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There are several ways to save money on a bathroom remodel through proper planning and savvy design strategies. To reduce costs, consider the following:

• Purchase your own materials: Buy your own bathroom fixtures, hardware, and other materials to avoid contractor upcharges and delivery fees.

• Shop smart for big-ticket items: Save on pricey items like tiles and tubs by shopping sales and at discount stores.

• Avoid major layout changes: Keep plumbing in its current location. Opt to replace fixtures rather than moving them to avoid significant renovation work.

• Focus on high-impact, low-cost updates: Make affordable but impactful smaller changes, such as upgrading hardware, installing new lighting, and adding stylish but economical accessories.

• DIY where possible: Handle easier parts of the remodel yourself, like painting or installing light fixtures, to save on labor costs.

• Time your remodel strategically: Consider remodeling in the spring, which tends to be a lower-demand time of year and may result in lower costs.

It is okay to use a drain auger on a toilet, just make sure you are using the correct tip size. The auger is a plumbing snake with a protective sleeve to protect the porcelain toilet bowl from getting scratched. Using too large of an auger can cause the snake to loop back and damage the inside of the drain and plumbing.

The Thanksgiving holiday period is one of the busiest times of the year for plumbers. Both Thanksgiving Day and the day after, often called Black Friday or "Brown Friday" by plumbing professionals, see a significant increase in service requests. This is because a house full of guests, large holiday meals, and unfamiliarity with the home's plumbing can lead to clogged drains, garbage disposal issues, and sewer line backups. Outside of the holidays, the busiest weekdays for plumbers are typically Monday and Tuesday, as many people discover plumbing problems over the weekend but wait to call for service. Despite the holiday, you can rest assured that many plumbers work on Thanksgiving and Black Friday to handle the surge in emergency calls.

Snaking a toilet is similar to clearing sinks and bathtubs, but there are unique circumstances where you’d have to drain, disassemble, and remove the toilet to fix the clog. For stubborn clogs in the toilet trap, a toilet auger—designed with a shorter cable and a protective plastic encasing—can navigate the tight bends and clear the clog without risking damage to the porcelain.