Spread Sheet

I am using an Excel spread sheet to document the items I want to get for the room. It has the item, how much I will be willing to pay, and how much I actually paid for it. My goal is to come in thousands of $$$ off the original price. For example... I have been searching antique fireplace mantels for the last year. Most of the ones I see in stores, say downtown McKinney, cost upwards of $400. I decided to "budget" $200 for one. I found a Mantel I LOVED on craigslist and after bargaining the seller down we landed on $50! That is a savings of $150!

Moral of the story....you can ALWAYS get the look for less. NEVER settle!