In a constant attempt to minimize renovation costs, Tyler and I routinely search the web for the best deals on materials. Over the past week, we purchased some of our plumbing fixtures from an on-line retailer. The only downside to this was that Tyler and I would have to travel to Peoria, Illinois, in order to pickup our fixtures.

We started on our way around 9:00am Saturday morning. By 11:30 we had arrived at our destination. We confirmed payment for our order and then proceeded to the warehouse. Unfortunately, nobody had informed the warehouse that we were on our way. So, we had to burn two hours in Peoria while our order was gathered at the warehouse. This ended up working well as Tyler and I had an errand to run at the local Best Busy and we also needed lunch. So, after an hour and a half, we ventured back to the warehouse to find our order waiting for us.

Unfortunately, an inventory oversight meant that two of our three toilets weren't available. Since the toilets are new and not discontinued, Tyler and I can easily go to any of the local retailers that carry Kohler products and purchase two matching toilets. So, the retailer refunded our money for the two missing toilets and we started on our way home. After making a side trip, we arrived home around 7:00pm.

A table that gives a summary of how much we saved on our little trip can be found below. All-in-all, we spent ~$1,900 on materials that would have retailed for ~$3,900. So, our half day trek saved us ~$2,000.