Hardly Kephart

Morning mist rises from the water, the stillness broken only by the slurp of my paddle or the jump of a trout. I head toward a distant bobbing white jug, where my hopes are hanging from about 15 feet of rope. Landing my kayak on the rocks, I toss the anchor ashore and step in—the cold water quite comfortable around my hip waders. Anticipation grows like the twist of rope in my hand, a simmering gambler’s faith that the trap at the other end will be stuffed with crawfish.

It’s time to drive a little stake into the heart of American consumerism. A few years ago, I got a washing machine free on Craigslist. The lady who gave it away said it wasn’t draining, so she bought a new one. When I opened it up, I found there was 81 cents in loose change and a wood screw jamming the pump; a simple fix. While you should definitely not be like her, you also can’t blame her too much.

Now that we’ve convinced you you should try to fix your own stuff (see main story), here’s a rundown of what you need to know before you get started. Ain’t no way around it: To fix things, you need tools. They can be expensive new, but there’s plenty of cheap options and sources for loaner tools. Every home should have a collection of essentials (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.). To assemble one at minimal cost, buy them used at a place like ReStore.