The Cost of Laziness

[TheOtherMe]

I have chores around the house that I used to do that I will no longer attempt.  I have developed a fear of heights.  I feel very uneasy on a ladder.  I have no business doing things when I am home alone with a cat.  She isn't going to call for help if I fall.  

I pay for my snow removal and mowing.  I haven't mowed the lawn since I lived in Colorado and kept mowing snakes.  I did the snow removal myself until I moved here.

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2019 20:54:57 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I have chores around the house that I used to do that I will no longer attempt.  I have developed a fear of heights.  I feel very uneasy on a ladder.  I have no business doing things when I am home alone with a cat.  She isn't going to call for help if I fall.  

I'm still good on ladders but I won't do really high-ladder work ,e.g., changing smoke detector batteries in my cathedral ceilings, alone.  Right now I have two places where I managed to yank out the dead battery but the setup is too complicated to stick the new battery on, slide it into the little tray and then screw the unit back up on the ceiling without serious risk that I might fall off.  I don't even have a cat around.  I plan to wait till DS or someone else visits so they can at least keep an eye on me and call if I need help.

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 11, 2019 9:15:54 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Jan 10, 2019 20:54:57 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I have chores around the house that I used to do that I will no longer attempt.  I have developed a fear of heights.  I feel very uneasy on a ladder.  I have no business doing things when I am home alone with a cat.  She isn't going to call for help if I fall.  

I'm still good on ladders but I won't do really high-ladder work ,e.g., changing smoke detector batteries in my cathedral ceilings, alone.  Right now I have two places where I managed to yank out the dead battery but the setup is too complicated to stick the new battery on, slide it into the little tray and then screw the unit back up on the ceiling without serious risk that I might fall off.  I don't even have a cat around.  I plan to wait till DS or someone else visits so they can at least keep an eye on me and call if I need help.

Same here. And like you I don't have a cat but also have a son who takes care of that stuff. I've learned not to even tell him some of the stuff I do or he would have me put in a home for old folks to be watched after!! But I do know my limitations with climbing on ladders and such.

[TheOtherMe]

I don't have a son to help.  The nephew who was helping is still recuperating from the concussion he got when one of his students assaulted him at school.  He would have done it, but until he is better than he is now, I'm not asking him to do things on a ladder.

I have a cathedral ceiling in the living/dining room and all of the ceilings are a foot higher than the usual ceilings.  I can't do it.  I start to feel dizzy.  

Cleaning people have changed the light bulb in the living room from a ladder when they have been here.  

I will not be like my mom who broke her arm while trying to reach something from a chair.  Had she used a ladder, she probably would not have fallen.  Bigger problem was she was alone in the basement and dad was outside mowing.  So it didn't do any good to have someone living with her since he wasn't in the house.

[MN-Investor]

For those living by themselves and relying on other...

After my DH passed away, I was carrying up some unwieldy items from the basement to recycle/donate them and realized that if something happened to me in the basement, I could lie there for days without anyone knowing about it. Since my iPhone (an 8 Plus) is too large to always carry, I bought an Apple watch. It's not a perfect solution because I have to be physically able to use it, but I can use it to signal for help either by texting or by using its emergency SOS feature if I'm conscious.

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 11, 2019 12:26:23 GMT -5 MN-Investor said:

For those living by themselves and relying on other...

After my DH passed away, I was carrying up some unwieldy items from the basement to recycle/donate them and realized that if something happened to me in the basement, I could lie there for days without anyone knowing about it. Since my iPhone (an 8 Plus) is too large to always carry, I bought an Apple watch. It's not a perfect solution because I have to be physically able to use it, but I can use it to signal for help either by texting or by using its emergency SOS feature if I'm conscious.

One reason I don't have a basement. Oh and the fact that I'm not much more than 8 ft above sea level. But all joking aside at least you have something that may be helpful. Living alone has it's advantages and disadvantages!!

ETA: After this post I just got a call from Senior Medical Alert leaving me voice mail about their services!!! I could get real paranoid at this stage. Wonder if I post about a handsome hunk needing a Mrs. Robinson in their lives things would turn around  Maybe Thunder From Down Under calls me for services rendered!! Ok I'm sick in the head 

[alabamagal]

We just got a new ventless gas fireplace. It is our backup heat source in case of power loss.

