How to Get Free Info on Home Repairs

A couple weeks ago, my wife attended an all day school event with my daughter, so I took the day off and spent it with my son (he's homeschooled and had worked ahead, so he had the day "off".) We decided we would do something he and I had been talking about doing for a long time. So we headed to Lowe's (closest to our house -- we also considered Home Depot and Menard's) and walked up and down EVERY aisle -- looking at the tools, equipment, Christmas decorations (yep, they're out), fixtures, and on and on and on.

I took tons of notes -- prices on various items we'd been looking for as well as some home improvement ideas I got out of the day. I was also surprised a bit. I have been to Lowe's hundreds of times, but they had aisles I had never been down, and they carried many things I'd never thought of buying there. I know, it's a very geeky way to spend a couple hours, but we both found it interesting and loads of fun. And in case you're wondering, no, we didn't buy anything.

But the thing that surprised me the most was the amount of free material Lowe's was giving away. I picked up booklets on how to stain a deck, the best way to pick out a new door, options for caring for wood cabinets and furniture, how to test the softness of your water, etc. -- about 15 booklets in all. Now granted, these were "sales-y" in nature since they were provided by manufacturers that wanted you to buy their products. But if you could get past that, there really was some good information in the booklets, much of which I used to kick-start my information-gathering phase for a few projects on my list. And the information was all free...

Comments

[SAHM]

That sounds like my kind of afternoon! I have found a ton of useful information at Lowe's for free. I have also found a lot of helpful people at Lowe's. I have gotten the most help during a week day when things are not as busy. I learned that most of the discount stuff comes out on Thursday mornings, so that is the best time to go to get the best deals!

[asithi]

We go to Lowe's and Home Depot quite often. Sometimes we browse through just to see what kind of stuff they have on clearance. Their clearance prices are really good sometimes.

[Ron]

That's not geeky at all, it's some of the best guy time available. This country could use more of it instead of kids playing video games all day.

[guinness416]

FMF, what do you think about the idea of home maintenance clubs as a cost saver (AP article):

http://tinyurl.com/6ye842

[FMF]

Guinness --

Interesting idea!

[Monroe on a Budget]

I've done that. I keep my favorite handouts, along with home improvement magazine pictures and articles, for possible future projects in a box