Having the Essentials Ready

If you are a homeowner or renter, you have probably realized that you need to keep a couple of things on-hand to have ready when something in your [home, apartment, condo] breaks.

Not so long ago, I was a renter who had no intention of ever owning a home, but my dad decided that I should still have some tools of my own. That thought has inspired today's post - what should you have ready to use, plus additional tips that have helped us (now homeowners) maintain our home.

• Toolbox with common tools - that first toolbox my dad bought me was bright pink, and I loved it. But maybe that's not for you. You know what probably is? This tool set from Home Depot. No, we aren't sponsored, so find something that you like, but this set is less than $15, has a bag, and comes with the essentials - hammer, level, screwdriver, and tape measure. If you have no intention of getting better at DIY, then this is probably all you need.

• Tape Measure - actually, speaking of tape measures, if you own your home, buy a second tape measure. You will never be able to find the first one when you need it.

• Paint colors - when you inevitably want to change a color in your space, store and label the extra paint. Maybe you just want to keep a tiny can on hand, like the pint-sized ones, or you have enough left over that you want to hold onto the gallon container, but either way, make sure the label is legible and add what room you used this in. That way you won't be standing in your workroom trying to decide if your bathroom is ocean blue and your laundry room is royal blue, or it's the other way around.

• Label your outlet covers - this is something that came to us after we realized the previous owners not only had no idea what outlet was on what breaker, but that the breakers made no sense. Why is this one outlet in the first floor bedroom connected to the second floor hallway lights? After that, any time we took an outlet cover off, mostly to put new ones on, we wrote on the back of the cover what breaker it was on. It has saved us an incredible amount of frustration.

There are some other things that you may want to consider that would be helpful, like keeping updated pictures or an inventory of what you own in the event of a fire for insurance purposes. Or keeping batteries and lightbulbs on-hand for when a smoke detector dies right before bedtime, or the kitchen light goes out when you're making dinner. I'm sure you'll think of others for the quirks in your home, but we wanted to get you started!

And, if you're over the age of 30, feel free to also invest in a floor pad for your knees. Painting trim on hardwood floors is a young man's game.