DIY Home Improvements

I'm in the midst of yet another home improvement project with my husband. We've had many do it yourself projects in each of our homes--painting; wallpaper stripping; plumbing; carpeting; fences; bathroom caulking and we're not that handy dandy (to be fair, my husband is much better at figuring out things than I am so I'm just the helper on our projects).  I'm a big fan of hiring a licensed contractor to do your work (ck my Home Improvement posting) if you can afford to. We do these projects ourselves, not out of love for doing the work, but solely due to economics--home improvement funds take away from other line items in our budget so, we're at it again.

I've learned that you really have to do research before any project--techniques, choices, costs and quality of materials vary greatly. The good news is that there are a lot of resources out there for those of us who do not have home improvement genes handed down from generation to generation.  YouTube videos are an awesome source of research material and are great at showing how to do a part of a project.  Just be sure to watch several on the same topic in case one well-meaning video leaves out a particular detail--probably because the detail is so obvious to the person making the video but not at all obvious to those of us "not handy dandy" people. DIY Network is a great help along with HGTV.  Many home improvement stores also have videos on their sites to teach you how to do a project as do some sellers of building materials on eBay. Sometimes there are local classes you can take.  Check on community thrift stores or local community classifieds that sell building materials to save money. Ask about discontinued or "closed out" styles/colors. Make sure you invest in the tools needed to do the work--consider that a part of the project budget which will then improve your inventory of tools that you will, no doubt, need in the future.

Always plan to:

• Spend a bit more money than you estimated
• Take a lot more time than you estimated
• Need more trips to the local home improvement store than you estimated

Most importantly, do these projects with a sense of humor and take pride in your accomplishments.

Do you REALLY know who's on the other side of the phone/email?

The FTC reported on its Top Ten Consumer Scams of 2010 and for the first time, "Imposter Scams" made the list. Have you ever received a phone call from the "IRS" claiming that you've won a sweepstake but you have to send in the taxes first? An email from a neighbor or relative who finds themselves in urgent trouble and needs you to wire them money? A letter from a well known company such as Walmart, claiming you've won something but have to pay for the shipping? These are all scams designed to pry some of your hard earned dollars out of your hands. Keep your "scam" radar up by remembering that you really do not know who's on the other end of the phone or the true sender of an email/letter. Never send money for something you have "won" and check out any request for help from a relative/friend before helping. For more information on Imposter Scams, check out the FTC's Consumer Alert.