10 Ways to Survive Builing or Remodeling Your Home

1. Think of the project as a new diet. Who doesn’t want to lose at least five pounds?  This is one way to do it.  Between running to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors, inspecting the work, searching the Western world for the perfect light fixture, who has time to eat?  Provided you don’t sabotage this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through, you’re good for losing five pounds. If you are a masochistic type who does some of the work yourself ?whether it be painting, laying tile, landscaping the yard ?you can count on another five to ten pounds of weight loss.  Just think, you may be miserable, frustrated, exhausted, nd down right cynical about the good of the humankind, but your jeans will fit nicely!  2. Write checks as aerobic exercise. These workouts are great for toning the wrist and fingers.  Usually done in hectic spurts as you race out the door in the morning while the contractors are breathing down your neck and your kids are beating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress and frantic activity are sure to raise your heartbeat for a good hour. 

Grumbling under your breath that the plumber, electrician, or you name it, isn’t really worth this much money adds greater intensity and calorie burn to this little publicized exercise regime. 3. Save money through shopping burnout Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will come to dread setting foot in any store.  This affliction starts innocently enough as you go to look for light fixtures. How hard can it be?  Hard! Either the light you want is being shipped from Yugoslavia and won't arrive until your youngest child buys his own home, or you just can't find the one you want.  You’ll shop every lighting and electrical store you know. You’ll search Home Depot. You’ll haunt hardware stores. And then there’s plumbing fixtures. Sink centers, faucet handles, finishes, special orders. What’s all that about?  And the cost. You  think you were outfitting the palace for a former third world dictator.  Of course, there’s carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, siding, windows.  Enough already. And you thought it was a pain picking mints and sweet table treats for your wedding.   After your 1000th trip to Home Depot (or Lowes or Menards or whatever), in addition to all the other trips you’re made for items that shouldn’t count as shopping (toilet seats, for example), you’re had it.

The author is not liable for any   cosmetic dental surgery or  house inspection resulting from information obtained from the fishing charters.