The barber, the master gardner and now the plumber

I have been very focused on what we spend our money on lately. The downturn of the economy made us think about how we need to save money and know how our money is being spent. I have been very disciplined on using coupons and shopping at the wholesale stores for better deals. I did my homework and found that I can definitely save money on certain staples for our family. We have also cut out items/services that we feel we could live without.

I have learned that my husband is a master of many trades. He is very detailed (sometimes a little much), can follow directions easily and is patient. I know you are envious now.

We cut out our lawn maintenance company this year. My husband did research on how to care for our lawn. Based on what he found, he created a calendar and at the right time he spreads fertilizer, lime or whatever the lawn may need. We were spending over $1,000 on this a year. Our cost will be less than half of what we were paying. He also is in charge of cutting the grass each week.

We had been spending about $45 to get haircuts for all 3 of the boys. Jay gets his head shaved, EE's and Tee's requires a bit more work. We ended up purchasing a clipper kit and now my husband gives haircuts when needed. The best part is that they look like they have been professionally cut. We will go maybe once or twice a year to the barber for a clean up.

So what else can my husband do? The toilet in the basement had been broken for the last few weeks. Every time we went to use it we had to turn the water on and off. It was continually running. I really did not want to get a plumber out here because they are so expensive. My husband purchased new guts for the tank ($8) and replaced it on Sunday. Now we have a working toilet and probably an additional $90 in our pocket.

As I mentioned he does have an eye for detail. He has pointed out a few errors that our contractor has made in our bathroom. You know the never ending bathroom remodel. The cabinets were installed on Monday. My husband noticed that they did not install the 1 inch filler to the left of the cabinet. This is so that the doors can open and not hit the blinds on the window. And prior to that he noticed that they did not put the plumbing in the correct place on the wall. Both of these things are having to be fixed. Supposedly by Friday we will have a semi functioning bathroom. I will believe it when I see it.