I love going to the hardware store to browse the aisles when I’m waiting for my wife to get done with her medical appointments.
I usually drop her off at the office and then drive down to the coffee shop or hardware store, depending on how long she’s supposed to be at her appointments.
If it’s just a few minutes, I’ll typically grab a coffee and a few donuts for us to share. But if her medical appointment is supposed to last an hour or longer, that’s when I’ll drop into the musical instrument store or the closest big box hardware store to see what is on sale or clearanced out to make room for new seasonal items. Last month I found a great portable air conditioner for 50% off because it was the beginning of October and the store needed to make room for the winter space heaters. The month prior I scored a bunch of terra cotta planters and pots for 30% off because the landscaping department was having a huge end-of-summer sale. This week I was looking at the tools section at the hardware store and found a great pair of ironworker’s pliers that I’m going to use for bending rebar wire ties. I got a bunch of scrap stainless steel rebar from a huge building project and since I can’t weld, I’m going to tie the rebar sections together using rebar wire ties. However, I learned that you need a pair of ironworker’s pliers if you’re going to easily bend the rebar wire ties into shape. You want a tight bond so the fence doesn’t fall apart while it is exposed to the elements.