Victory over the garbage disposal

Even if you stay in the marital home, the maintenance that comes with owning a house can be daunting to us newly-singles.

“I had no idea what the maintenance was going to be like. It was horrific. I did not like it. I still don’t like it,” said Dawn of Longmont, Colorado.

One of the funniest projects Dawn took on was changing her kitchen garbage disposal.“Three weeks it took me. I mean, I would just read the instructions, go try it, it would leak. I’d give it up for another week. Go back, pull it out. I took it out three or four times completely and started from the very beginning – like put it on the floor. My whole kitchen was a disaster for three week. It was awful but in the end, it got in there and everything works.”

Dawn is a very competent lady – she’s a school principal – but I have to admit to getting a chuckle when I try to picture Dawn scrabbling underneath the kitchen cabinet. She doesn’t look anything like a plumber! Whenever I see her, she is immaculately turned out – her hair is styled, her nails are polished, she’s wearing make-up, and most of the time she’s in a skirt or a dress and heels. Adding a wrench and a spanner to that conjures up quite an image!

What made Dawn tackle this project, apart from being a smart, capable lady? Part of it was financial but convenience was a big factor. She wasn’t going to take time off work so a plumber could come during his or her regular work hours and she wasn’t about to pay the extra for a Saturday call. “I thought I need to be able to do these things in my time when I can just do it,” said Dawn.

Not only did Dawn save herself money, she got a huge confidence boost. She described the project as being “extremely difficult” but afterward, “I was very proud of myself because I thought if I could do that then I could do just about anything.” 

Feeling inspired to tackle your leaking garbage disposal? Here’s a resource at About.com that might help.