Research - A huge part of remodeling

One thing that surprised me about our massive remodel is how much time I spend doing research and how little time I spend "working." Almost everything house related is incredibly complex and costly, so I spend a lot of time educating myself on performance, price, vendor reputation, etc. It's a similar process most people go through when they buy something large like a car or tv - start with a vague notion of what you want, talk to people, go to stores, research specific brands, try a few, repeat various steps until ready to buy.

For each house thing you need, there are many options. Even something simple like a light switch involves a lot of choices. Get into something more complex and consequential like flooring and the decision is huge.

One reason for the complexity is that there is just too much information. When I began researching flooring, I was looking at hardwood and wanted to see if this was appropriate for kitchen use. Seems like a simple, straightforward question, right? But I was faced with the full range of opinions from "I've been a professional floor installer for 30 years and wouldn't use hardwood in a kitchen if you paid me to" to "I've been a professional floor installer for 30 years and wouldn't use anything but hardwood in a kitchen if you paid me to" and everything in between! How is a DIY'er supposed to make any sense of this? The biggest challenge I've faced as a DIY'er is not using tools or acquiring skills but sorting through information. I think people often hire out work they could do themselves for just this reason. On the flooring alone, this is only one of many decisions - use wood? what species of wood? how thick? what factory finish? what manufacturer? how long to let it sit before installing? install with staples, nails, glue or float? These are just a fraction of the many questions to answer before buying flooring, and each one has a range of opinions on it. I am now leaning toward laminate, which is really easy to install and needs no finishing so it could be installed in just a few days. The actual installation will take about 1/10 th of the time it took me to select my flooring.

I have to say, this particular circuit in my brain is getting burned out after 2 1/2 years. Each new decision I say, "This isn't that important, I'll just pick something" and that turns out not to be impossible. Right now, we are working on a garage door. I always took garage doors for granted. I never thought of the intricacies of buying one. I started just looking for a "basic" white door with a few windows. Not to be had. There is no such thing as a basic door once you start shopping. Say that to a salesperson and he will have at least 20 options for you, each of which changes the price and/or performance. There is a huge variation in pricing too - you can spend just a few hundred on up to tens of thousands on a garage door.

What was surprising to me is that when we bought this house and decided to do a lot of the work ourselves, I pictured myself spending most days in work clothes doing the physical work. I don't think I am alone in this perception. The reality has been that my actual time spent doing physical work has been a really small fraction of total time spent. I spend the vast majority of my remodeling time in front of the computer, on the phone or going to stores. That has been disappointing as I much prefer the physical work part.

The right tool for the job - a good paper shredder

This is such a common idea, to have the right tool for the job, but it is such a useful and relevant one. I often thwart myself with my desire to live a minimalist lifestyle by denying myself the proper tools for what I need to do. I think purchases through carefully and anything I buy has to be justified to myself.

Years ago, I bought a simple, inexpensive 5-page at a time shredder. It never was appropriate for my needs. I shred everything with my name on it and all my receipts as well as personal documents such as notes and lists, which I know is more than some people shred. We live in an area where trash is regularly rifled through several times before it is picked up, and I'm just not willing to have my personal information so available to so many people. I am also doing a massive purge of my husbands files which he accumulated before I was in the picture, so the bottom line is I shred a lot.

My 5-page shredder never did the job. It overheated before I could even do my receipts for a quarter of the year. When I was ready to move to a new quarter, shredding the old stuff took several sessions spread out over days. I often had to abandon a shredding job in the middle and leave boxes and stacks sitting out. This shredder jammed a lot as well since it wasn't designed for heavy use.

About a year ago, I broke down and spent about $100 on a new shredder with a 14-page capacity. I used an Office Depot coupon and got a sizeable discount and then Freecycled the old shredder. This turned out to be one of those purchases where I said "I wish I had done this years ago." I have cut my shredding time by more than half, it never overheats and almost never jams. It is easy to empty and has a large capacity to hold the shreddings. My favorite feature is that I can drop in an entire junk mail envelope without opening it and separating the pages. I cannot believe how much easier this makes the job of shredding.

This is one case where having the right tool really made this job easier, and for years I thwarted myself by denying myself the proper tool. I wish I had prioritized my time and aggravation level more highly and purchased an appropriate shredder sooner.

Make sure you understand credit terms

This title isn't a reference to the current mortgage crisis, it's in reference to deals offering "no interest, no payments for 12 months." LA Times columnist Kathy M. Kristoff has written a great article on the pitfalls of these types of offers. The bottom line of the article is read the fine print, all of it and know exactly what you are getting into.

A common scenario with these offers is that the interest accrues (often at very high rates), and if you don't pay in full before the due date, you are liable for all the interest on the entire amount of the purchase from day 1, not just interest accruing on the unpaid balance from the due date forward.

I would add that a saavy, disciplined person with organized finances may be able to make these deals work for them. Anyone else might end up paying a lot more than they bargained for. I would suggest that people assess their ability to manage the deal honestly before they commit to it. If you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants, everything-will-work-out person then a deal like this may not be a good choice for you. The stores may be counting on a significant portion of the takers to be this kind of person.

Financial matters are incredibly complex. In one of the examples in the article, the consumer was given a 13-page booklet explaining the offer. While it is obviously necessary, who has time to read such an offer? In fact, who has time to read such an offer in a way that enables them to understand it? In fact, I would argue that a lot of people don't have the knowledge to properly interpret such an offer - for example, they may not have ever learned the meaning of complex legal and financial terms used in the offer.

