update yourself [continued].

This entire kitchen update started for REALLY REAL in mid-February, when I ordered a new refrigerator and range. I'm not sure I can tell you exactly why, but I gave myself separate Appliance and Everything Else budgets for the renovation. Maybe it made the price tags easier to stomach? I don't know, I'm sure February-2012-era-me had some solid logic behind it, but the end result is that I gave myself $2,000 to update the appliances. I didn't think I would even come close. Ha. Hahaha. The twin rules of kitchen renovation, which "friends" have regaled me with repeatedly over the last nine months, are that everything will take twice as long and cost twice as much as expected. Truth: I will want to smack you twice as hard when you share that "wisdom" with me in your patronizing tone. Just sayin'.

Well? I may have spent more than I imagined, but I actually came in only $10 over budget. WORD.

Here's the breakdown.


Refrigerator:
Frigidaire Gallery 22.6 cubic feet Side-by-Side Counter-Depth Refrigerator
Originally: $1169.10
Purchased for: $701.46 (in scratch & dent section at Lowe's)
Extra cost: $182.06 for tax + protection plan + new water line
Worth it?: Fo shizzle. I mean, it was almost 40% off! It's a great size (counter-depth but still has a spacious interior), totally reliable so far, and has perfected the "stainless look." It matches the rest of our stainless steel appliances, but it has a magical veneer that prevents fingerprints from mucking it up. Hooray for soothing my anal-retentive tendencies.

Pic from here

Range:
GE 30-inch Freestanding Electric Range
Originally: $579
Purchased for: $470.36 (on sale + 5% off with Lowe's credit card)
Extra cost: $20 for longer range cord
Worth it?: No doubt. We were looking for electric coils due to my fear of glass tops (I've heard horror stories and didn't want to have to be precious with it), and this model looks expensive without actually being costly. Plus, the knobs are up in the display, which prevents children and errant hip bones from switching the burners on.

Pic from here

Range hood:
Zephyr Tamburo 30-inch Under-Cabinet Range Hood, CFM 290
Originally/Purchased for: $519
Extra cost: $59.68 for ductless conversion kit
Worth it?: Absosmurfly. I was actually hoping to stay under $1,500 for appliances, even though I'd allotted $2,000, and I could have easily purchased a stainless range hood for around $100 and achieved that goal. But this one...it called to me like the curvy siren that it is. I loved the idea of the rounded front breaking up all the lines and squares in my kitchen, and it was totally different from anything I'd seen. It functions beautifully (quiet yet powerful), and it makes a style statement. Love.

Pic from here

Toaster:
Breville Mini Smart Oven
Originally: $149.99
Purchased for: $0. This beauty was a gift from awesome family friends. 
Extra cost: None.
Worth it?: YESH. I mean, it was a gift, so we ain't looking in any horse mouths - but regardless of its cost, we would still be in lurrrve. We especially lurve the "A Bit More" option. You know when your toast is allllmost perfect, but could just use...well, a bit more? Press this magical button, and that bit is all yours. And it's oh-so-pretty...

Pic from here

Microwave:
GE 0.7 cubic foot Countertop Microwave
Originally: $99
Purchased for: $57 (in the clearance section at Home Depot)
Extra cost: My pride. 
Worth it?: Yes. Yes, it was worth my pride. See, this is, once again, the same appliance that John & Sherry from Young House Love purchased for their kitchen, and hot (micro)waves of shame coursed through me when I realized I had accidentally stalked them again, like I did with the fridge. It really was an accident, though! I was looking for any teeny microwave that would fit on the new microwave shelf. I perused Target, two Lowe's stores, and one Home Depot before hitting up a second Home Depot. The appliance dude there directed me to a back corner that held just a few microwaves. He spun a long, torrid tale of how, for some reason, HD hadn't been restocking microwaves, so these last few were left to rot. This baby was the only tiny one. It had been a display model (more like SUPERmodel, amiright?!) and had sticker residue all over the top stainless bar, but Goo Gone took care of that in a cinch. Plus, I got to barter with the HD dude...sort of. The sticker price was $99, and I offered $75, since it had been abandoned anyway. Tilting his head to the side, he considered, and then said, "Why don't I just give it to you for $60?" Um, WHAT OKAY. And then, somehow, the actual price worked out to $57. Woo woo! WORTH IT. Also, Sherry and John, maybe I will stop stalking you when you stop being so stalk-able. (Social worker, blaming the victims. Sigh.)

Pic from here

Sink/Faucet:
Undermount sink: (?? allen + roth; it came with our countertop, but I can't find a price online)
Faucet: Kohler Cruette Pulldown Kitchen Faucet in Vibrant Stainless

Pic from here

Pic from here

Originally: Sink - $? (not sure, but similar models sell for around $300), faucet - $275, although Home Depot has it for $224 right now (boo)
Purchased for: Sink came free with countertop; faucet was $265.50
Extra cost: None (installation even ended up being free because they were replacing our broken disposal at the same time)
Worth it?: Uh-huh. Sink is killer. The faucet? Well, I most certainly was not planning to splurge on a faucet. In fact, I...maybe forgot I was going to have to get a faucet. I think I thought I was just going to use the one I already had. And maybe I could have. But then the plumber was over to fix our garbage disposal, and I asked about how much they would charge to hook up the sink once the countertop was installed, and we got a-talkin' about faucets....Next thing I knew, I was knee-deep in Moen and Kohler options, not knowin' which way was up. (I wrote all of that in a cowboy accent. Duh.) I fell for the plumber's lines about durability and beauty, hook, line, and sinker. #PunningAMarathon. Also, this was eight months into our four-month kitchen renovation, and he had the faucet in the truck, so the convenience was priceless. Anyway, the new faucet is super sexy, and we still stayed within the overall budget, so - yes. Worth it.


WRAPPIN' IT UP:

Refrigerator: $883.52
Range: $490.36
Range hood: $578.68
Toaster: (Gift)
Microwave: $57.00
Sink/Faucet: $265.50

TOTAL: $2,275.06

..."BUT WAIT!" thou doth protest. "I thought you said you came in only $10 over budget. That's $275.06 over budget." AKA, an unexpected faucet over budget? Yeah. WELL. I may be a liberal arts/soft sciences graduate three times over, but my math is right on this one. Here's why: CRAAAAAIGSLIIIIIST! (Once again, said like Liz Lemon wants Oprah to say LIZ LEMONNNN!)

Yep, that's right - so far, I've sold our old refrigerator (for $150), our old range (for $100), and our old range hood (for $15), which put $265 back in my pocket, leaving me at $2,010.06. And, actually, I still have a kitchen sink, a faucet, and a countertop oven to list, so maybe the final number will be even lower. OMG HOW CAN YOU STAND THE SUSPENSE.

Also? How much do I love looking at what the total could have been, without discounts and gifts and luck galore? Could have been: $3,052.83. Ew. I saved almost $1,050, plus the money I got back from Craigslist sales. Color me happy.

Coming soon: a budget breakdown of the whole kitchen renovation. But first? Still need to tell y'all all about the pantry, the counter, the backsplash, the lighting, the frame wall...I shall now hop to it! ...And also get some sleep, because apparently I'm getting a little slaphappy up in here.