Read the whole thing. I agree that budget is something we as freelancers need to know from the start. Not so we can get as much money from the client as we can, but because it gives us a lot of info:

• Does the client know how much a custom designed/developed site costs?
• Did they do their homework? Did they prepare? Do they know how much work a site is for them?

Like Sam said, if you don’t ask for the budget up front, to me, you look like a scam.