Judi,

Get used to this pattern. It is the same path I am traveling. After years of dealing with service people who treat you like the village idiot, fail to show up on time, who overcharge, and who rarely get it right the first time I have concluded if a guy with butt cleavage and a bad haircut can do it, I can.

Look at it this way. The time spent driving the bus somewhere along with the fuel cost, along with the huge bill you will get will more than pay for the tools. Usually the time I spend doing repairs is longer because I am doing on the job training, but because I want to do it right I rarely have to do it twice. So far on the bus all the repairs were done right the first time so taking my time has been worthwhile.

A bus is a complete assemblage of every system known to man, and despite the seeming complexity it is really quite logical and serviceable. Not only the bus, but the house portion, and both are assembled from common parts easily obtained.

So next Christmas, your birthday, your anniversary, and other holidays, encourage your hubby to buy tools. They are cheaper than both repairmen and mistresses.