I'm so glad I bought my little house at the end of July. My mortgage payment is $400 less than my rent was. BUT, I still don't have a kitchen (made the house very reasonable). I have some cash and my parents have some to contribute, but now each of our nest eggs has gone down considerably and I'm having to rethink my kitchen. It's not an optional remodel--there's nothing there except my 25 year old dorm fridge and an old microwave.

I interviewed three contractors--the high end guy was out before he even gave me an estimate. The low guy is a handyman and carpenter, but not a licensed GC, so I'm a little wary of how much work it will take (coordinating plumbers, electricians, etc.). The middle guy is a GC and his estimate was reasonable. I've decided to go with custom cabinets because according to those in the know, they aren't that much more than stock cabinets, which will have to be special ordered anyways. I'm not getting soapstone counters or SubZero appliances--just basic but quality small kitchen.

So now I'm thinking I should go with the handyman guy and just get a cheap-o kitchen in there. Ugh! My parents may not be able to help me much after all. My little nest egg is not enough to do the whole job.

And now I'm worried about my job and work--I'm a consultant who depends on state and federal funding programs for my clients. If the budget gets frozen, those programs might be frozen, too, and then there's no work.

What to do? Sleep on it? Go with the middle guy? Go with the handyman guy? I'm getting tired of microwave mac&cheese.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant a bit.