Three Little Words

Three Little Words
You have no doubt heard the term three little words, but the three little words I'm referring to are not, I love you. So let my story begin, a friend and I were talking on the phone about how many woodworking tools I have in my shop. He said, “How do you get your wife to let you buy some new tools.” So I told them the story. Whenever I have a job to do, I buy the tools that I need to accomplish it the right way. Sometimes that means something as simple as a wrench or socket, other times, its power tools such as a circular saw a router. But there's more to the story, of course it's not that easy, I have to do my best and make it worth it. I'm also very lucky she understands the value of quality tools to accomplish a high-level of craftsmanship.
She buys furniture, knickknacks, curtains, linens and bedding. She says that knickknacks make a house a home. So when I wanted some tools, I joked, “tools make the garage a home.” She laughed. She loves shopping bargains and sales. I quickly learned to check for sales myself, so from then on I said, “It’s on sale.” So now you know my three little words.
Spring break is coming up and I want to put in the patio door onto the back deck. So I began to look around and assess the tools and supplies I needed to complete the job. I realize that this 8 foot door is going to be quite a burden to lift especially when you have to take the handles off the sides in order to fit it into the opening. The instructions mention using suction cups to lift the door into the opening, so I began to check the Internet to find the right quality tools to do the job. These turned out to be more expensive than I realized that I didn't give up easy; in fact I called the manufacturer and spoke with one of the technicians for several hours to ensure the product is made in USA and of high quality. He shared a secret with me, a 10% new customer discount, that was just the ticket I needed, “it's on sale” I said. Then I began pursuing a level to ensure the opening was plumb and square. The cost was quite a bit more than I imagined for such a tool. So I began scouring websites looking for the best value for the best product. I wasn't having a lot of luck, everybody seemed to be in cahoots and unwilling to deal on the price. So I reached into my bag of tricks and called a small proprietor that I had bought from the past. I explained who I was when I had purchased in hopes of getting a discount he checked the price he quickly came back to me with an offer. It wasn't what I was hoping I thought about it for a few minutes and called him back and it told him I needed a better price to get approval. He lowered the price still more and when I entered the room I said to my wife “it's on sale.”
So just remember those three little words- It's on Sale!