Checkout Shock.

The other day, I dropped into the supermarket to grab a few ingredients for dinner.

I quickly glanced at the price of each item before dropping it into my basket. Like everything else, groceries have jumped in price, but each seemed quite reasonable—eight dollars here, four dollars there.  

I went to the self-checkout (although I could have gone through the express lane with my scant few items) and scanned each item before tapping ‘Pay Now’.

$97.12! What the…? How did that escalate so quickly?  

A similar scenario often unfolds when undertaking a new home build or major reno. Each product, material or trade seems reasonable when considered in isolation. But your build price is the sum of all its parts and can easily escalate beyond anticipation. (And likely more than my comparatively meagre $97.12.) 

Had I estimated the cost of my shopping before I went to Coles, I could have changed the dinner plan, selected different brands or reduced quantities if I wanted or needed to. But once standing at the checkout, it was too late without great effort and inconvenience.

Foresight is a wonderful thing. It might be overkill for a quick visit to the supermarket, but it would be well worth it for something as big and expensive as your home build project.