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The Frugal Do-It-Yourselfer
Saving Money on Home Improvement Projects
One side note: I could not have accomplished what I did without the help of Home Depot. I'm sure other hardware stores have pleasant, knowledgeable staff members also, but since I always went to Home Depot and since I was beginning to learn the locations of the items I needed, I simply stayed with them. Kudos to Home Depot!
Keep in mind that if the store employees are not assisting you in a pleasant and courteous manner, leave and don't go back! Don't let their rudeness distract you from your overall goal – that's what's most important, not the personality of an unfriendly person. Go elsewhere if you do not like how they're treating you. Take it from me, someone who had no idea of what he was doing: There will be some employees who will go out of their way to assist you. Once you find someone like this, keep going back to them. That's what I did. I probably went back to my assistant about 15 times over the three-month duration of my project, sometimes to buy things, sometimes just to ask a few questions.
Ask for Help When You Need ItThere are basically two ways to ask for help – verbally or indirectly. Depending on your personality and how comfortable you are asking "strangers" for help, the verbal method may not be for you. That's OK! Don't feel bad or downhearted. That's just your personality, nothing to be ashamed of, so don't start thinking you should give up just yet!
Personally, I have no problem talking to anyone about anything. That's just how I am. If you are somewhat similar, then I suggest taking my approach and talking to as many people who have knowledge in what you want to do.
If you would prefer to remain as anonymous as possible, then the Internet and library will be your gold mine of information. The library may be a tad outdated when it comes to the most recent, creative home improvement projects, but check it out just in case. If you do find a book online or at a store that would be perfect for what you need, ask a librarian if they could "purchase this book since your home improvement selections are less than adequate and it's important that a library stays atop current trends and events so as not to become obsolete" (or something along those lines).