I used some of the last of my refinance money to fix a few electrical issues around the house...and to make a change that has already proved to be a remarkable difference to me.

I had a plug and a light that did not work. The original wiring on the house was just four circuits. The floors were all looped together and then the kitchen. So I added over a dozen circuits, leaving the original wiring in place per the recommendation of two electricians. I also changed out all the switches and all the plugs.

Somehow in all that work, the plug beneath the bird cage lost power as did the light in my closet. For three years, I have not been able to see my clothes much of the time, and the birds have been a bit chilly in the winter because I could not hook up their heat lamp.

So, I asked a handyman to come in a fix those problems. My solution for the light in the closet was to just bypass the original wiring and hook the light up to the bathroom. I had added a new circuit there and it could certainly handle an additional light. The attic floor is open around the edges and I knew that it would be easy to do so. And I was fairly certain that the problem with the plug lay somewhere within the three switches above it. They had all been worked and were one of the looped circuits.

I have done so very much of the work in the house that when the handyman came to bid the job, he wondered why I didn't just do the work myself.

I told him I was too tired.

Anyhow, I also asked him to install a light in the attic and a gable vent fan.

You see, it is so very warm on the top floor, even though I added air conditioning. So very warm. I have had to keep a window a/c unit just to stay cool enough to sleep. It was my hope that the fan would suck out some of the hot air.

In less than two days, the temperature in my room has dropped ten degrees! I still slept with the window unit on, but that made the room temperature drop even lower. I happily slept in the sixties!

The work was incredibly arduous due to the extreme temperatures in my attic. His metal tools became too hot to touch. The plastic ones softened. He had to keep taking breaks and drank two bottles of water and four of Gatorade. Still, he persevered and finished the task.

My best friend's husband helpfully pointed out that if you have a ridge vent, as do I, then you are not supposed to put in an attic fan. Though he is an engineer and I trust him implicitly...frankly...I don't care!

When I walk up the stairs, I am no longer hit by a wave of warm air.

I am quite thankful for the person who invented the thermostat controlled gable vent fan. He has my undying loyalty!