VirtualVocations

Deep inside each WAHM is a woman who wants to get things fixed, now! How many times have we waited for others in our lives to take care of something that breaks, doesn’t work and or is not working the way it was designed?

What each of us needs is an inside the house toolbox of our own, and a good How-To-Fix-Anything book. Buy a book that is highly recommended by other women at the books-for-sale web sites – you know the ones I am talking about. Lucky for us there are tons of good tools out there designed for women to use with great instructions on how and when to use them. The prices are reasonable and the tools are sized for our smaller hands and not that muscular upper arms (aka: weenie arms). For myself, I love the man sized toys.

Yep, I love those drills with 30 bits, and the saws-all (deluxe model) and a hammer with some heft to it. I even bought my own ladder to use around the house. My toolbox is a nice sized one that holds all kinds of stuff and I love pulling it out to hang that curtain rod or fix whatever needs to be done because then I don’t have to borrow from his toolbox and fend off the offer to fix it. What I do ask for is lessons on how to use them – and I keep a small notebook in the box so I can write down instructions I may not remember the next time I want to use that particular tool. For example: replacing drill bits is righty tighty – lefty loosey! Yep, that’s man talk!

Get good tools! Cheap ones won’t work and the good ones are worth the investment! Ask your family to contribute to your box each time you get the opportunity (birthdays, anniversaries, personal celebration days!) – don’t hesitate! A good hand saw will do more for your arms than that cappuccino and bagel with cream cheese. There are many websites to advise you but I love Consumer Report.  The subscription rate is reasonable and I never been lead astray by buying one of their top rated recommendations. Take a peek and judge for yourself. Consider it an investment in wisely spending your money and a place that helps you get the most bang for your buck tool wise.

At the very least you should have one small and one large hammer, a set of screwdrivers with both flat head and Phillips ends. A small level, a stud finder, a box of assorted nails, a box of assorted screws, at least two/three types of picture hangers, a roll of black electrical tape, a roll of duck tape, a roll of thin flexible wire can start you off. Eventually you should have a pair of adjustable channel locks, a pair of needle nose pliers, and regular pliers, a wire stripper is nice also. A box cutter type device, a pair of household scissors, and anything else you see your current handy-person using on a regular basis.

Handling tools does not come naturally, but you can do it. Remember how you didn’t know a thing about childbirth and now you know everything! And if you find your tools “missing” because he borrowed them – don’t hesitate to mark them with your favorite nail polish color!