Top 7 ways to Save Money

1. Simplify your design:
   Simply put, less cabinets equals less cost. With the overhead cabinets, do you need as many as you have designed? Can some be added at a later stage? Instead of a corner cabinet for the corner of the kitchen, changing the design to add in a blind cabinet or even a voided space in the corner will save you money. If you have emplyoed the services of a kitchen designer, tell them that you are on a budget and to not 'over-design' it with fancy or expensive cabinetry designs. You will be surprised at how many kitchen designers won't give this a second thought! 

2. Ordering a longer cabinet rather than two smaller ones:
   Rather than designing for 2x 450mm cabinets, make it a single 900mm wide cabinet. Sure, you will not be able to do this for all your cabinets, but even if you were able to do this for one or two, it would save some money.

3. Hinged door cabinets over drawers:
   Having drawers will give you more storage space and make access easier, but drawers are a more expensive option. So instead of ordering a 900mm 3x drawer cabinet, make it a 900mm pair of doors instead. Or if you have to have drawers, maybe you can have 2x drawers rather than 3x drawers.

4. Stop spending on small luxuries:
   Every time you upgrade to a soft close hinge it adds to the cost. Sure, the cost is relatively low for a single hinge, but if you have 20 or 30 hinges it can add up. The same principle applies to drawers, sure, the soft close drawers are nicer, but do you need them on every drawer bank?

5. Material choice:
   This is the one area that can instantly save you money without compromising on the kitchen design layout. The more expensive materials can make the kitchen look nicer, but it will add $$ to the cost. This is typically the main area to look at in reducing the cost, as it has the most dramatic effect on the final price.

6. Set a budget:
   If you don't have any sort of budget, then you have nothing to gauge against or a goal to work towards. Sure, the budget may end up being way off, but having a budget and starting with that mindset instantly puts you in 'saving mode'. Not having a budget at all, means you will more likely add in luxuries right at the start. A budget usually means that when selecting certain items for your cabinetry, you will keep things as basic as possible to give you a base quote. Then you prioritise the extras that you desire, and simply go back into the cabinet and change the options to suit.   

7. Pick-up rather than home delivery:
   If there is a Factory Outlet in your area you can pick this up free of charge and this could save you hundreds. If there is not a factory close enough to you, then selection of a depot is normally the next best thing. There are two types of depots: If you can select from a 'Depot -1' option, this means that it is a factory to depot direct and is a little cheaper than selecting a 'Depot -2' option (which is a satellite depot option).

Even if you only stick to one of the tips above you will save money! You might be saying, "But there are some things that I will not go without". If that is the case, saving as much money as possible is not the highest priority for you, and this becomes a simple process of prioritizing your 'must haves', against the cost of those 'must haves'. Kitchen design is all about compromises, weighing up what you want against the cost, determining if it is worth it and then looking to see if it fits within your budget.