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Entry bubble Remodeling: Do It Yourself or Contract It Out

By: Ginger | February 27, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

Before I get into my topic, I want to thank the folks who read my blog about the “shower/toilet brush incident” and expressed their concerns by sending 57 toilet brushes, 92 bottles of shower gel, and 131 shower brushes.  Kidding! Instead, I got a bunch of bad puns and some razzing from my co-workers.   I did get a bottle of shower gel and a new shower brush from a concerned co-worker which will come in handy when our bathroom renovation is completed.

Person about to hammer a nailWe are giving our 70’s bathroom a facelift.  Normally, my husband and I are “do-it-yourselfers.”  Over the years we have done quite a few renovation projects.  Because we are already working on a kitchen project for my husband’s mother, we decided to contract out the work this time for our bathroom.

When considering doing-it-yourself home improvements versus contracting out there is a lot to think about.  The labor portion of any project is the most costly aspect. By doing home renovations yourself, you can potentially save a lot of money, but don’t forget to figure in the cost of tools and other supplies you may need to purchase.  If you make mistakes during the project, they are on you to fix and it may cost you more than you planned.

The outcome of a project depends a lot on the amount of skill that went into the work.  If you don’t have the correct skills or tools, you may end up with work that is less than satisfactory.  My tip for building your renovation skills: find people with professional-level skills (friends of friends willing to barter or work small projects for extra cash) who are willing to let you work along side them as they teach you.  You can use those skills in future projects.  

Working with a contractor may require a lot of schedule juggling, and nothing is more frustrating than taking time off from work only to have the scheduled contractor not show up.  The down side to doing the work yourself is that it may take you a lot longer to finish than a professional.

If, after considering all of these factors, you think it would be best to find a contractor, here are some helpful links that can guide you:

The contractor just finished the bathroom and while I am pleased with the result, my final word on the subject is that I think we will go back to doing-it-ourselves.   What can I say?  I have a sledge hammer and I like to use it!   So, how about you?  Are you a do-it-yourselfer?  How do you feel about home contractors?  Have you had good experiences or bad?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: do it yourself   ginger   home   home_improvement   remodeling   renovation  

 

Entry bubble When a Loved One Joins the Military

By: Ginger | February 20, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

In 1980, my oldest sister joined the Navy after graduating from high school. It was an emotional thing for my parents to watch their oldest daughter, not only leave the nest for boot camp, but to eventually leave the country for exotic destinations. The whole military experience was a complete unknown for my parents. It was especially difficult back then because we didn’t have the internet to stay connected. Their only communication with my sister was via letters and a rare overseas phone call to keep in touch.

Soldier saluting the American flagNow my youngest sister is about to go through the same experience with her oldest son, Tony, who joined the Air Force. He finished community college, but seemed to be undecided what to do next. With our country’s economic troubles, he decided his best option was to join the military and get more education and skills. He heads for boot camp at Lackland Air Force base here in San Antonio at the end of this month.

The military way of life has its own culture and community that most people are not familiar with. I know my sister is worried. She doesn’t know what to expect. The good news is that there are all kinds of resources and information available to her now that weren’t around for my parents when our oldest sister enlisted.

The FAQ on joining the military provides links and phone numbers if your child or loved one is considering enlisting. The Military Home Front, the Consumer Action Handbook military page, and Family Support for Active Military Personnel contain links to information explaining benefits and other important topics.

These private resources have created wonderful communities for parents and loved ones to learn and share experiences among military families:

Getting informed about the military and becoming part of the parents-with-military-kids community may help ease some of my sister’s fears. Not everyone has a positive military experience, but I am hopeful that enlisting will be a good experience for Tony. I hope it will help him focus and give him a plan for the future. Do you think enlisting in the military at this time is a good thing or something he will regret?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [8] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: enlisting   ginger   military  

 

Entry bubble Teleworking

By: Ginger | February 06, 2009 | Category: General

Several years ago my husband and I decided to move from the DC area because we had family obligations in Texas.  It was difficult to tell my boss that I was leaving.  Thank goodness I brought along a box of tissue because, as expected, he cried a lot at the news.  Not really, I just like messing with him.  If I mysteriously disappear from the blog next week, you’ll know that he was not amused.