Links to organizing blogs

I like to feed my brain a steady diet of information that keeps my on track, motivated and thinking in a way that supports my goals. One topic I read a lot about is organizing and decluttering. That may be 2 topics, but they seem pretty closely linked in my mind.

Professional Organizer Jeri Dansky is one of my favorite daily reads, she has compiled a list of organizers who blog.

Part 1
Part 2

I am excited to start reading some of these new-to-me blogs.

One bag travel

I am a big fan of traveling light. When I first started traveling right after college, I was a heavy packer. I didn't have the experience to know what I would need and use and I was more concerned with having a different great outfit every night. I started to appreciate light travel on a trip to Cancun when a bottle of water opened in my luggage during the flight. More than half the clothes I had packed were ruined. Seems like that should have been a problem, but the fact is I was so overpacked that I still had plenty to wear. After that, I improved on each trip to where in 2003 Chris and I went to Europe for two weeks with just carry on luggage. It helps that neither of us likes to dress up, and we generally don't got to places where we can't wear khaki pants, sweaters and hiking shoes. I've gotten to the point that carrying more than one bag is just too big of a hindrance to justify what I am carrying.

Just in time for summer travel, here are some links to traveling with one bag. I've gotten good enough at packing that the space of one bag isn't a challenge anymore, but the weight could be. On our way back from Europe in 2003, I had to check my bag due to it's weight even though it was an appropriate size for carry on and it passed muster on the way to Europe.

From lifehack.org: How to travel with one bag

From Monica Ricci: Pack lighter or pay up

Onebag.com

From Budgettravel.com: Packing tips for budget travel

From DIYlife.com: One bag travel (specific tips for women)

From bravenewtraveler.com: 7 reasons to travel with one bag

From The New York Times: Secrets of travel with one bag by Rona Jaffe (traveled with one bag on a hectic book tour)

One bag, one world , tips and techniques for light travelers

From wikihow: How to travel with one bag

Even if all this doesn't convince you to be a one bag traveler, it may inspire you to travel lighter.

Guidelines for conduct at work

Although this article is meant for new graduates entering the work force, I thought there was enough good information in it that it was worth posting. I have been amazed at some of the conduct I've seen in some of the professional workplaces I've been in. Some conduct guidelines seem really obvious to me, but the fact that people get reprimanded or fired for the things mentioned here mean proper conduct isn't obvious to everyone.

I would add more to her guidelines on proper dress. The article mentions some basics such as don't show your underwear or wear anything super low cut. I would go a step further and say that in general, work should not be the place where you showcase your fashion sense (assuming you are not in an industry where fashion is important or any appearance is widely accepted). The best outfits for work are ones that don't really stand out. I want to be remembered for my competence, not my fashion sense. Ever since beginning my professional career, I've always had "work" clothes that didn't necessarily represent what I wanted to wear on my own time. Work clothes should never be too sexy.

Even in casual work places, make sure your clothes are in good condition. I remember a manager in a financial services firm I worked for who used to wear beat up sneakers on casual Friday that were green from being used when he cut the lawn. Casual doesn't mean slobbish or anything goes. I am also conscious of clothes that let me move appropriately for my job, for example pants that let me bend over and get a file from a low drawer. I also watch for clothes that inadvertently show too much such as a top that gaps in the front buttons and give a peek at what's underneath. It's distracting and looks unfinished.

Another guideline I would add is not to meet your social needs at work. I have had co-workers who clearly didn't have enough social outlets and would use the workplace for this need. I had a female boss once who droned on about her personal life to the point that it hindered my ability to do my job. Co-workers shouldn't be used for emotional support. Conversations about leisure time, family and medical issues should be kept brief and superficial.

I also try to keep my personal business out of the work place. If I have to make a personal call to handle a bill or other issue, I'll step outside or find a private phone. I have been in the uncomfortable position of listening to people fight with their spouses or parents and it isn't fun. Keep personal conflicts out of the workplace. In fact, keep personal calls at a minimum, not only to keep your personal business private but also to not waste your employer's time. I only carry my personal cell phone when it is appropriate in my job. I find it very unprofessional when people in stores stop helping me to check their cell phone. However, when I worked autonomously in an office and was largely responsible for my own time, it wasn't a problem.

Another guideline that seems really obvious to me is to rigorously avoid anything that could possibly be construed as sexual harassment. I cannot believe that with all the press this issue gets and that almost every professional workplace I've been in have policies and training on this, that people still post bikini pictures in their cube or mass email dirty jokes. You never know who might be offended and wouldn't feel comfortable saying so and it could mean your job. I cannot believe that people would risk so much to send a dirty joke over the company email.

Finally, lose the drama. It has no place in the workplace. No gossiping about your social life with other employees. No stirring the pot. No speculating about who has a hangover or is going through fertility treatments.

I've been amazed at how far basic skills can take you. I think half of work success is showing up, following through, and conducting yourself appropriately. Add some skills and you are ready for success.

The FTC's website on identity theft

Here is a link to the Federatl Trade Commission's site on identity theft:

www.ftc.gov/idtheft

There is a lot of great information on identity theft and I consider the FTC a reliable source. I know there is a ton of information on this, but it never hurts to keep informed on this pervasive problem. It can cause a lot of heartache and hassle.