Summer Means House Projects
This is the first summer my husband and I have been both parents and homeowners. I tell ya – owning a home is like having another child (or maybe 10 more children!).
The ant invasion is no joke and just when we think we have a plan to get rid of those pests, the air conditioner unit develops a leak. Then we get a fix for that and we realize our gutters have likely not been tended for at least a year!
There’s always something when you are a homeowner.
Finding time to take care of the house projects can be another full-time job. As I mentioned, we are new to this homeowner thing, so pretty much every time an issues comes up, we either turn to our parents or to YouTube – most of the time, it’s a combination of both!
I really do not know what our forefathers and foremothers did without the godsend that is YouTube! Ask a question and you nearly always find the answer and sometimes, the answers are very good and detailed!
We learned how to replace a headlight bulb in the parking lot of a Napa Auto Parts! And, we had it completed in less than 10 minutes. The video was even specific to my make and model vehicle.
We should thank our lucky stars on the regular for the men and women who make these YouTube videos and tutorials – it is saving us both time and money.
When we first noticed that our gutters were clogged, we went to YouTube and discovered some tips to clean them out, including a very handy attachment for your hose. We also now know exactly how to install the gutter shields.
However, because of the steep roof and the location of electrical wires, it turns out this is one project we cannot handle on our own. So, now we are saving up to bring in some professional gutter people.
For us, between summer camps for the kids, mortgage payments, and our other bills, times are always just a little bit tight, so there isn’t always enough money to take on larger tasks right away. We are working to improve our ability to save money – especially now that we know we will need help with the gutters.
Each paycheck, we are putting away a little money toward the project and hopefully we will have enough to get them done before fall leaves start coming down and clogging them even more!
How do you save for large projects? I’ll take any tips you have!
Rachel Swick Mavity, MS, is the Digital Content Coordinator for Beebe Healthcare and is a freelance writer. She lives in Milford with her husband and two children. Her passions include storytelling, photography, healthy products, and coffee.
