Champagne Taste. . . Beer Budget!

I have been cursed with expensive taste. I say cursed because it means that when we are looking for something, I inevitably choose the most expensive item, and it is usually not in the budget. In the same way, I have learned not to order anything that is "market price" at a restaurant. Same goes for the daily specials - if the server does not state the price, it may be safer to order off the menu (hearkening back to a Mother's Day dinner when I was 15, and said "sure, I'll try the caviar").

I honestly don't try to pick the more expensive item. It's not like I look at all the prices and choose the higher one. Case in point - when I was getting pricing for our ensuite tub replacement (unplanned - the original cracked and leaked - that's another story in itself) last fall, I also had to price a new faucet and taps for the tub. There is a whole display wall of faucet and tap sets at the plumbing supply store, but none of them have the cost labeled (because there are different finishes available which alter the cost, and also the prices are different for consumer vs contractor). I told the sales associate that I was looking for a reasonably priced faucet, hoping that she would point out a few that fell within the parameters. But no, she asked me to choose a few that I liked. When I told her that it wasn't a good idea, because I would almost certainly pick the most expensive, she laughed and told me to pick one from each line (American Standard, Moen, etc). Fine, I decided to play. I picked one from each of the four major lines that they carried. And she was shocked. Two of the four were the most expensive, one was second, and the other third. I managed not to say "I told you so".

I must say, though, that I have become very creative at achieving the high end look I am inspired by with less expensive pieces. For example, our family room has a Pottery Barn look that was mostly purchased at IKEA. And our dining room buffet and hutch was inspired by a Century piece that cost $10 000. We found an identically styled one for under $2000, which left enough to purchase the dining room table and chairs! Sometimes there is no alternative - there is only one Grohe LadyLux Cafe kitchen faucet, but I managed to keep the cost somewhat reasonable by choosing the least expensive finish. Sometimes I think of how nice it would be not to have to budget, to be able to afford the high-end pieces that I like. But then I wonder if we would appreciate them as much. It's quite satisfying to look at a room and see how well the overall look matches my vision, yet to know that it hasn't broken the bank. So bring on the decorating magazines (to which I have a more-than-mild addiction). And then let me loose in IKEA and Homesense to recreate the look for less! It's actually kinda fun.