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Building A Morning Routine: Be Optimistic and Realistic

Building A Morning Routine: Be Optimistic and Realistic

If you are anything like me, and I suspect if you made it through more than one of my ridiculous articles and have come back for more than you are, you really like the idea of bettering yourself. Perhaps so much so that you, like me, hear about all of these cool things that you absolutely have to incorporate into your day-to-day in order to improve your strength/mental fortitude/idiot tolerance.

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Meet A DIY Hero: The Unprofessional

Meet A DIY Hero: The Unprofessional

You’ve been seeing and hearing my rants and ramblings about learning skills and putting them to use around the house for over a year now. But believe it or not, for all of my high-falutin’ jargon and chest-thumping, I am not an expert in the world of DIY.

“But Captain,” you say, starting to feel like you’ve been duped, “there’s no way someone as study and buffed as you could be anything less than…

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The Trades Are Calling, and they Desperately Need You!

The Trades Are Calling, and they Desperately Need You!

Here we go again, people. You’ve read my comparison on the cost of getting educated in the trades versus going to college, you’ve heard me ramble on Choose FI and Bigger Pockets Money about why the trades are great, and now I’m doing it again.

Why? Because I can! Also, it’s super important!

Down to Brass Tacks

Here’s a sobering fact: according to the Washington Post, skilled trades have…

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Is It Possible to Avoid Debt This Christmas?

Is It Possible to Avoid Debt This Christmas?

Hi folks, Captain DIY here to introduce another friend of mine, Good Nelly! She has written this fabulous guest post for us to enjoy, and hopefully this will help you make it through the gift-giving season without having to pay for it come January! Take it away, Good!

First and foremost, it’s a complete DIY thing and you don’t need any professional help to stay out of debt this Christmas.…

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Captain DIY on Choose FI

Captain DIY on Choose FI

Holy crap, this is a big deal! I have been on some fantastic podcasts before (such as House of FI and Bigger Pockets Money) and today marks my feature on one of the biggest names in the Financial Independence community! In fact, they’re so big, they’re one of the biggest rising stars in personal finance!

Thats right, yours truly has been featured on the famed Choose FI finance radio show!

Ok,…

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How To Fix Floor Squeaks and Win Over the Admiration of Your Friends

How To Fix Floor Squeaks and Win Over the Admiration of Your Friends

Have we got a special treat for you today! Actually, that was a question. Have we?

Yes! Yes we have! Today we have a guest post from fellow tradesman, blogger, and all around manly dude Mr. Burrito Bowl! He writes at the deliciously title Burrito Bowl Diaries, and when you’re done reading this article I highly suggest heading over there to learn about finances, fitness, and food. There’s…

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How To: Do Thanksgiving

How To: Do Thanksgiving

Today we get the glorious task of diving into the weeds on the best way to crush my absolute favorite holiday. We’ve talked about some serious subjects before, such as turning negative influence into positive growth, comparing the cost difference between an education in the trades versus a college education, and even how bad I screwed up at life!

Now we get into the really good stuff.

First Off:…

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How To: Learn How to do Anything

How To: Learn How to do Anything

Learning a new skill or ability can be a laborious, difficult, immensely satisfying thing. The problem most people have when they set out to learn something new is the expectation that they will go from where they currently are (total n00b who is more likely to hurt themselves than accomplish anything) to getting congratulatory phone calls from the This Old House crew for their incredible work.

I…

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Childbirth As A DIY Metaphor

Childbirth As A DIY Metaphor

The birth of my son in 2010 was a catastrophe. We went in on Monday, April 12th for an appointment to administer drugs that would prompt delivery, and three excruciating days later he was born via emergency Cesarean Section.

It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and I was just on the sidelines! The incredible stamina and fortitude my wife displayed was nothing short of extraordinary.

My…

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Captain DIY Screws Up At Life

Captain DIY Screws Up At Life

As ominous as that title is, it’s absolutely true. I screwed up at life. Not only that, I screwed up something that I, and probably every single one of my FI-blogger counterparts, routinely write about.

The Work-Life Balance.

Say What?!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, or if you’ve heard me on any of the podcast interviews I’ve done, you know that I love the side hustle.…

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It’s been a little while since we got into a Fit To FI segment, but that is about to change with this quick and easy DIY Dumbbell Set! No need to rub sweaty elbows with the stinky masses at the gym when you can build your own gym at home! Let’s get started!

Almost done with my warmup

In the interest of full disclosure, I am recommending you use a different size pipe for your project, as I found that not all of my weights fit on the 1 inch pipe that I used.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a hacksaw and a screwdriver for tools.

