However, I think it's all fake and totally overboard with regard to costs.... $10-30k to remodel a kitchen? (I know people spend that or even more but really?!?)
I bought appliances, pretty middle of the road (whirlpool brand, nothing super special) for about $4500. $1700 fridge, $1100 oven, $300 microwave, $700 dishwasher, $500 delivery/setup, plus tax. That's half the $10k budget and it doesn't touch ANYTHING else in the kitchen. (the only other things I did in the kitchen was new cabinet pulls for ~$100, new outlets/switches/fixtures/plates for maybe $150 (white/white to grey/stainless, makes a HUGE difference) and a steam clean/regrout of the tiles ($250 or so). Touch cabinets/countertops/backsplash and you're at that $10k number EASY. $30k+ is harder, that's either going real high-end on the cabinets, appliances, and countertops, or making structural changes to walls and such.
How do they find all these people with 2-3mm "budgets" to buy islands??? Or an extra $300+k for a weekend or summer home near the water? Its insane.
Islands is somewhat silly, but I know plenty of people who bought vacation homes in various places, and basically all it costs them is the downpayment. Lay out 20%, and then rental income can often easily cover the mortgage/taxes/insurance/upkeep if you buy correctly. It's actually a pretty saavy way to fund your retirement home. I know a guy who got pretty substantial employer stock grants and bonuses, and wasn't happy with the direction of the company, so he would cash it all out and buy up property. He's got over $1M of vacation property that rented just a few weeks a year is self-sustaining (taxes, insurance, and upkeep), and the stock he sold to buy it would be nearly worthless today.