I am super frugal too, and I think for us frugal people, we have to just come to terms with the fact that if you want a new kitchen, it's gonna cost money!

I think in the 2K-4K range, the only cabinetry available would be Ikea.

It helped for me to talk to previous customers of my cabinet maker and one lady in particular started out by explaining she was the most frugal person on earth and it was so hard to bite the bullet and now that her kitchen is done, it was the best money ever spent and she would do it 1,000 times over.

There have been threads on here before about regretting doing a kitchen with not one response expressing regret.

Also, it helps that you should recoup at least some of the money in an eventual sale or at bare minimum sell the house faster. As my DH has said, "our house wouldn't ever sell with the kitchen it had in it, especially by keeping it for ANOTHER 5-10 years before we move. May as well do it now while WE can enjoy it instead of just before selling!"

I agree with your husband. If you can afford to "go new" I think you will be much happier in the long run. That said,redoing a kitchen in a major under taking. So, so many choices. I suspect you don't have a kitchen favorite yet. Go to the finished kitchen blog and start really looking at the kitchens. This will help figure out what direction you want to go in. You are lucky that you found this forum before you started to renovate. (I wish I had) You will be able to access so much information and support along the way. It is great that you like to econmize but sometimes when you do a refresh, for not that much more you can have new.

Thanks - needsometips08 - the original $2000 cabinet cost was only going to be for a new island and sink cabinet. The rest of the cabinets were staying.
We are going to save alot on the install - an out of town friend is a builder and will be basically doing it for pennies. He's doing another job in the area so I'm being pushed to make a decision, like now.

On the other hand, those "washed" cabinets paint up well. I had the bleached maple cabinets--also "pink"--and had them painted white and it looks just great. I couldn't justify new cabinets because the others were in excellent shape.

Being frugal-going-on-cheap myself, I would paint them if they were in good shape. That was the original plan for our kitchen until we realized they weren't in good shape :( I LOVE white cabs, or I think someone here painted them an espresso color that was beautiful also. There's also refinishing/refacing, but I don't know anything about those options.

Sometimes going with all new is the best option even if you are frugal. If I read your post right, the changes you are making to your kitchen are pretty significant and could end up being more involved than it seems at this point.

What about the old space where your cooktop or range is now? Do you need to add something there or is that cabinet really worth saving when you could upgrade the space for better storage? If you redo the layout for the dishwasher are you losing storage space you could gain if you get new cabinets?

That bleached oak finish is nearly impossible to remove. I've tried it and no matter how hard you work at it the new stain will look blotchy so painting or gel stain is the best option for refinishing.

Just some ideas to think about.

I'd say paint them. We got new cabinets because they were out of style (no functional problems). I wish I just replaced the island and painted the perimeter cabinets. I didn't enjoy the design and layout process and had many headaches. We'll actually have less cabinet space than we had before. I'm sure I will love the new cabs, but I drained my savings and got a 'second shift' job figuring this out. White painted cabinets with a cherry island is just gorgeous, btw.

Your cabinets are 20-30 years old. They are missing modern amenities - some examples: large drawer storage of pots and pans, pantries with pull out shelves, deep storage over the ref and supersusans. Plus the ability to have wider cabinets- yours might be maxed at about 24" wide

Its very hard to tell what will happen if you de-install some of them and try to re-arrange them. I have zippo idea how your cabinets are made or if yorktown was an OK brand 30 years ago.

Hth and best wishes for a speedy decision.

I was going to put my sink where my old stove was - so I would need a new sink base - have to try to "match" the old cabs "new" color (my thoughts were to darken them not go white) - ok- I guess that really won't work huh.
But when I look at "redesigning" I come up with the same design - except I have now moved the fridge to the other side & added some bells & whistles like bmorepanic says.
So - it looks like we'll prob go new So after this w/e I have to buckle down and really DECIDE on EVERYTHING.
Suggestions on a "creamy" colored granite anyone?
Thanks for helping me decide

ROTFL!!! You say there's nothing wrong "But sink is in the corner, appliances are older and there is no dishwasher, no place to put one with current layout & the vinyl floor has no more shine left. I think you've made the right decision. It's like the way I was taught to buy cars: Buy a good car for cash, new, without anybody else's problems, and drive it until it's ready to retire (minimum 10 years, current one is on 15). I spend a lot less on cars than people I know who buy a used one every couple of years. I planned my kitchen to last the rest of my life.

The best way to choose granite is to go see it, especially if you can see it in natural sunlight.

The best way to work out your layout design is to draw your space to scale as accurately as you can, mark the doors, windows, etc. Go to the manufacturer's websites to get the measurements for the appliances you want. Then post your plan here. Get lots of TKO (totally kitchen obsessed) eyes looking at it.

yep, post your LO here. include measurements of walls, doorways, windows...