  You only need two different parts to build these, and here they are:

Three-quarter-inch EMT (Electrical Metallic Tubing) connectors – the dreaded Big Box Hardware Store sells these in 5-packs for just under $3, and for two dumbbell handles you’ll need a total of eight.

2.   One piece of three-quarter-inch EMT. This comes in a ten-foot length, but you’ll only                      need about three feet of it. If they sell smaller sections, grab one of those instead.

And that’s it! Of course, you’ll need weights as well, but this is just an article about making the handles. I found a huge pile of these crappy concrete-filled plastic weights on Craigslist for super cheap.

Big ol’ pile of cheap

On to the Build

The first thing we are going to do is take the locknut off of the connectors as shown here:

As you can see from this photo looking inside the connector, there is a little “shelf” on the inside that stops the pipe from going all of the way through. This needs to be removed.

I recommend putting the connector on the end of the pipe and tightening the set screw down, as this will make holding on to it much easier. It’s still going to. be hard, especially when you realize you have to do it eight times, but we know from experience that there are many benefits to hard physical labor, don’t we!

This is what the connector should look like once the end has been removed. Remember, we want to cut off the threaded part, plus a smidge, to make sure we get rid of the shelf inside.

Don’t forget to file the rough edges off. I guess that means you need a third tool. I guess that means I’m the fourth…

Ok, you finished cutting the ends off of all eight of those connectors? Great! See, you’re arms are tired, you’re sweating and breathing hard, and you’re not at the gym! And we haven’t even finished making our dumbbells yet! That’s a freebie workout for you there. You’re welcome!

Grab That Pipe

The way I determined the length of pipe I would use is I held it firmly and put a connector on the pipe just outside of my hand width. Then I added a good hearty length on either end for the weights, because I have an overly optimistic and unrealistic view of how strong I’m going to get. Isn’t DIY fun?

Once you get an idea of length (roughly 15-18 inches in my case), cut the pipe to that length and put a small mark in the middle. Then measure out about 3-4 inches to either side of that mark and put more marks. These marks will be where the inner connectors, or collars if you will, will end up.

Slide those collars on the pipe so the little flange that didn’t get cut off is facing out and tighten them down as much as you can without hurting yourself. We’ll save the personal injury for the workout, thank you very much!

Now slide those weights on there and pop the other collars on to lock them in place.

I’m feeling stronger already!

There you have it! Time to feel that gymspiration! Send in some pics of your DIY dumbbells and I’ll post them below for the whole world to see! Bonus points if you’re using them to do something silly.

How To: Make Adjustable Dumbbell Handles for Less Than $13 Per Set It’s been a little while since we got into a Fit To FI segment, but that is about to change with this quick and easy DIY Dumbbell Set!

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Interview With A Pro: Dave the Heating Guy

Interview With A Pro: Dave the Heating Guy

Greetings, and welcome to what will hopefully be the first of many in the new Interview With A Pro series! Some of you may remember Guest Expert Dave the Boiler Guy from the time he saved me from the Great Boiler Snafu. Or the time I had to swallow my pride and (gasp!) Hire a Contractor.

Today we are going to pick the brain of an expert in the heating trade, and see if there are some good…

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Captain DIY on Bigger Pockets Money

Captain DIY on Bigger Pockets Money

The podcast tour continues! Last week I was lucky enough to have an interview aired by the incredibly ladies of the House of FI podcast, and this week the famed Bigger Pockets Money podcast aired my interview with Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen. So cool!

What is Bigger Pockets Money?

A long time ago in a land very far away, a gentleman by the name of Josh Dorkin started a real estate education…

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College vs The Trades: An Educational Cost Comparison

College vs The Trades: An Educational Cost Comparison

Today is a very big day here at DIY 2 FI! I have for you the most highly-researched article I have ever written! Lots of great info! I spent at least 20 minutes searching the internet just for you!

Just one…more…google search…

I’ve made a case for learning a tradein the past, and today I’m going to go into the real numbers. Now, as there are so many variables involved here, I’m going to use my…

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Turning Negative Influence into Positive Growth

Turning Negative Influence into Positive Growth

It has been said, many times over in the FI community, that you are the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time.

While I do believe there is a large grain of truth in that statement, it also gives the individual an easy release from personal responsibility. Sure, you can choose who you’re around some of the time, but you can’t pick your coworkers, right? It’s not my fault I’m…

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Captain DIY on House Of FI

Captain DIY on House Of FI

This is super exciting, folks! I recently went through a spate of interviews for some Financial Independence podcasts, and today the House Of FI podcast aired my interview! So cool!

