- Do it right—these people want the problem fixed so they aren’t dealing with it again next year. They understand that sometimes it’s better to spend a more up-front than pay for it twice.
- Only what’s necessary—cash flow prevents most people from doing everything at once. Sometimes it demands that only what’s necessary be done now and the other things will go on the list for future projects. They break it down into manageable chunks and deal with it as they can or as they must.
- Bargain hunters—they search out great bargains on things that they think they can make work and end up spending more making their bargain work than they would have if they had simply bought the correct thing to begin with. Sometimes spending a little more saves you a whole lot!
- Band-aid appliers—they want the cracks caulked and the walls painted so the room looks good but ignore the foundation trouble that’s causing the cracks. The problem is that eventually they’ll have a house that may look good from a recliner’s point of view but is crumbling around them.
I’m sure mechanics and many other service providers see it too. Not only that, but I bet if we look at people around us they might fit into these categories too.
What's the trouble with band-aiding problems? (tweet this)
This is something I've been chewing on for awhile as I've watched Jim work with homeowners that are Bargain hunters and Band-aid appliers...
The big question for me here is, which category do I fit into?
Is it the one I want to be in? If it isn’t, what do I need to do to get into a new spot?
Sure, there are times when the best thing to do is apply band-aid. And bargains are fantastic—if it’s truly what you need or you know will work. Doing what’s necessary is a fact of life. It’s not often that we get to everything we want, as we want to. Usually we have to break things into bite-size pieces and that’s fine. The trouble comes when applying band-aids is such a habit that even when doing something right is an option we don’t do it.
And there’s the crux of this issue.
What’s your habit?
If the first thing you always reach for is a band-aid you might want to grab a flashlight, go below, and check things out. Chances are there are bigger problems about to spring on you.
For home repair, I'm definitely a "do it right" type of guy. Fix it once and fix it right.
ReplyDeleteNice boots! Gotta love the duct tape!
=] Thanks, Tom. Those came home from a youth mission's trip one year. Boys are rough on shoes and the duct tape got him through the week and made me laugh.
DeleteSuper reminder! Not sure where I fall, but I'm definitely pondering this morning!
ReplyDeleteThis really made me stop and think, too, Joanne. There's a time for kind of fix and repair, but seeing each thing played out over a twenty year span was an eye opener. The bandaid one family wanted twenty years ago turned into a major problem and all Jim could say was "I did what you wanted when we dealt with this last time and this is the result now."
DeleteDefinitely made me think.