Wow. My dh finally admitted (aloud and to another person) that I (ME, YES, ME!!!) could take all (okay, most of) the credit for us easily getting pre-approved for a mortgage to buy a house!!! I'm a sahm and have scrimped and saved and payed off debt for the past 5 years. Anyway, now that all that hard work has paid off, it's time to spend money on our new house. Our loan should be closing at the end of next week, and the work begins! We couldn't afford a new house so we have a "fixer-upper" so to speak. The list is huge of things that need to be done. Nothing MAJOR other than the kitchen (no appliances, old, old few cabinets). So the kitchen will need all new everything except floor...including a wall. The rest of the house needs painted and trim/doors stained. And we actually have to move. I know this can be expensive. So, I'm looking for any and all of your tips and hints for saving money while moving and remodeling/updating a home. The following is what we'll be doing to save money already:

• We have lots of family/friends/dh's coworkers that have volunteered to help, from moving, to painting, to kitchen work.
• My dh works at a rental yard, so we have FREE access to trailers, wallpaper steamers, carpet cleaners, any tool imaginable, etc.
• Dh has 3 stores saving boxes for us to pack up.
• Although I'm not a fan of credit cards, I applied for a Lowe's card. They have special deals that coorespondes with appliances if you use your card. I will pay off the balance each month, and build my credit score. (Get 10% off a dishwasher if you use your card, etc)
• We already bought a used stainless steel refridgerator for 1/2 the price of brand new (it's only 2 years old)

That's about all I've got so far. I'm concerned about my food budget. I try to keep it pretty lean, but with all that's going to be going on, I know there's going to be times when take-out is the only option. We're planning on redoing the kitchen while still living at our current home. This will mean lots of driving back and forth and dinner will be limited to what I can make w/o a kitchen...I'm thinking sandwiches, cereal, crockpot (started at home then taken to the new house to finish cooking), griddle cooking, and cooking on the grill at the new house. Any more easy and simple ways to have warm meals w/o access to a full kitchen? The other food-concern-area is all the helpers. Dh has tons of "I owe you's" built up from helping others with projects. To pay them, you don't use money, you give them food and beer. Beer's not cheap, but what can I make a bunch of hungry men cheap? So far I'm just trying to come up with filling things that I can "hide" meat in...as in not use a lot of meat...like spaghetti, casseroles, but what else?

 I'm so excited about our new home, but I'm stressing so much with everything I have to do, all while saving money!

Thanks everyone!

GenuineGoldens:

Anyway, now that all that hard work has paid off, it's time to spend money on our new house.

And you are buying in the middle of an awesome buyers' market, too. Congrats!

GenuineGoldens:

Any more easy and simple ways to have warm meals w/o access to a full kitchen?

Do you have a toaster oven? Those keep meals warm. What about moving your microwave over to the new house so you can heat up meals that you've pre-prepared at the old house?

GenuineGoldens:

I'm so excited about our new home, but I'm stressing so much with everything I have to do, all while saving money!

Moving is one of the most stressful experiences in life, other than marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a family member, etc. I wish you the best of success at the new place! (And for peace of mind while you are in transition.)

Oh, sometimes appliance stores (not just Lowe's or Home Depot--check out smaller, family-owned appliance stores) offer 12-months same as cash options for buying big appliances. If you can be on the lookout for deals like this, you can still pay off the purchase over time without accruing interest. Hubbie and I bought our first washer and dryer this way and saved a ton of interest charges.

First - congratulations!!!!

Second, I agree - can you move a microwave over?  You mentioned a grill - I'm assuming that's an outdoor grill - do you have a George Foreman type grill you could take with you in case of bad weather?  Chili is a nice crock pot meal, it keeps well on low heat, and it's cheap to make in quantity; the same goes for tacos or burritos - mix the meat and spices, keep warm in the crock pot, then provide fixings and either taco shells or tortillas.  Once you have an oven in place, take and bake pizzas are pretty cheap, or you could make your own with tortillas; the same goes for quesadillas.  Once the outdoor grill is set up, you can make hot dogs and hamburgers, along with baked potatoes and other vegetables (wrap in foil and bake on the grill, or lay foil over the grill so sliced vegies don't fall through, and cook them that way, with marinade).

