I do a fair amount of projects around the house. A couple recent ones involved replacing a toilet and a sump pump. Fortunately, they were two unrelated incidents.

I am good enough to do these projects, but I don’t always know exactly what I am doing. I often end up at Menards and realize that I don’t know if I need the 1 1/2″ tube or the 1 1/4″ tube.

That was my exact problem recently with the sump pump. In addition to swapping out the sump pump, I needed to replace the tube that leads the water away from the house. I stood there trying to guess what size tube I should buy and what size connector.

I ended up buying the 1 1/4″ tube and a 1 1/4″ connector as well as another connector that could handle transitioning from 1 1/2″ PVC to the 1 1/4″ tube.

That covered all my possibilities.

I ended up using the 1 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ connector. Now, I have a 1 1/4″ connector that is not doing anything and a receipt. The connector cost between $5-10. In the past, I would have put the part somewhere on my workbench and waited for the mythical day when I needed that part.

But, in an effort to be a little more fiscally responsible, I put the part and the receipt in my car so that the next time I go over there I will remember to return it.

Which will cut the cost of the project by $5-10.

 

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