What is House Of FI?

House Of FI is a podcast run by two ladies, Wendy and Timika, who like to focus their attention on the pursuit of FI for families. They like to tackle subjects like childcare, teaching your kids…

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And Paints the Railing Too!

Well folks, it has been a busy fall season here at the Headquarters! Between juggling side hustles, winning awards (one could say that I was nominated for a chain letter, but that’s beside the point), and getting a new boiler, there has been quite a bit going on!

There’s also holding down day jobs and raising kids, but really, how much stuff can I list before it gets ridiculous?

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Mrs. DIY has decided that she has had enough of looking at our crappy back deck. Ok, it’s more like a tiny little porch. Stop judging!

Getting Started

First a little introduction to Mrs. DIY. She is incredibly adept at many things, especially those relating to human psychology and behavior. She makes her money with her brain, and does not have a ton of experience using tools. Did that stop her from trying? No friggin way!

After borrowing a palm sander from a neighbor, she donned a dust mask (a real one, not the one in the link) and got down to sanding. This is an important step, as it removes any flakes and imperfections that might fall off after the stain or paint job, potentially leaving ugly unpainted (or unstained) blotches. Nobody likes blotches. Except that artist who made a fortune throwing paint at the wall.

Nevermind the giant stain on the wall

Getting all the corners

Once the sanding portion was finished, she ran over everything with the shop vac to get rid of the leftover dust. No pics of that, but as she has a bit of an obsession with vacuuming in general, I’m pretty sure that step did not get skipped.

The Painterly Painter

As the floor of the deck was a little damp due to the unending rainfall and high humidity of this bizarrely wet summer, the intrepid and unstoppable Mrs. DIY proceeded to slap a solid coat of exterior latex paint on the wooden toprails around the deck.

Such form! Such grace!

I wisely avoided giving any unsolicited advice or criticism during this process, and therefore was able to avoid ending up with a wet paintbrush contacting my cheek at high velocity. Take note, partners of aspiring DIYers.

Here we see a beautiful before- and after- of the top rail.

After she had finished the rail, she then decided to swing around and hit the front railing with the same procedure. Unfortunately, children only have the mental capacity to reserve Do Not Touch status to one object at a time, and so the front railing was subjected, along with the front door handle and a piece of wall, to unmitigated molestation. Look for an update on removing paint from doorknobs in the future.

Stained By Me (Sung to the Tune of “Stand By Me”)

Unfortunately, though the motivation to continue was strong in the heart of my lovely partner and foreman of the Great Deck Project, the weather was not so congenial. The rains came yet again, and the deck absorbed an unhealthy amount of moisture. Puddles aren’t great at taking deck stain, so the project had to wait.

Eventually, as in a week and a half later, the weather finally cooperated. The deck was fit to be stained!

Look at that cute little thumbs up! (sniff) I’m so proud!

In true fearless DIY fashion, Mrs. DIY grabbed an old paintbrush and a small container and got to work!

Tools of the trade

Having already done the hard part, i.e. sanding, she was able to simply work her way across the deck with a nice thick coat of stain. The nice thing about painting on the floor is you don’t have to worry so much about runs, so it really is a simple and satisfying task.

What a difference!

The trick here, and this is something to be stressed, is not to paint yourself into a corner! Start in a corner and work your way to an exit point, as you won’t be able to walk on it to get out!

That’s it! Wait, Really? That’s It?

Yep, simple as that. once she had a nice coat of stain on there, it was just a matter of waiting a couple of days for it to dry and then it was ready for walkin’!

I should also mention that she came back and did the balusters a little later on as well so everything matched.

And there you have it! A super simple DIY project with a great outcome that will not only help protect your investment but it’ll make it look better too! We spent about $24 for a gallon of stain, and we were easily able to cover our 7’x4’ deck with a tiny portion of it. We also spent a little on the exterior paint (I forget how much exactly, but it was less than the stain) and we used an old paintbrush from the back of the garage, so the whole project was done for less than $40.

Before:

After:

Mrs. DIY spent a total of maybe an hour and a half to two hours on this, and it will protect our deck and hand rails for at least a year, maybe even up to five! Not bad!

Has this inspired you to tackle a project of your own? Let us know about it so we can laugh at y…er, cheer with you!

Mrs. DIY Stains the Deck! And Paints the Railing Too! Well folks, it has been a busy fall season here at the Headquarters!