What's next? Why, only for repaired and replaced items to start breaking! And 
we can start with the kitchen faucet, which started off last Friday morning by having the handle come off in my hand while frantically pre-cleaning prior to the arrival of our cleansing professional. Yes. I admit it. I outsource my cleaning. I look at this as a) a small price to pay for increased domestic harmony, and b) Quite a Value compared to other things I could be doing with my time, as a cleaning person costs less per hour than a painter, carpenter, electrician, etc. If I have someone else clean for 2 hrs every other week, that's 4 hours per month that I could spend painting or hanging insulation or caulking or repairing plaster or any of those other things I have come to equate with Home Survival Instincts. Or I could sleep in. You can figure out which by the rate of my blog entries.
we can start with the kitchen faucet, which started off last Friday morning by having the handle come off in my hand while frantically pre-cleaning prior to the arrival of our cleansing professional. Yes. I admit it. I outsource my cleaning. I look at this as a) a small price to pay for increased domestic harmony, and b) Quite a Value compared to other things I could be doing with my time, as a cleaning person costs less per hour than a painter, carpenter, electrician, etc. If I have someone else clean for 2 hrs every other week, that's 4 hours per month that I could spend painting or hanging insulation or caulking or repairing plaster or any of those other things I have come to equate with Home Survival Instincts. Or I could sleep in. You can figure out which by the rate of my blog entries.But I digress. Back to the kitchen faucet. Last Thanksgiving, the task of installing a dishwasher in the kitchen spawned a small kitchen facelift, including a disposal, dishwasher,refrigerator, tile countertop, sink, and faucet.
Yep, that same faucet giving me grief today is vintage late 2006. In my Shopping Frenzy to procure a suitable yet Budget Friendly faucet, I ordered a $150 Generic model from Overstock.com. Lovely faucet really.....looks much like the $500 Grohe ones. Which, incidentally, I have in my rental condo,and it's been working fine despite tenant abuse for 6 years. Whereas Cheap Generic Knockoff Faucet can't survive 13 months of ME.
Yep, that same faucet giving me grief today is vintage late 2006. In my Shopping Frenzy to procure a suitable yet Budget Friendly faucet, I ordered a $150 Generic model from Overstock.com. Lovely faucet really.....looks much like the $500 Grohe ones. Which, incidentally, I have in my rental condo,and it's been working fine despite tenant abuse for 6 years. Whereas Cheap Generic Knockoff Faucet can't survive 13 months of ME.It appeared that it could be fixed by a slightly longer screw, but of course it's the sort of "specialty screw" that my local Home Depot or Lowes doesn't carry. Fixing it required a visit to Tacoma Screw, which is not actually in Tacoma, as the name would imply, but on Leary Way in that between Ballard and Fremont, the Center of the Universe. I'm happy Tacoma Screw is there, but I don't get the business model. I go in about twice a year, need about 5 minutes of attention from a "screw professional" (one wonders what it actually says on their business cards), and I spend, on average, well, nothing, because they usually just give me the 5 cent screw. How does that work with staffing costs and in-city rent?
But my faucet is fixed, and I love you, Tacoma Screw. And someday, I'm going to come in and buy something. I promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment