One of the "Special Happinesses" of being poor.

[ladyVet]

12. I feel you, brother.

We are constantly fixing cars, fixing something on the house, fixing clothes, fixing something. We have been lucky to be able to do these things ourselves, or we'd probably be living in a cardboard box under a bridge.

I finally got the crappy trailer storm door replaced this week. I've been wanting to do it for about fifteen years, but there was always something that was more urgent. It's made a big difference already as these cooler days come along. My brother and my middle son did the work, shimming and adjusting until it fits tightly into the frame. All we need to do is get some caulk to finish it up, and we're good for the winter.

Now we get to fix the back door, which has basically rotted in the frame, as well as the floor, because the wind blows rain/snow on it and we can't stop it leaking. This has been a huge issue since I got this crappy POS trailer 22 years ago. It came with a patio door that leaked like a sieve and drew cold air in during the winter. Replaced the floor three times already, fourth time later this week. Yay.

By the way, we're going to use the old storm door on the back, until we can afford to buy a new one. It will at least keep the rain out, and hopefully the dogs won't tear it up like they've done the door. They go out the back to run around and have their bathroom breaks, into an area we made with leftover materials and stuff from my sister (a section of chain link fence she picked up off the road and sold to me cheap).

Even if we could afford to pay someone to do the work, nobody wants to work on mobile homes. So I'm very lucky in that my brother can do most anything, with little materials (we've often done stuff with scavenged materials, it's like a miracle). My middle son helps him, so he's learning about carpentry after learning about car repair over the years.

I guess you could say it's a trial being poor. You have to be able to do a lot of bending, or else you'll break. I've come close a few times, but I just keep going on. There are days I really hate having to watch every penny, to always buy the cheapest stuff, to do without new TVs, or computers, or a nicer phone. But it is what it is, as they say.