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Help Us Help Ourselves

By Jill on 2.19.2007

Feministe will be hosting the next Help Us Help Ourselves round-up on March 1st. The project is explained here. Submit your links on this site, either by posting a comment or a track-back to this post. Past examples are here. I will be posting my submission shortly.

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Author: Jill has written 4631 posts for this blog.

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6 Responses

  1. 1
    SJ 2.20.2007 at 3:47 am |

    I really like this emergency menu/grocery list from the Hillbilly Housewife. I wish I had this when I was dirt poor and out of ideas!

    http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm

  2. 2
    Frumious B 2.20.2007 at 1:07 pm |

    I noticed a dearth of car related advice in the last round out. Cars are essential for a lot of people, and they cost bucks to maintain. Most tune up work can be done by anyone with a minimum of investment in tools. Parts’ prices at Autozone (my favorite store) are so much lower than what the mechanic charges that you quickly come out ahead even with the cost of tools. Even for repairs that you cannot do yourself, understanding what is broken and what needs to be fixed can keep you from being ripped off. Things that are easily changed by the home mechanic:

    Oil
    Spark plugs/plug wires
    Air filter
    Fuel filter
    Radiator fluid
    O2 sensor
    PCV valve
    clean the MAF

    All of these are easy enough to do early Sunday morning while the apartment complex manager is still hungover and won’t bust you.

    Things which can also be changed by the home mechanic but maybe require access to a driveway:

    Belts
    Hoses
    Radiator
    Alternator (depending on your engine)
    Brake pads

    Start by purchasing a Haynes or Chiltons manual. They are issued for specific make/model/years and have pictures of your engine including exploded views, pictures of the tools you need, and step-by-step instructions. Googling will help you come up with all sorts of instructions as well. Look around for forums specific to your car where you can ask questions and learn from others. Check out the forums on cartalk.com.

    Clip your nails first, or you are guaranteed to tear one. Remember your safety goggles, jackstands, and wheel blocks.

    And make sure there’s a six pack in fridge BEFORE you start. You will really need it when you are done (drinking while working is not recommended).

  3. 3
    HUHO, March 2007 at Faux Real Tho! 2.23.2007 at 10:57 pm |

    [...] I asked Jill to host Help Us Help Ourselves at Feministe for March 1st. Send your submissions to Jill in a timely ma [...]

  4. 4
    Vanessa 2.24.2007 at 12:44 am |

    How about. How to get your 8 month old to sleep before 1 in the morning?

    Because I’m totally open to suggestions, lol…

  5. 5
    Feministe » HUHO — Finding Low-Cost Legal Services 2.24.2007 at 1:15 pm |

    [...]

    This is my first entry for the second Help Us Help Ourselves carnival, which we’re hosting here on March 1. Seeing as how I’m a lawyer [...]

  6. 6
    Sundre 2.24.2007 at 1:59 pm |

    I have a soup that you can add to the recipe list.

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