Welcome to another installment of the Top 10 Ways to Avoid the ER.
Number 8 – Hire someone else to do it
I know, I know, your gutters are full of leaves and the ladder is just sitting there. Or maybe your trees need trimming and you can borrow your neighbor’s chainsaw. The problem is that the money you save by not hiring someone else to do these tasks will seem like nothing compared to the costs you will face from any injury. So I want you to really think about this. Are you really comfortable with power tools, working on a ladder, or a roof? I see a steady stream of homeowners who injure themselves doing home maintenance projects, and their only crime is overconfidence. I use my wife as a good measuring stick of when a job is too dangerous for me. She will give me an honest opinion about whether I should do a job myself or farm it out. So if there is any doubt in your mind, before you pick up that skillsaw, pick up the phone instead, and call your local handyman.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The other issue, at least in my house, is will the project actually get finished? My spouse is pretty handy, and can do just about anything. He starts projects well, and usually progresses to the point of 75-90% completion, then goes on to the next task, so project #1 lies dormant for x amount of time, complete with nagging. I can currently list at least 4 projects in varying stages of completion. Hiring someone can also save you the cost of marriage counseling (or bail money!!).
HA HA HA! True that! A agree VetRN, indeed it could save you from marrige counseling. As a nagging wife I feel that we are good gauges of project competion-ability. There is nothing I enjoy more than my husband with a tool belt making improvements or fixing things. In that same vain there is nothing I hate more than a half completed project for months or a trip to the ER for his stupidity.
Great tip of the day!