So, the home renovations continue and the bills are mounting and from time to time we need to decide to do something ourselves, within moderation as we are not particularly handy. For example, this time around we did all of the painting as that can cost a fortune and, as long as there are no fancy techniques, it's really not that hard (and do not even ask how much insurance estimates as the cost to paint). Plus, the tricky spots tend to be really high and out of sight, so you can get away with a few mistakes here and there. And, if anyone actually pointed out a sloppy corner, you can just say how Hurricane Sandy destroyed your home and you couldn't afford a real painter. That puts an end to it and they slink away.
Anyhow, I tried to draw the line when Big Guy started talking about staining the stairs himself. We had to replace the bottom half of our staircase and in case you've never had a new set of stairs put in (this is our second set, so we are old pros) they come unfinished and require sanding, staining and a finish. I was not a fan of this idea - nothing personal against him but the stairs are in a pretty prominent spot (front entry hallway) and, um, right at eye level (not to mention the elaborate large post right at the bottom). No room to hide any errors. We found a painter that would do it for a reasonable price (as well as touch up some of the edging around our house - the painter's idea, which only goes to show how impressive our painting skills were to a professional) and I thought I had Big Guy convinced.
Then I came home one day last week and after a day of errands and some more expenses (he's a Dean in a middle school and had off for spring break) he announced that he had decided he was definitely going to do it himself. It made the most sense, he had stained things before and we could save the money. He was pretty set on this, started in on the "have a little faith" and repeated again how we could save the money if he did it himself. Then he made his fatal error...by slipping in, as an aside, "or use it for something else." A-ha! Cue the screeching brakes as we now arrive at the real reason behind the logical decision. "Ok, out with it, what are you planning to buy?" He tried to insist that it was nothing, he was "just saying," (famous last words) but I know him too well. In fact, had he not mistakenly added that "or use it for something else," I know in about a week he would have innocently mentioned some new "must have" item assuming I wouldn't connect it to the "do it himself stair staining, money-saving idea." As if. Really guys, you can't put these things past us and I don't know why you try. We've been together twenty years and I can assure you, I've been paying attention.
So, after a few more half-hearted denials, the truth came out. He had *already* purchased the "something else." When we bought our appliances a couple of weeks back, the store had a huge gas grill on sale (ours was drowned by Sandy). Like a moth to a flame, as we were looking at stoves, dishwashers and fridges, he kept going back to that grill. He was enthralled by it. Men and their barbecues. So, when he had a day off, he took another trip to that store and encountered the perfect situation - still on sale and no Snarky Self to veto the transaction with silly comments like "a barbecue isn't a high priority right now, we need to stain the stairs." And when the fait accompli of the purchase became known, he would be in good stead, having already stained the stairs thus paying for the barbecue so it all equals out in the end. Well according to his math. My math likes to end up with the money in my pocket.
So now there is a giant barbecue in my shed. It was able to fit in there because my beautiful armoire that was too heavy for him to carrry into the house alone was moved in by the guys who delivered the barbecue for a few bucks thrown their way solving that problem. I guess he figures that gesture will protect him from any future comments about his little plan.
As if.
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