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.

Hi Kath, Congrats on getting your nursing degree! I'm sure you worked VERY hard for it! Use the DOLLAR STORES, esp. for laundry/cleaning items, Deoderant, toothpaste, misc. cutlery, glassware, plastic storage containers, etc. Get that crockpot out and use it! I work 2 jobs and I am so thankful for my crockpot! Plan ahead for meals, especially with you working. Get a FOODSAVER and make ahead meals and freeze them. Get the mixed salads at the lower cost grocery stores, roast some chicken...you've got dinner for that evening and a meal to take to work the next day! Take your own lunch and snacks to work. Refill water bottles. Buy a filter for the sink or a filtered water container. $10 at Walgreen. $5 to renew the filter every 3 months. Drink more water instead of fruity drinks or soda. You'll be surprised how you will get used to in and REALLY only WANT water. Buy secondhand clothing for yourself and your kids. CONSIGN any good clothes you need to get rid of, shoes, purses, belts. Our local Goodwill stocks underwear by HANES...'seconds' I guess. They sell for 80 cents apiece. Sell your nursing books you don't want to keep on the Internet (amazing.com half.com) Good Luck!

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

If you haven't been paying off full balance owing on credit card debt, cut spending back as much as possible, to get on track, or back on track, of bringing the debt balance owing on the card(s) to zero each month. This is especially important on balances owing on store-issued cards, for most of them charge interest at over 25% annual rate. Regular Credit cards often charge 15% - 18% annual rate. I just received a report on my Line of Credit which, fully secured by equities, and unused at present, says that they are charging interest rate of 4.5% at present. That's a major extra benefit with owning liquid assets - they can be used as collateral for loans at much lower rates than that charged on unsecured loans. They add to one's peace of mind if one suffers temporary layoff, or termination due to downsizing, etc. It might be wise to take on one of those card offers that allow zero, or low, rate of interest on balances transferred in for several months. Check carefully whether there are extra fees, penalties, etc. Likely plan to charge nothing on such new cards, as many require that your future payments will go to pay off the low rate debt transferred in before your payments can be used to pay off amount owing on the new purchases. Which means that, after a few months, you'd be back in the situation where you had rebuilt a substantial debt balance on which you were required to pay interest at their regular high rate. Unless you could find a new carrier willing to carry balances transferred in at a low introductory rate. Check out all of the terms and conditions first, though, to avoid unpleasant surprises, later. Make a resolution to purchase gifts for various birthday, anniversary, Christmas and other gifting occasions when you find relevant products at any time of the year. That will avoid the stress of calculating how to afford Christmas just after Thanksgiving, this fall. Much of your costs will have been incurred at various times during the year when they were less stressful than if they're bunched together at Christmas. As I've often said, "Learning how money works is an interesting hobby - that pays well". I publish an occasional newsletter dealing with such subjects, as my years as a personal financial advisor led be to feel distress that so many people know so little about effective money management. Single copy free to anyone with email capability who asks. As many seem to judge that something received at no cost has little value, and the newsletter distills a lifetime of regular experience as well as substantial financial experience and training, I charge a negotiable fee for continuing to receive it, usually asking that much of it go to chjarities, including some international ones, for there are millions of homeless refugees in the world, wondering how they can feed their children when employmentis so scarce. Good wishes to each of you for as low-stress money management as possible. Good wishes to all for a memorable New Year. joyful guy/Ed