Maintenance in Home & Garage

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Reproofing a waxed jacket without ruining it

A tin of dressing, a warm room and two hours of patience will get another decade out of a jacket most people replace far too early.

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Replacing a Car Battery Without Waking Every Warning Light

The swap takes twenty minutes. The part nobody tells you about is what your car forgets the second the power goes away.

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Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideSkillsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

An oil change in order, with a checklist you can print

Crack the fill cap before you touch the drain plug, and eleven other things that go in a specific sequence for a reason.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

Gaming5 min read

The retro consoles worth keeping and the ones to sell

Flip the Wii over before you list it. Model numbers, dying save batteries, and the honest way to price what's sitting in your closet.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

What Actually Kills a Truck Before 300,000 Miles

The engine is rarely the problem. Frames, fluids and the parts nobody thinks about twice are what decide whether your truck sees 300k.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a kitchen knife on a whetstone without guessing

A dull knife slides off an onion and into your thumb. Twenty minutes, one stone, and the burr tells you when you're done.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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GuideGadgetsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The tools to buy first when you buy a house

Three budgets, what each one really covers, and the gear you should rent instead of owning.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Headlights, Wipers and the Cabin Filter in One Afternoon

Three jobs a shop charges real money for, all doable in your driveway with a 10mm socket, a pair of gloves and about an hour.

GuideCountry StyleTobias Reed23 Sept 20266 min

Resole the boots you already broke in

How to tell whether your boots can take a new sole, what a good cobbler will and won't do, and when to stop throwing money at them.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Clearing your gutters before the water finds your foundation

Two afternoons a year on a ladder is the cheapest structural work you will ever do on your house.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Change Your Own Brake Pads Before Lunch on Saturday

Front pads on a normal car take about ninety minutes, two jack stands and one tool most guys don't own yet. What goes wrong, and how to avoid it.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The mower that won't start, and the order to check it

Nine times in ten it's the fuel, not the engine. A working order for diagnosis, and the point where you stop and buy a new machine.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Paint a room in the order a painter actually does it

Cut in one wall at a time, keep a wet edge, and never stop for lunch halfway up a wall. The rest is prep.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Rotate your tires at home and read what the tread tells you

An hour in the driveway twice a year buys you thousands of extra miles and an early warning on your alignment, your shocks and your right foot.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Woodworking6 min

Turning a storage garage into a working shop

Skills6 min

Why Your Car Won't Start, Worked Out In Order

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The Saturday morning truck detail, start to finish

Five hours, one driveway, and an order of operations that keeps you from scratching the paint you just cleaned.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Gear5 min read

Buy the cheap drill. Never buy the cheap jack stands.

A working line between the tools where price buys you nothing and the ones where it buys you a finished job and ten fingers.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

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