Why I have two drills

One of my fears of becoming a homeowner is accumulating a lot of stuff. Houses just require stuff if you do your own maintenance and upgrades. I had one broom when I lived in an apartment. Now I have 3, and regularly use them all for different purposes. I have an assortment of yard tools I never had before, but use them all regularly. I buy things only as I need them, and try to only buy when I can't find another way to do the job.

Back when we were doing our concrete counter tops, we had to do some woodworking to build the molds for the concrete on top of the cabinets. I had a drill that I bought for light jobs when I lived in an apartment. One of our contractors strongly suggested that I buy a much more powerful drill for this job, and even though he fouled up many things he was right on this one. Having a powerful drill that could be used for long periods of time made the job ever so much easier.

In my mind, when I bought the new drill this meant the old one was to go away. But we found that we used the second, less powerful drill on the job to drive screws after pre-drilling the holes. It saved so much time and energy to not change bits and we could both work at the same time. I gave that lightweight drill another look and decided to keep it for a while and see if I continued to use it, and lo and behold we have. I've used it more times than I can count. Most recently I used it to countersink holes I was drilling to install my kitchen cabinet handles.

The obvious idea here is to think twice about getting rid of you old drill when you upgrade. But it has also led me to think where else I could apply this idea without going overboard. In my desire to be minimalist, I may create more work for myself. For example, I have duplicates of small cutting boards, scissors, measuring cups and measuring spoons, all of which are used on a regular basis. The question is where to draw the line.



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The Beloit College Mindset list

One of my favorite things to look at each fall is the Beloit College mindset list. It's a list of things this year's incoming freshman have always or never had and it is meant to help people understand the mindset of these freshmen. A few of my favorites from this year:

GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available

Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option

They may have been given a Nintendo Gameboy to play with in the crib



View the whole list here.


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Hope for plastic bags

One of my projects this year has been to reduce the number of paper and plastic bags I use while shopping. I had been using paper for a while, and had a stash of bags I reused. For the last few months, as each bag wears out I replace it with a sturdy bag designed to last years. Plastic bags are a huge problem for our environment. I've heard it estimated that a bag will take 1,000 years to degrade.

I've seen a few hopeful things lately. I shope at Trader Joe's, and they have a raffle you can enter if you bring your own bags. About 2 years ago when I started shopping there regularly, there were usually just a few tickets in the container. Now, the container is packed every time I shop. My local Ikea started charging 5 cents for a plastic bag last year. I happened to be in the store right after this started. There were a lot of surprised cutomers and more than a few grumbles but everyone managed. I didn't see anyone return their purchase for the cost of a bag. It was interesting to see how creative people got with stacking and nesting things so they could get to their car without bags. I applauded this idea, but recently they went one step further and now have no plastic bags at all! You can buy a large, reuseable shoulder tote like they have in the store for 99 cents, but they have no plastic grocery-type bags. Again I happened to be there right after this took effect October 1. There were some grumbles, but as before people managed. Many people just loaded their purchases right back into their cart, and from the cart into their car.

Our local Whole Foods Markets havelong offered a 5 cent rebate for each bag you bring. But on a recent trip, they did even better by giving me the option of donating my bag refund to charity. I said yes right away! What a great idea! The cashier told me that in the last month alone, over $7,000 had been donated to a local children's educational program. What's amazing to me is that each customer contributed no more than a few cents per trip, but when that money was pooled it had a huge impact.

Sometimes it seems there is nothing we can do to help the environment, but small changes do help. These stories show that perhaps the tide is turning for disposable bags.



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Global Rich List

We are bombarded with media images of wealth, so it's easy to lose sight of just how poor so many people in the world are. The Global Rich List lets you compare your income level or any income level to the rest of the world, and the results are shocking! Put in $10,000, an income on which it would be a challenge to live in America, and that person is richer than 86% of the world's population.

Here is an excerpt from the "Why we do it" page of the site:

"We wanted to do something which would help people understand, in real terms, where they stand globally. And make us realise that in fact most of us (who are able to view this web page) are in the privileged minority.




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A vacuum cleaner primer

I checked my vacuum cleaner bag recently, and found it full. I was out of bags, and had the good fortune to go into my local mom-and-pop vacuum cleaner shop, and got some great information on how to care for my vacuum cleaner.

First, my bag was full to the very top. The guy in the shop cringed when I told him, and said the bag should never be allowed to be more than half full. It causes the vacuum to be less powerful, and also can make it wear out faster. I noticed on my new bags there is actually a full line, so you know when to change it. Second, the filter on your vacuum should be changed after every 4-5 bag changes. I had no idea! I never knew my vacuum had a filter, so it is probably overdue. I'm sure it came with a manual when I bought it many years ago, but that was in my apartment living days and I wasn't as concerned with such things so I probably never read it.

Take care of you vacuum and it will work better and last longer.



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A sweet love story

It just goes to show that you never know what can happen on a blind date - this one, right after World War II, led to a 60 year marriage.

Read the story at npr.org here.




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Printed election information

I've been getting tons of election information in the mail, including my ballot (I am registered to permanently vote by mail), election information packet and flyers on various issues. I've made it a point to put it together in a folder and put it in my "current projects" file so that when the time comes to sit and fill out my ballot, I have all the information I need. This is one way I'm preparing for the election. Do whatever works for you, just make sure to plan ahead so you can get all the information you need in time.




