I also am a good jerry-rigger. I think I must be related to Mac Gyver somewhere in my past because I love to find ways to fix a problem without spending a lot unless I absolutely have to. And that brings me to this post.
A few weeks ago I discovered that the two end compartments on the silverware holder in my dish washer had broken through. I have no idea how that could have happened but I could no longer use them as the silverware was slipping down into the bottom of the washer and I was afraid it might jam a washing blade and I would have an even bigger concern.
I immediately went online to Kitchenaid and found what I thought might work as a replacement (our exact DW is no longer available of course) but the prices were high and the measurements not exact. So I put on my thinking cap and tried to think what I could use to fix my problem. And then it came to me. What about some of that plastic grid canvas that used to be around for crafting? I wasn't even sure what it was called and honestly hadn't seen anyone do this craft for so long I was pretty sure no one in HL would even know what I was talking about. I checked it out online before I went and, sure enough, it is still being made and apparently used.
Boy did I get a surprise when I went to our HL this morning. Not only is it still around but it comes in all sizes and COLORS! I grabbed up gray because that is the color of our basket and literally, in a matter of about a minute and a half, I have new bottoms to the basket and the problem is solved!!
If you look inside, you can see the new grid that cost me all of 69 cents to do-plus, I have enough of it left to do it again many times over. Granted, the openings aren't quite as large as the originals but I think it will still allow the water to run through. If not, I can simply snip out every other square and we should be good to go!
As I was patting myself on the back for this thrifty fix, I realized that I am fast becoming the queen of thrifty fixes-maybe this retirement "fixed" income has something to do with it but I like to think of it more as an exercise in ingenuity to keep my brain working-lol.
As I was writing this post, two other Mac Gyver fixes came to mind.
Look at this little beauty. It is on one of my barn doors and I originally did it as a temporary set-up to see if it would work to push the one door out just ever-so-much so that where the doors meet in the middle they would meet perfectly. By now you know it is little things askew like that that can drive me crazy. No matter how many times I told myself "they're barn doors...they're not supposed to be perfect", I WASN'T buying it!! And then I realized a little nudge from a flat anything would probably work so I ran and got a tongue depressor and some duct tape. When that worked, I was going to find a flat bar of metal and permanently glue it on but since this worked so well, I just took off the tape and went ahead permanently affixing the depressor. Then, I was going to give it a swipe of some paint but you see how far I got with that. In any case, it works!
And then there is this lovely. We bought our home newly built about 43 years ago. There is truly not ONE SQUARE INCH of the original house left. We have changed the exterior finish, driveways, roof, flooring, walls, appliances, bathrooms, kitchen, lighting, windows, and added on a sun-room, office, garage and terraced pool. But, in doing some of those things that we love, we created other "monsters" for ourselves-albeit in this case, just a mini-monster.
When the hood on the outdoor dryer vent finally just crumbled off, it should have been an easy fix-just buy a new one and install it. Except that we had had a brick facade added to the house and I couldn't get enough of the old hood off to install a new one. And, if I left it the way it was, the "flapping" door would no longer work and be covered and we would be issuing an open invitation to any creepy-crawly or slithery creature who wanted to enter!
And so, before I opened the yellow pages and tried to figure out even who to call, I remembered a sheet of copper I had left over from another project and thought a copper hood would certainly be preferable to the ugly white ones on the shelves at Lowes.
I just got down on the porch and started snipping and bending and when I got it just right, my trusty old friend (E-6000) and I got busy adhering that bad boy. I loved the way it looked then but love it even more now that it has "patina-ed". And, it is still just as "stuck" on those bricks as it was the day I did it! And, even better, it cost $0!!!
I am sure if I opened my eyes a bit I could uncover more of my jerry-rig fixes but today I feel the urge to clean. Hope I'm not coming down with something because we have a busy calendar in the weeks to come-lol! Maybe I'm just starting my autumn nesting! Now if Mother Nature would just co-operate and give me a reason to snuggle in and light a fire! Stay tuned.
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