Cutting costs

This seems to be a theme in my life right now. Okay, before i start i will state another disclaimer. That is as i try to figure out what to post i am having a hard time differentiating a journal and blog. I know that someday i will actually tell someone that i have a blog and thus all my posts will be subject to thoughts and responses from everyone. My journal, well i wouldn't share that to anyone and so i can pretty much create this stream of consciousness that only i and maybe my sister can appreciate. As if this just doesn't prove my point.

Back to cutting costs - I am trying to live more fully within a budget. I am also supposed to be thinking of the total amount of money that i would need to support myself, a child and a husband (husband- mostly just food costs) on a monthly basis. It is a difficult thing for me. I feel like i am pretty frugal and live pretty cheaply but at the end of the month - no money. I am working on it.

I work at an Interior Design Firm. Our business is high end residential design. Cutting costs seems to be a theme there also. Our client the S_ family is building a second house in the area, not a cabin, they already have one in Jackson Hole that would put any cabin i know off to shame. This is more of a ranch house with a barn for their horses, lots of room to entertain and although i don't understand this - lots of desert landscape - i am not a fan. The builder gave them the estimated costs (without the Architect's and Designer's fees) the estimated total was 6 million dollars. They responded that they only wanted to spend about 3 million. We are scrambling to cut costs with out ruining the desired effect of the house. (how about not spending 90 thousand on your pool)

Client number 2 the D_ family. This house is going to be amazing. I am excited to see it finished. This is going to be a french farmhouse including actual reclaimed elements from original buildings in France. Anyways the D_'s are were not sparing any expense until their costs exceeded 6 million as well. They only budgeted 5 million. So they are going "cheap" on a few things.
man life is hard.