my DH to find a local job even part-time (i'd prefer that for another yr) and we stay in my house another yr we'll be set for life! ~ liz

This is probably something like offering you a bottle of water when your/their basement is flooded, but ... ... quite likely they already have one of those books of maps, about a foot by a foot and a half, that includes the maps of the whole of the U.S. and Canada, as well as individual pages of states or parts of such, cities, etc. Are you adept with fingers, parts of brain, etc. which has meant that you've developed handicraft skills to enable you to make something smallish which they could carry with them, e.g. a wall hanging, "This is the home of Elena and Harry What's- their-name" ... or something like, "We're happily retired ... but busy: spending our kids' inheritance". Can't think of anything more relevant, at the moment. ole joyful

I wish adellabedella! He's a cardiologist and even if he wasn't, she's a health conscience eater. They send food to work for the lab to consume :( It'd break my heart to make something for them, knowing they'd just give it away. Ok, they'd pProbably give it away. Someone tried to give my son a gift card and they wanted me to sign up for a monthly fee based thing along with my SSN. Nope! Heck no! Talk about a waste! I wish I knew how to get one without all that buisness with it. I might get them my trusted bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. Can't go wrong with that, with pears and cheese. She's a gardener, he's not. They travel, but they're GPS-ers and flight users (I love to thumb through atlas, like I do encyclopedias). These are all great gifts, though. You see why I am stuck! But we can use these ideas for other small gift ideas. Y'all tried! I know. I appreciate it! La bien! Ha! That's another work one. But I love getting those Christmas socks. Really, my favorite.