My latest four-letter word obsession is . . .

IKEA.

I'm officially in the full-frontal kitchen porn business. As anyone who has gone through this knows, the cabinets are the most expensive part of the kitchen (or should be). So it only stands to reason that I should pick out my cabinets first, right? Easier said than done. As I mentioned before, my most vivid fantasies have happened in IKEA. That's probably because I have stayed out of the higher-end kitchen showrooms. The truth is, I have Anthony Bourdain tastes and a Paula Deen budget. Why should I tempt myself with goodies that I really, really can't have? I get good inspiration at IKEA, and hey, I actually got a great kitchen plan there. Without IKEA I would be still just drooling over a magazine somewhere.

We had pretty much decided that no, IKEA cabinets are not for us. But then, as a tease, an email appeared in my inbox. That can only mean one thing: 20 percent off! Holy cow. I mean, IKEA was already much less expensive. This was a big deal. Think of all the other, um, toys, I could buy? So back to IKEA I went - this time dragging my husband, who had steadfastly refused to even consider them. But even he was lured by the price.

So what do you think happened? Yup. He was "fine" with IKEA, but on closer consideration - and by close, I mean my head was literally stuffed inside the back of a cabinet - I decided, no, at the end of the day, this just would not make us (OK, me), happy. How much would I save? $5,000? Nothing to sneeze at, sure, but over the course of years, a true custom kitchen would both make me happiest and count more toward resale. And considering how much action happens in our kitchen, it pays to get it right. So back to the drawing board we go. But at least I have my kitchen plan to work from!