Drove 40 miles to a lumber yard in Modesto to save $1.10 a board, and I'm still not sure I made the right call

Alex Cooper · 2026-09-28T03:30:04.838307+00:00

So last month I needed about 60 boards for some shelving I was building at home. The big box near me wanted $6.85 each, but a yard out in Modesto quoted me $5.75. I did the math and it looked like an easy $66 saved, so I drove out there on a Saturday morning. Thing is, two of the boards were warped and I had to make a second trip, which ate up most of the savings in gas. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I should have just paid the extra and stayed local.

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Drove 40 miles to a lumber yard in Modesto to save $1.10 a board, and I'm still not sure I made the right call | Ask Anything - SMM Buzz