Money Lessons From A Bathroom Fan

About six months ago, my family and I moved from a smaller 1,800 square foot home to a larger 2,996 square foot home. The size was not the only difference between these two houses. Our first home was smaller, but it was brand new. Every appliance, every fixture, and every inch was brand new. The house we moved to...well, let's just say it was opposite of brand new. It was built in 1948 and almost everywhere we turn is another project. In our old house, the only time I needed to pull out my tools was to hang a picture for my wife. In this house...the tools rarely get put away.

Last month, Brooke and I decided that our master bathroom needed a little upgrade. The bathroom is in beautiful condition for being built in the 1940's, so we weren't doing a remodel. We just needed a vent. There was only a light up in the ceiling with no fan in it. With all the moisture in a bathroom, an old house, and a lack of ventilation...it was a recipe for future disaster. So, because I'm a good husband (ha!), the light had to go and I was going to replace it with a brand new light/vent fixture from Lowes.

The first thing we did was budget. I did my research on fans, found out how much all the supplies would be, and put it into our August budget. Brooke and I were given a Lowes gift card as a housewarming gift, so that helped with the budget. There were hundreds of other things I would have rather got with the gift card (new grilling supplies, a fire pit, or even some new tools), but it was smarter to use it for something we needed, like the vent.

After our budget was set and the supplies were bought, that's when the fun could begin...but it's also when the disasters started to pile up. The light fixture in our bathroom was so old, as soon as I started to unscrew it from the ceiling and pull it down, it crumbled apart. So...there was no going back. I couldn't put the old fixture back in. Let me just list the next few disasters for you:

The old style of construction in 1948 was very different than our new styles of construction. The hole in my ceiling was too big and I don't know how to do drywall/plaster.
A big box was constructed in the attic in 1948 to hold the light fixture. The new vent could not fit in the box. However, I couldn't tear the box out of the attic because it was all connected to the ceiling and the joists. That would have made a bigger problem.
To get the vent to fit properly, I had to cut a big enough hole to run the ventilation tubing through.
And don't even get me started on trying to figure out 1948 wiring compared to 2017 wiring...I for sure was going to burn my house down.

I was ready to give up...so I did. I didn't have the tools, money, or knowledge to fix this mess. So I decided to call some professionals. I didn't budget for professionals, so this would probably have to come from somewhere else in the budget or take the money from my emergency fund (more on this in a minute). I called three professionals...no one called me back. I was left with a huge hole in my bathroom ceiling (picture provided) and minimal light. Needless to say, my wife was thrilled! She was worried about rats (we don't have rats) coming out of the hole to the attic and attacking us while we slept. I assured her that her side of the bed was closer to the hole, so they would probably get her first (like I said, I'm a good husband).

I tried calling all three professionals again...never got a call back. After a month, I decided I had to give it another try. I talked to friends who knew how to do this kind of work, I got advice, and came up with a plan. Brooke and I made another budget for September. I took the original vent back and got a bigger one that would cover the hole in the ceiling (yes, it was more money...but I budgeted for it and paid cash). I borrowed the necessary tools from my dad. I called a few friends and figured out the electrical (I had to call another friend to figure out why one whole side of my house shut off when I flipped the vent switch...don't worry, I got that fixed too). And now...the hole is covered (no more rats while we sleep), the vent and light are installed and everything is fixed. Yes, it took over a month, but I learned some very valuable lessons:

This was not an emergency - remember that $1,000 emergency fund we are supposed to have? I almost pulled money out of it to hire a professional that would have easily cost me a minimum of $250-$300. This was not an emergency. This was a cosmetic fix on my house that I had no clue how to fix. Instead of doing some research, I almost wasted some of my emergency fund. An emergency is something that is urgent. Your car broke down and you need it to transport kids or get to work. Or maybe there was an unexpected trip to the emergency room (keyword: emergency). A hole in my ceiling...not an emergency. I'm glad none of the professionals didn't call me back. It saved me a lot of money.
Budget, budget, budget - I paid cash for this project. Yes, I had the help of a gift card, but there were costs above and beyond. If I didn't budget for those extra costs, who knows where that money would have come from. But because we budgeted at the beginning of the month, I knew the money was there for my project and I am not going to wonder where all my money is at the end of the month. And yes, it took a longer than I thought, but I waited until I could pay for it with the cash I had instead of borrowing money I wish I had.
Patience - I'm the kind of person that wants to get things done right now. Sometimes, we need to slow down and realize that things don't happen on our timetable. I was so anxious to get this project done that I was going to pay someone else to do it for far more than if I would do it myself. I was patient, asked for help, didn't spend above what I could afford and I eventually got it done. Yes, it took a little longer than I thought...but it's done. And I didn't go into debt to do it.
It's okay to ask for help - I'm just like any other man: I don't like asking for help and I like to impress my wife. I was humbled in both of these areas. I'm sure my wife was super impressed with me leaving a hole in our ceiling. And the only way I was going to fix it was by asking for help from people who know what they're doing.
Feeling accomplished - If felt good to do something on my own. If I hired someone else to do this, I would have never learned how to wire and check the electricity going to and from the switch to the fan. That might be easy stuff to some of you, but I had never done it before. The moment I was done and flipped that switch, I was so proud to see the light and hear the fan go on. That's something I did through a lot of hard work and dedication. Again...it's minor, I know...but I'm not an extremely handy guy, so this made me feel accomplished.

When we can learn these lessons, it makes our financial journey more enjoyable. There will be things that pop up in your financial journey that test you and your patience. These bumps in the road will tempt you to use your emergency fund. If you're like me, you want to be out of debt so bad, and you get anxious because you can only go as fast as your money will allow. Sometimes we need to just sit back and enjoy the process. Being financially responsible takes time and patience. It takes effort. It takes asking for help along the way. But, when you look back on the ups and downs of your financial journey, you will be able to look back and feel accomplished because you worked hard and reached your goals.

Who knew a bathroom fan could teach us so much. By the way: here is the finished product. The proudest moments of my life (so far) are: becoming a Christian, marrying my wife, having both of my boys...and installing this fan. I'll let you guess the order.

Are you ready to start your financial journey? Just like tearing out that bathroom fan...once you get started, there's no going back. It will be hard, but I'm here to help. One day, you can look back and enjoy your accomplishments.

Kevin