The laziness part is the $200 extra for remote control. Well worth the price😋

[tskeeter]

Jan 11, 2019 9:15:54 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Jan 10, 2019 20:54:57 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I have chores around the house that I used to do that I will no longer attempt.  I have developed a fear of heights.  I feel very uneasy on a ladder.  I have no business doing things when I am home alone with a cat.  She isn't going to call for help if I fall.  

I'm still good on ladders but I won't do really high-ladder work ,e.g., changing smoke detector batteries in my cathedral ceilings, alone.  Right now I have two places where I managed to yank out the dead battery but the setup is too complicated to stick the new battery on, slide it into the little tray and then screw the unit back up on the ceiling without serious risk that I might fall off.  I don't even have a cat around.  I plan to wait till DS or someone else visits so they can at least keep an eye on me and call if I need help.

To reduce the need to be high on ladders, I have replaced the smoke detector batteries with 10 year life batteries.  They are about $10 each at Home Depot, but I should about break even on the cost by the time they die and I don’t have to climb high ladders.

[Deleted]

Jan 11, 2019 22:51:06 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

To reduce the need to be high on ladders, I have replaced the smoke detector batteries with 10 year life batteries.  They are about $10 each at Home Depot, but I should about break even on the cost by the time they die and I don’t have to climb high ladders.

Thanks- will definitely look for these. I also read (maybe here) that the Fire Department will send people to replace them but when I asked a neighbor, a former Fire Chief, about it he said they will- just tell them you're a senior citizen, etc. and that they'd rather do that than rescue you when you fall off the ladder.

I HATE playing the senior citizen card. I'm going to wait till DS and DDIL visit again and won't smoke in bed in the meantime.

[TheOtherMe]

I haven't called the fire department because it's a volunteer fire department.  I see on the news to call the fire department and see stories of the batteries on smoke alarms being changed by fire fighters.  

Mine are hardwired and I have a plug in to the wall outlet type in my bedroom that also has a battery back up.  

I don't have anybody I can count on to come and do it for me.  I am guessing the volunteers would prefer to help with batteries than battle a fire.  They have battled several fires already this winter.  

[dancinmama]

We paid a young man to paint an  exterior vent that was too high/too dangerous for DH to reach on our ladder.   We could have borrowed a ladder that would reach, but I don't want DH to do ladder or roof stuff any more.  It's not worth the risk.

We still do as much as we can ourselves - cooking (although we do go out whenever we want to), cleaning, home maintenance, etc. but as we get older we will not hesitate to hire help to do the things that we no longer can or want to do.

[irishpad]

Jan 9, 2019 17:13:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jan 9, 2019 16:35:56 GMT -5 Shooby said:

What are some things you do in life that you know are kind of lazy that cost you money?  Today, i went through the automatic car wash instead of spraying off my car myself.  

Not sure where in Pennsylvania you live, but the current temperature (at 5:00 p.m.) in Pittsburgh is 27 degrees. Wilkes-Barre is 35 degrees. Williamsport is 33 degrees. Not too many folks are outdoors spraying off their vehicles in those temps even if they were a bit warmer earlier in the day.

Hey Tennesseer, you have been in the south too long.    Up north, we have these self-serve car wash places that actually have closed doors and are heated.   Works great.  lol   

[Tennesseer]

Jan 19, 2019 20:35:38 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Jan 9, 2019 17:13:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Not sure where in Pennsylvania you live, but the current temperature (at 5:00 p.m.) in Pittsburgh is 27 degrees. Wilkes-Barre is 35 degrees. Williamsport is 33 degrees. Not too many folks are outdoors spraying off their vehicles in those temps even if they were a bit warmer earlier in the day.

Hey Tennesseer, you have been in the south too long.    Up north, we have these self-serve car wash places that actually have closed doors and are heated.   Works great.  lol   

True that. But isn't the subject of the thread about saving money? Even down here self-serve car wash places ain't free.

