How to Save $175 Plus

1. Get a "Do-it-yourself-home-wiring" book
2. Have determination and guts to cut holes in the drywall of your house
3. If the electrician tells you "no," do it anyway...

Well, that is the premise for how Pa H put in the wiring for the living room ceiling fan. Ma H didn't get too mad at the four holes that were left in the walls since they saved money on it anyway. (Except that she will have to paint the living room too, now.) And, oh yes, the electrician did come, but he had less to do thanks to Pa H's nifty new skills at home wiring. Pa H also put in a new electrical outlet in the kitchen that will be dedicated to the new space saver microwave. The electrician's estimate was 7 hours of labor and he suggested against it, due to $70/hour for his workers. But, Pa H was undetered and put in the hours himself to run a new circuit line to the kitchen. Needless to say, where there's a will, there's a way.

The electrical work is mostly done now, with new outlets in both bathrooms rounding off the improvements. The next big HIP will be the insulation that needs to be added in the attic. Pa H has been working pretty hard in my attic lately, drilling vent holes, and sealing up the cracks. Yup, this is going to be a good winter, I think. Everything good and sealed with a warm blanket of new insulation to keep my family warm.