Most of it is a part, a manual and an afternoon — and knowing which jobs are not.

Narrow it

• Phones, laptops and gadgets 22

  • Ask what the cartridge costs before the printer
  • Attach the file before you write the email
  • Back up what you can’t replace, then prove it opens
  • Break the To field on purpose
  • Buy yourself a minute after send
  • Check the speaker before you press play
  • Download the map while you still have signal
  • Draft it where it can’t send
  • Get the program from its maker’s own page
  • Hold Ctrl, and the keyboard thinks in words
  • If you can change your voicemail, you can call for help
  • Label the cable the day it arrives
  • Price thrift electronics as if they’re broken
  • Switch the wet phone off and leave it off
  • Take the batteries out before you put it away
  • Tape the ends of used lithium batteries and take them to a drop-off point
  • Test your internet by cable before you blame the provider
  • The address goes in last
  • The print button is a PDF editor
  • The slowdown is usually dust
  • The tab you just lost has an undo button
  • Your charging port is full of pocket lint
• Home maintenance 15

  • Bait it where it hides
  • Check the label before you dust the house for bugs
  • Find the water valve and replace the old hoses
  • Flush the tank while it’s still young
  • For honeybees, call a beekeeper first
  • Leaving for the winter? Keep it warm enough to come home to
  • Light the number
  • Seal the gaps the mice come through
  • Secondhand clothes: the bed-bug protocol
  • Tape the ends of used lithium batteries and take them to a drop-off point
  • The house picks the water heater
  • Treat every gun as loaded
  • Try a plunger before you pour anything down a blocked drain
  • Walk the dog before you adopt it
  • Your garbage disposal has no blades
• Cleaning 13

  • Change the sheets before you leave
  • Clean cheap, and never mix the bottles
  • Fight the marker with its own solvent
  • Lay the light flat on the floor
  • Leave the washer door open so the drum dries
  • Let the bottle dry before you cap it
  • Pull the filter out of the dishwasher floor
  • Soap the mirror before you shower
  • Stand the sponge on its edge
  • The eraser works because it sands
  • The mould comes back until the damp goes
  • The slowdown is usually dust
  • Try a plunger before you pour anything down a blocked drain
• Small repairs 13

  • Buy the rusty skillet
  • Fill the stripped hole with wood and glue
  • Leave notes for future you
  • Patch the jeans from the inside
  • Powder under the insole
  • Read the code before you pay for a diagnosis
  • Soak the showerhead before you replace it
  • Soak the shrunk jumper in hair conditioner
  • Take the batteries out before you put it away
  • The eraser works because it sands
  • The microwave stays charged after you unplug it
  • Try a plunger before you pour anything down a blocked drain
  • Your charging port is full of pocket lint
• Cold weather 13

  • Call before the shutoff date
  • Clear the snow off the whole car before you drive
  • Dig out the tailpipe before you run the heater
  • Heat the rice sock in short bursts
  • Keep the gas oven for cooking and the vents open
  • Keep the heat out before it arrives
  • Leaving for the winter? Keep it warm enough to come home to
  • Program the thermostat down — never off
  • The attic is the 50% lever
  • Touch metal before you pump gas
  • Warm the bed before you get into it
  • What actually keeps you warm outside
  • Wood heat is cheap only if you burn it right
• DIY 12

  • Check the spare, and fill to the door sticker
  • Find the breaker, then test the wire
  • Loosen the lug nuts before you lift the car
  • Put the last jump lead on bare metal away from the battery
  • Raise the desk before you buy one
  • Read the code before you pay for a diagnosis
  • Sew once, wrap forever
  • Start with the oil and put the car on stands
  • The attic is the 50% lever
  • The cheapest change is a coat of paint
  • The library will lend you a sewing machine
  • When in doubt, don’t touch it
• Laundry and clothes 11

  • Change the sheets before you leave
  • Clean more than the lint trap
  • Hang the shirt in the bathroom while you shower
  • Leave the washer door open so the drum dries
  • Patch the jeans from the inside
  • Smell the shirt dry, not the skin
  • Soak the shrunk jumper in hair conditioner
  • The lint in the trap is your clothes
  • The smell is alive, which is why covering it never works
  • Wash it in the tub when there's no machine
  • Why your towels stopped drying you
• Garden and plants 10

  • A garden costs nothing to start
  • Catch the cold water while the shower warms up
  • Drill the hole before you fill the pot
  • Green onions: pay once, regrow on the windowsill
  • Grow the herbs, not the potatoes
  • It is the bread they don't eat
  • Set the sugar water beside the bee
  • The eggs are the bonus, not the saving
  • Watch the baby animal before you pick it up
  • Your SNAP card can buy seeds
• Pets 10

  • A cat straining to pee is an emergency
  • Ask a shelter or rescue for help before you give your pet away free
  • Call before you make them vomit
  • Find the vet that is open at night before your pet needs one
  • Open the empty bag before it goes in the bin
  • Pull a tick straight out with tweezers as soon as you find it
  • Shut the doors before the fireworks start
  • Test the pavement before you walk the dog
  • The box it came in was the present
  • The eggs are the bonus, not the saving
• Tools 9

  • Check the spare, and fill to the door sticker
  • Fill the stripped hole with wood and glue
  • Loosen the lug nuts before you lift the car
  • Measure it with your hand
  • Start with the oil and put the car on stands
  • The bakery gives away buckets — you only have to ask
  • The library will lend you a sewing machine
  • The steel hones, the stone sharpens
  • Wear the glasses when you wonder about them
• Electrics 7

  • Find the breaker, then test the wire
  • If someone is being shocked, don’t grab them
  • One adapter, one plain strip
  • Shocks from the shower mean an electrician — today
  • The microwave stays charged after you unplug it
  • Tie the two cords together
  • When in doubt, don’t touch it
• Kitchen kit 7

  • Buy the rusty skillet
  • Check the oven mitt is dry before you reach in
  • Keep the non-stick pan off the high flame
  • Light the charcoal without lighter fluid
  • Take the empty tank somewhere that fills it
  • The restaurant supply store is a thrift store that sells new
  • The steel hones, the stone sharpens
• Plumbing 7

  • Find the silent leak with food coloring
  • Find the water valve and replace the old hoses
  • Let the grease set before you throw it
  • Soak the showerhead before you replace it
  • Try a plunger before you pour anything down a blocked drain
  • Try the cheap bidet attachment first
  • Use cold water and a filter made for lead, because boiling does not remove it
• Pests 6

  • Aim where the fly is going
  • Check the label before you dust the house for bugs
  • Look at the mattress seams before you put your bag down
  • Point the fan at your feet
  • Put a drop of soap in the vinegar
  • Secondhand clothes: the bed-bug protocol
• Appliances 3

  • Clean more than the lint trap
  • Leave the washer door open so the drum dries
  • Pull the filter out of the dishwasher floor
• Clutter 3

  • Empty the car at the pump
  • Label the cable the day it arrives
  • The closet keeps its own score