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 19, 2019 20:35:38 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Jan 9, 2019 17:13:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Not sure where in Pennsylvania you live, but the current temperature (at 5:00 p.m.) in Pittsburgh is 27 degrees. Wilkes-Barre is 35 degrees. Williamsport is 33 degrees. Not too many folks are outdoors spraying off their vehicles in those temps even if they were a bit warmer earlier in the day.

Hey Tennesseer , you have been in the south too long.    Up north, we have these self-serve car wash places that actually have closed doors and are heated.   Works great.  lol   

Hmm, I pull up at car wash, tell attendent I want this or that car wash. Pull car into the appointed bay, get out and head inside and pay. Sit inside or outside depending on weather till they holler "Lamborghini" is ready. Drop tip money in tip container and go get in my car and drive off. That's as self-serve as I am going to get.

[Lizard Queen]

Jan 19, 2019 20:35:38 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Jan 9, 2019 17:13:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Not sure where in Pennsylvania you live, but the current temperature (at 5:00 p.m.) in Pittsburgh is 27 degrees. Wilkes-Barre is 35 degrees. Williamsport is 33 degrees. Not too many folks are outdoors spraying off their vehicles in those temps even if they were a bit warmer earlier in the day.

Hey Tennesseer, you have been in the south too long.    Up north, we have these self-serve car wash places that actually have closed doors and are heated.   Works great.  lol   

I'm not in the South, and I've never seen one.

[Happy prose]

I put a smoke detector on my wall where I can reach it. I'm sure the battery in the ceiling one is dead. The one on the wall works great.

[irishpad]

Jan 20, 2019 8:52:10 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Jan 19, 2019 20:35:38 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Hey Tennesseer , you have been in the south too long.    Up north, we have these self-serve car wash places that actually have closed doors and are heated.   Works great.  lol   

I'm not in the South, and I've never seen one.

Interesting.   We have had the enclosed manual spraying car wash bays around here since I was old enough to own a car (40 years).  But I'm in northern MN so 5 months of the year it is necessary to prevent the water from freezing while you are doing the wash.   

[Shooby]

  I think one real cost of being lazy is delaying getting on board with any company 401ks.  Or not keep up with your car insurance and maybe adjusting deductibles, etc as your car ages.

[Lizard Queen]

Jan 20, 2019 9:14:17 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Jan 20, 2019 8:52:10 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I'm not in the South, and I've never seen one.

Interesting.   We have had the enclosed manual spraying car wash bays around here since I was old enough to own a car (40 years).  But I'm in northern MN so 5 months of the year it is necessary to prevent the water from freezing while you are doing the wash.   

I'm in Michigan, not quite as cold, but the same. People just don't use them, and use the fully automated ones instead. We're just probably more lazy!

[TheOtherMe]

The car wash in the town where dad lives has a heated car wash where there is a drive thru and 4 do it yourself ones where people have to keep the doors closed to keep the heat in.

That one scratches my car so I don't use the drive thru any more.

I go to one in the larger city where there are a choice of washes, attendants on site, etc.  After you stay with the car as it goes through the wash, you pull the car in to a heated bay where they vacuum, do windows, wipe it dry, etc.  

[Shooby]

  I could wash my car for $1.50 in quarters.   I mean, really in the winter, i just need to get the salt off it.  I think the thing only takes quarters because then you have to dig around for quarters versus driving through the easy to  use $10 car wash.

[Tennesseer]

Jan 20, 2019 9:01:32 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

I put a smoke detector on my wall where I can reach it. I'm sure the battery in the ceiling one is dead. The one on the wall works great.

I bought my home in 1996. A couple of years ago I kept hearing a smoke detector chirping in the bedroom hallway. Chirping means dying battery. I checked the hallway smoke detector and the battery was fine.

I kept on hearing chirping. I looked up at the hallway ceiling and noticed a smoke detector over my bedroom door. I had never noticed it before. The chirping was coming from that smoke detector.

The battery in the newly discovered smoke detector had lasted at least 20 years if not more. I was impressed.

[Lizard Queen]

Jan 20, 2019 9:41:46 GMT -5 Shooby said:

  I could wash my car for $1.50 in quarters.   I mean, really in the winter, i just need to get the salt off it.  I think the thing only takes quarters because then you have to dig around for quarters versus driving through the easy to  use $10 car wash.