If you have to buy takeout, lots of grocery stores sell precooked chicken, either baked or fried, along with side dishes, all much cheaper at the store than at restaurants (Costco and Sam's are even cheaper, for quantity, if you can get to one).

GenuineGoldens:

The other food-concern-area is all the helpers. Dh has tons of "I owe you's" built up from helping others with projects. To pay them, you don't use money, you give them food and beer. Beer's not cheap, but what can I make a bunch of hungry men cheap? So far I'm just trying to come up with filling things that I can "hide" meat in...as in not use a lot of meat...like spaghetti, casseroles, but what else?

My favorite is to make up a big crockpot full of chili, bake a bunch of potatoes & serve them cut in half with butter or margarine, then top with chili, then a spoon of sour cream on top. Hot, filling & cheap, but the best part is the easy aspect - the crockpot cooks the chili in the "new" house & the oven in the "old" house does the potatoes - no tending needed.  Stew in the crockpot with lots of potatoes & carrots, served with any kind of bread works well too.  Stock up on corn chips - they go well with almost anything from a crockpot.If you can borrow an electric roaster oven, it will add to your meal possibilities.

Congratulations on your home!!!  Check to see if there is a Habitat for Humanity "ReStore" anywhere close to you - they have awesome deals on paint, cabinets, handles, door knobs, tile - - all sorts of remodeling needs. I belong to freecycle & have taken unwanted lumber & paint off other people's hands for them, quite happily, I might add :D ! I could not have done nearly as many fruit shelves in my "cubby" without using this resource. If you have computer access, you can check it out at freecycle.org - - I have found it very worthwhile & a great way to keep my re-useable stuff out of the landfill, & give others things they can use for free. 

One caution, learned from experience: DO NOT have any beer at the old place, only at the new place, after most of the work of loading has been done. This will reduce the chances of accidental damage to furniture and walls from well-meaning but tipsy friends. Don't ask how I know this.

Walt34:

One caution, learned from experience: DO NOT have any beer at the old place, only at the new place, after most of the work of loading has been done. This will reduce the chances of accidental damage to furniture and walls from well-meaning but tipsy friends. Don't ask how I know this.

Walt, you've sparked our curiosity...

Thank you for all the suggestions. I never thought about taking over a microwave! While we usually just use ours to reheat things, I know there's lots you can "cook" in one.

Yes, we have access to trailers (we actually have 2 of our own), a co-worker even has a box trailer that they said we could use. If need be, there's even a roll-back truck (flat bed tow truck) at dh's disposal.

Keep the ideas coming!

Homefries are a great, filling way to feed grown men: a little onion, oil, and chopped potatoes go a long way. Homefries can be served as a side item to anything! They can be made ahead & reheated easily.

For crowds like this I cook a pork roast and 2 pounds of pinto beans until roast falls apart and beans are mushy (looks like refried beans).  I use my turkey roaster.   Add Mexican spices.  Have cheese, chopped onions, peppers, salsa, cooked/diced potatoes, avocado available and let them pack their own burritos.  

 Kitchen in progress:  we went for 6 months w/o a kitchen!  What you can do to fix totally awesome food for groups--think outside the box.  You don't really need a "kitchen" as defined in North America.  You need running water, which you will have.  THEN: crockpots, microwave, electric skillet, electric griddle, electric roaster, a grill, coffeemaker, toaster, toaster oven.  Any combo of these items or all these items and you have what is needed. 

Buying on credit:  don't do this.  You found a nice used stainless steel fridge.  I would suggest finding good working used applieances off of craigslist or at rummage sales whiel you save cash up for the "dream" kitchen down the road.  Ditto on purchasing cabinets on credit.  Look on craigslist and at rummage sales.  Make do.  Nothing wrong with inexpensive open shelving for the next few years while you save cash up. 

Food:  soups, stews, sandwiches, snacks, desserts, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, etc.  You can make it a BYOB, and that is what I would do. Perhaps time to start a new tradition.   Tasty and filling doesn't have to be expensive.

Moving: sell all the accumulated "stuff" that you really don't need.  You can make a small fortune with one huge well advertised rummage sale.  Don't NOT sell un-needed "stuff" because yo think it is worth more than what anybody has offered.  It is only worth the dollar amount a buyer is willing to give you.