Smart Shopping: Home Projects

WSVN -- A new kitchen or bath can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Fresh landscaping, $5,000 to $10,000, but you can cut those costs in half if you know where to shop.

Nancy Daly, Habitat Re-Store: "Some of our items are new, some are slightly used."

Nancy Daly runs the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in Fort Lauderdale. She says they have some great items in stock right now that can help you save big on some summer projects.

Nancy Daly: "The bricks are just a fraction of the cost. The bricks are $60 a cube our price, and about $225$250 if you were to go pay retail price for them."

You can use these bricks to make an outdoor fireplace, a barbecue stand or to set up a garden, and if you want to spark up a grill this summer...

Nancy Daly: "You're looking right now at a grill that is a natural gas grill. This would retail for $2,500 new, and it's slightly used, and we're selling it for $550."

That's a savings of almost $2,000. To get ready for this year's hurricane season, they've got shutters in all sizes.

Nancy Daly: "They are especially a good buy if you buy the longer ones, and you can cut them in half, and get two out of one panel. They are $2 a linear foot."

Now, if your planning to redesign your kitchen...

Jim: "We are buying cabinets today for the kitchen."

They've got a variety of cabinets.

Nancy Daly: "They come in a box just like this.You can buy exactly what you want to create in your kitchen."

You'll save nearly 50 percent, and don't forget about the screws.

Nancy Daly: "This is usually where we find the men. They get to put anything in here that they want. It's like the penny candy jar, and it's 50 cents a pound."

Moving on to the bathroom...

Nancy Daly: "We have everything from small ones with the imitation marble tops, and this is really more country or traditional. All the way down to the contemporary. I love this."

And if you want new floors, there's everything from carpet to wood to tile.

Nancy Daly: "This is a typical floor tilling, and that's a dollar a square foot. These marble squares are beautiful they're $3 a square foot."

And smart shoppers know this is the place to start when planning a project.

"I've got great deals. I've got bed stuff, I've gotten refrigerator stuff."

"Everything's like one tenth of the price."

Reed Cowan: "At the Habitat for Humanity Re-store, you'll not only be saving money but giving back to the community. The store generates enough income every month to build a new house for a needy family."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Habitat Re-Store
505 W Broward Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
954-763-7771
www.habitat.org