Granted this was years ago, but the gas station on the corner had a cheap option on the automated care wash. $3, or $2 with a minimum fill-up.  I never got my car washed so much as when they had that deal.  It kept that car in good shape for a long time. 

In the DIY bays, I've also encountered scratching with the brush.  I don't know why they don't have enclosed ones here, but they did recently build onto the end of some close-by.  I'll have to check to see if they maybe added a heated bay there.

[Shooby]

Jan 20, 2019 10:25:50 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Jan 20, 2019 9:41:46 GMT -5 Shooby said:

  I could wash my car for $1.50 in quarters.   I mean, really in the winter, i just need to get the salt off it.  I think the thing only takes quarters because then you have to dig around for quarters versus driving through the easy to  use $10 car wash.

Granted this was years ago, but the gas station on the corner had a cheap option on the automated care wash. $3, or $2 with a minimum fill-up.  I never got my car washed so much as when they had that deal.  It kept that car in good shape for a long time. 

In the DIY bays, I've also encountered scratching with the brush.  I don't know why they don't have enclosed ones here, but they did recently build onto the end of some close-by.  I'll have to check to see if they maybe added a heated bay there.

I don't use the brush.  I agree, that can scratch the car.  I spray on the soap and then wash with the sprayer.  The goal is to get most of the salt off because by the next day, it will be covered again.  Now, i do use the automatic car wash because i need to do the underspray from time to time.  But, yes, i have advised my kids not to use that brush.

[dannylion]

There are tasks that I just don't like to do, so I put them off.  Paying someone else to do them makes sure they get done and relieves the natural anxiety that arises from having things that need to be done that I just don't like (or want) to do and keep putting off (because I just don't like doing them).  There are other things that I cannot do and many things I probably could do but would not do well.  So I pay others to do them.  The things get done.  I don't have to do them.  Anxiety is reduced.  No one is harmed.  

Maybe that just means I'm lazy.  I like to think of it as efficient use of my money.  

[nidena]

Other than painting walls (and a fireplace), I won't do any home improvement tasks myself.  They tend to be large and labor intensive so I pay professionals.  Though, I don't consider it to be laziness so much as self aware.

[Lizard Queen]

I often have visions of doing DIY home improvement projects, but then you go to get started, and reality hits.  HTF do you do this tiny little detail? times 1000.  Google is your friend, but not the most helpful friend most of the time.  Good luck finding the particular stumbling block you are getting derailed by.  Or, WTF?  It looked so simple on YouTube!!!  Or, the little things they skipped over?  Those are the ones you need help with!

[Happy prose]

Jan 20, 2019 10:17:49 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jan 20, 2019 9:01:32 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

I put a smoke detector on my wall where I can reach it. I'm sure the battery in the ceiling one is dead. The one on the wall works great.

I bought my home in 1996. A couple of years ago I kept hearing a smoke detector chirping in the bedroom hallway. Chirping means dying battery. I checked the hallway smoke detector and the battery was fine.

I kept on hearing chirping. I looked up at the hallway ceiling and noticed a smoke detector over my bedroom door. I had never noticed it before. The chirping was coming from that smoke detector.

The battery in the newly discovered smoke detector had lasted at least 20 years if not more. I was impressed.

I know when I cook, the one on the wall goes off. 

[laterbloomer]

Jan 9, 2019 23:31:37 GMT -5 SVT said:

I've been eating out like every day for nearly 3 months now lol

Have not gone to a grocery store since Oct lol

Luckily, I'm still 5'11" 160lbs

I've noticed no matter what I get, I seem to always spend around $20/day for food.

I hate you. Just thought you should know

[tallguy]

Jan 20, 2019 12:48:17 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Jan 9, 2019 23:31:37 GMT -5 SVT said:

I've been eating out like every day for nearly 3 months now lol

Have not gone to a grocery store since Oct lol

Luckily, I'm still 5'11" 160lbs

I've noticed no matter what I get, I seem to always spend around $20/day for food.

I hate you. Just thought you should know

Why?  He's 5'11".  Not being fat does not compensate for only being 5'11".