Woman working from homeAlthough the federal government offers its employees many benefits, at the time, telework/telecommuting was relatively new in the government.  Telework was not something my office routinely offered, but happily, my management said yes to teleworking for a 3-month trial period.  It has worked out so well, that here it is 3+ years later and I am still teleworking.  Throughout the government, telework is now becoming more accepted.  Many agencies offer teleworking one day a week to employees.  My situation is a little different in that I am a full-time teleworker from Texas working out of my home for my DC office, but here are some of my observations about telework:

  • For it to work well, the teleworking employee has to be independent and self-motivated.  A good work ethic in the office can translate into a good work ethic anywhere. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.  A person who is continually unreliable in the office will only be more so teleworking.  Management has to be firm about allowing only productive and reliable employees to telework.  Telework isn’t a right; it should be an earned privilege. If a teleworker’s performance declines, teleworking should be revoked for that person.
  • Attracting new employees and better employee retention, increased productivity, and creating a federal workforce capable of continuing to work during a crisis from an alternate location are just a few of the benefits to the government.
  • As someone with health issues, the time I save from not commuting allows me to make healthy meals, get more rest, and make time for exercise.  I also save money on gas, lunch, and my clothing budget.

Interested in teleworking?  Here are some helpful government teleworking resources:

Teleworking has significantly helped my life.  I am healthier and less stressed because of it.  Please share your teleworking comments and experiences.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [11] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: ginger   telecommuting   teleworking  

 

Entry bubble Thanks to the Folks at the IRS

By: Ginger | January 30, 2009 | Category: General

Person filling out tax formMy husband worked for the IRS for 10 years. At social gatherings people would ask him what he did and he would say, “I work for the IRS.” Typically someone would respond with negative comments about taxes, the IRS, or the government, in general. My husband would politely listen to the comments. One time, this person began ranting at him as if he, as an IRS employee, was personally pocketing all the tax dollars collected to buy a Porsche and some bonbons. The look in my husband’s eyes said he’d had enough. Not known for holding back when he is annoyed, he proceeded to… well, let’s just say, nothing brings a friendly barbecue to a screeching halt like three simple words and a full moon in the middle of the day.

The thing is, most people think they pay too much in taxes—even IRS employees do—but our tax dollars are paying for services and programs that help all of us. Here are just a few examples:

The Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Reserve Board, the National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulate financial and commercial matters. They assist consumers to protect their hard-earned dollars.

The Department of Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Postal Service, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy regulate infrastructure, utilities, and basic services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Education are agencies concerned with the health, benefits, education, and welfare of our citizens.

The Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Department of Justice are concerned with the defense, protection, and safety of our country and our citizens either home or abroad.

To see all of government’s services and programs go to USA.gov.

If there are some out there who would like to tell me how poorly they think these agencies are performing, go right ahead. Your tax dollars support a democratic government that ensures you have the right to state your opinions and complaints. Are your tax dollars being well spent? What needs to be improved? What government services do you receive or know of that you think are well worth your taxes?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [17] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: ginger   government_programs   government_services   taxes  

 

Entry bubble Information in Multiple Languages

By: Ginger | January 23, 2009 | Category: General

The other day I was driving down I-35 towards San Antonio, Texas and made a mental note of some of the bilingual commercial billboards I was passing. These are examples of companies shouting out in all of their 14x48 feet enthusiasm, “Hey, buy my product or service.” Information presented in both Spanish and English is just part of everyday for a Texan.

Sign written in 2 languages warning of bearsProviding content in multiple languages is something the US government also does. It seems to bring out strong reactions in some people. Some folks consider the cost of translation and printing in anything other than English to be wasted money. One person told me, “If people want to live here, they should read/speak English or go back where they came from." Other people are just as outspoken about equal access and want the government to be fair by providing all documents in all languages. My friend has a coworker who argues that the government should pay him more for his bilingual language skills than his single-language counterparts.

Regardless of which side of the argument you are on, the US government increasingly produces hard-copy and electronic information in a variety of languages. The National Contact Center at 1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636) has bilingual operators to field calls and emails in Spanish. The Federal Citizen Information Center's online document ordering system has an Español section available to order/view items written in Spanish. Consumidor.gov is a website that helps Spanish-speaking consumers to cope with consumer related issues. All across the government, agencies provide a variety of information in Spanish and you can get access to them via the GobiernoUSA.gov portal. You may also check the multi-language gateway for links to a variety of documents in other languages.

Remembering that most Americans ancestors were once “foreigners” on this soil and many of them came here not speaking English helps me put the argument in perspective. If I could go back in the past and step into my great grandfather’s Prussian shoes for a moment, I know I would appreciate being able to read important/helpful government documents in my native language. I think the government should provide key information in multiple languages. What do you think?

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