renovation frustration

honestly, our home renovation has gone so smoothly... considering all that has happened in the last 6 months, i'm quite pleased with how little we have stressed out over the house. no, it isn't easy to try to stay on a budget & do much of the work ourselves. yes, we get tired- matt has done at least 130 hours of physical labor in the last 4 months. (he's pretty amazing, but i knew that i married a superhero!) all in all, i think we have taken it all in stride & kept a good perspective on the whole thing: we are building a home, so it should be a good experience, not a stressful, anger inducing one!

but i have to say i have finally found my "unhappy" place. in an effort to save money, i ordered a LARGE number of our kitchen & bath fixtures online from a large hardware store using a coupon that came in the mail. as i was placing the order from my home computer at 8:00 on a Saturday evening, i thought, "i'm so smart & budget-savvy! look at me saving money and time by ordering online! i'm so awesome." those thoughts will always come back to bite you in the... i then place the order and get the screen that says, "we're sorry, your order could not be placed. please press the back button on your browser & try again- OR- call our customer service line." like an idiot, i did. i placed the order again. smart, yes? i got the same screen again, so i gave up.

30 minutes later, i get a call from the store saying that some of my items are already available to be picked up. mild hyperventilation ensues, then i calmly ask if she can tell me exactly what my entire order includes: 4 bathroom vanities, 8 bathroom light fixtures, 4 bathroom faucets, 2 kitchen sinks & 2 kitchen faucets. yes, double of EVERYTHING. i less calmly ask her if my credit card has already been charged because i'm pretty sure i can't afford this many items! i explained the situation & she assured me she could handle it all & would call me back. and she did- she was amazing. i'm completely re-assured & happy that she saved my...

today, it is about 7 weeks later. we have only received 2 faucets & 1 sink. no vanities, no lights, no kitchen faucet. and NO ONE can find those items. or figure out why they're not in the store. or tell us if we have been charged for the items... which we have, but our credit card statement is not itemized for what has been purchased, only when, where & how much. awesome.

what i have learned:

1. computers are wonderful, but not reliable. don't order expensive & important items online. pick up the phone & talk to a PERSON!

2. don't EVER "press the back button" and try again. dumb dumb dumb.

3. ALWAYS ask for a confirmation number, receipt, order number, etc. you'd think i would know this from all my years working in healthcare & dealing with insurance companies. again: dumb, dumb, dumb.

i'm sure i learned more things, but i'm on cold medicine right now & can't think of them.

good night!

these are completely unrelated pictures, but i have to add something for Grandma!

PLEASE don't leave "i told you so" comments, grandma- i know. : )