We have budgeted $5,000 to replace our heating system this summer. (It is the original system now almost 50 years old. We were lucky it got us through this past winter.)
Unfortunately, the first estimate came in at $6,000!
Then we heard about a new type of heating system called Acadia that can dramatically cut your heating expenses because it doesn't use oil or gas. Of course, this type of system can initially cost up to $15,000 to install.
We have some research and thinking and more estimates to get, but it seems like we might have budgeted a bit too low for this.