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The best eating intentions can go awry

Eating healthy can be tricky. With so much conflicting information, it's hard to know what to eat. Here is an article that shows just how bad some "healthy" foods can be. It's helpful to be informed so that good intentions can lead to better choices.




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US Voter registration deadlines approaching

Today is the last day to register to vote for the November 4th election in some states, and in others the deadline has passed. Don't miss your opportunity by accident.

Here is a voter information site that lists registration deadlines by state:

Rock the Vote




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Things to put in the washing machine

I have found that the washing machine is good for a lot more than just clothing and household linens. My machine has a variety of temperature settings and has cycles for both delicates and hand wash (even more gentle than delicate cycle). I use the most gentle cycles and usually use cold or warm water, depending on what I am washing. Here are just a few examples of what I put in the machine:

Shoes. As a Vegan, I don't wear leather but I've washed sneakers, Crocs, flip flops and Athletic-style sandals. I use the gentle cycle and cold water. My dryer has a non-rotating rack which is perfect for drying shoes on low temperature. I've left sneakers to air dry, and they can get moldy so it's not a good idea (perhaps on a hot, dry day though). The other shoes come out perfectly and can be air dried. I have a pair of cute red flip flops with a foam footbed. The footbed gets very dirty and I was ready to get rid of the flip flops when I decided to try cleaning them. A trip through the washing machine and a scrubbing with a nail brush and soap and they looked new!

Bath mats. Our house is in perpetual construction which means perpetual dust, and we have two medium size dogs who track dirt in. Since the pups have taken a liking to lounging on the bath mats, they get dirty quickly. Sometimes I do an old-school rug beating outside, which does help, but I regularly run them through the wash for a good cleaning. After almost 2 years of hard wear and tear, they still look good.

Dog beds. I love dogs and love sharing their home. But lets face it, dogs bring dirt into the house. We have faux-sheepskin covered foam beds and pads around the house for the dogs and after a few weeks they begin to smell like a dirty dog. I put both the covers and the foam into the washing machine. Since the cover gets more direct contact, that gets washed more often but every few washes I wash both the foam and cover in separate loads.

Dog accessories. When I am doing non-clothing wash, I sometimes throw in other dog things like washable toys, leashes and treat pouches.

Bags. I've had success washing canvas tote bags, fabric handbags and fabric backpacks.

I'm sure there are other things that can go through the wash. What did I miss?





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To do it yourself or not

This post at apartmenttherapy.com got me thinking about how I decide whether or not to do it myself or hire a pro. DH and I have a house that according to my mother "takes fixer upper to a whole new level," so we've done a lot of projects big and small. We've hired out, and done them ourselves.

One of the questions addressed in the post is time vs. money. Yeah, you probably (though not always) will save money, but your time is worth something too. The article suggests estimating your time needed and doubling it. I would say this is a vast understatement! Double what you think it will cost and perhaps triple or quadruple how long you think it will take.

In addition to time and money, it's important to consider the hassle of your job. This works both ways - I've hired people to avoid a hassle on some jobs, and done it myself to avoid a hassle on other jobs. What kinds of hassles? For DIY jobs, here's a few examples: Our local Home Depot is jam packed on weekends. Plan on several hours, fighting for a parking space, tackling someone to get help and waiting in line for 20 minutes. Anyone whose ever done a job knows it's almost always at least two trips to the hardware store. Professionals make their living doing measurements and calculations. Measuring accurately and getting perfect right angles is not easy, and an accumulation of small errors can mean a problem at the end. I've had to go to multiple stores to get supplies. It's often difficult to sort through conflicting advice.

When hiring out a job, there can be hassles too. In our area, contractors are so busy that many simply don't need your business and they act like it. They don't call back, don't show for appointments, come to look at the job an never provide a bid, etc. So it's a huge amount of time and effort to get the recommended 3 bids. Even if you hire a good contractor, my experience is that you still need a really high level of oversight to get the job done right. I am a stickler for my contractors putting every detail in writing, and even when something has been communicated verbally and in writing you still need to be present to make sure it gets done.

Another point covered in the article is your tolerance for less-than-perfect work. This is really important because your work will not be as good as a professional's in most cases. We made our own concrete countertop in our kitchen. I really wanted concrete, but it more than I was willing to spend (about $10,000!). We ended up doing it ourselves for a total cost of less than $1,000, which included a $300 tool. Our countertops are beautiful, and I have really enjoyed the bragging rights, especially when a contractor or city inspector is impressed. But, looking closely, you can see that they are not perfectly level and that many places the surface looks different due to needing different levels of grinding. I'm fine with this - I love that it looks hand made and not machine perfect and unless I point out the imperfections most people would never spot them. I have a friend though, who doesn't like anything imperfect or with marks from being hand made. She would rather have something different that looks perfect.

There are other times though, when I've done it myself because I felt that nobody would do the job as well as I wanted. I am finishing the interior wood surface of windows with shellac. I've invested several hundred hours, and am not even half done. Each surface needs to be sanded, cleaned, coated with shellac, allowed to dry, and then sanded, cleaned, coated, dried, etc for 3 coats. At the end, it gets buffed with old denim. It is detailed and time consuming, and even if I could find someone to do the job to my standards, what would it cost?

It's not an easy decision, whether to hire or DIY, but it is worth taking the time to make the right choice.




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