Putting It All Together

When I was growing up, when you bought something, no matter what it was, it came already assembled. Someone at all of the greedy companies that sell to us consumers, figured out they could save money and force us to put everything we buy together ourselves.

I have now become accustomed to my new best friends in the world of putting it all together: Allen Wrench and the Phillips-head screwdriver. Without them my world would go all wrong. I couldn’t make it without them. From the bedroom set, to the grill to the shelving for the DVDs to the corner TV Cabinet, to my office furniture, even my dining room table and chairs, I have had to bow down to directions that I can’t understand and ambiguous photos that look one way so that I end up putting everything together upside down and backwards.

The first thing I do on these endeavors is say to myself: Now, you’re going to be calm right? And you’re not going to muck this up, because you spent a ton of money while the company you bought it from saved a ton!

Everything you buy comes in a box waiting to be assembled. When I put my office together, I saved about 500 bucks on a desk set complete with hutches and lateral file drawers. I had the option (and this is how they get you) of having the company I bought it from assemble it for me which would have cost 50 bucks per item! I passed on that offer and as is usually my custom and in the effort to save money, (because it’s all about getting the deal), I embarked upon the journey DIY (Do It Yourself). Yes, it would have saved me time to pay to have it assembled, but I just couldn’t do it because it would have cost me another 500 bucks! It took me three hours per desk item. I felt better doing it myself, so therefore, I got paid by not having to pay more.

If you’re into good reading, instructions are not the road to take. They are so boring and confusing. Thank goodness I have enough of a brain to compare the pictures of the nuts and bolts with those in the instructions. I figure if I keep buying items and putting them together it will become my alternative to playing Scrabble or doing crossword puzzles to keep my mind on track.