As I get older, I will have less motivation to invest in maintenance and replacement costs of our possessions. However, maintenance and replacement will be just as important to do. So we are trying to get some major replacement done now, so that we can enjoy the improvements before getting much older. Also, we are trying to build a reliable group of long term service providers for the future.
Since moving here, we've replaced most all our kitchen appliances, one by one. Our refrigerator was ten years ago. The microwave was five years ago. The dishwasher and oven were in the last two years. All that is remaining is the stove top, which I've been able to make repairs myself. We've used a couple of different stores for our appliances.
We've replaced our furnace and air conditioning about ten years ago, and we have identified a company for routine maintenance and repair if needed. We replaced our roof about nine years ago, and we continue to use the same roofer for repairs. We have a plumber that we've used once for a major job and liked. Finally, we hired a company to do our painting, which we will continue to use.
In the next couple weeks, we'll be replacing some of the window treatments. We are on our fourth company and haven't found one yet to stay with.
We use a lawn service to cut our grass, which we will expand to include leaf removal this year.
One challenge is that companies and individual change or go out of business over time. For example, twenty-five years ago I found a family owned furnace company I liked, but they were bought out by a national chain and the quality, in my opinion, declined. So we had to find a new company.
Another challenge is we have is the occasional one time project to do, e.g. new kitchen countertops, which will require finding a new provider each time to do the work. But I'll save that for a different blog post next week.
For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Fridays for a new segment.
This is not financial, home maintenance, or retirement advice advice. Please consult a professional advisor.
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1 week ago
2 comments:
I've thought recently that one sign you are getting older is that all your favorite vendors are retiring. Our AC was great, except he's called it quits. Loved my doctor, and he retired. That great contractor all my friends used? Yep, him too.
I guess it is better than dying young.
RAnn,
I agree. My doctor of 30 years retired a few years ago.
Sometimes I do find a service provider that is younger than me. My main financial advisor is twenty years younger than me. I've told him he can't retire on me :-)
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