I like to network as much as I can with my friends and work associates.
That’s how I found a really good car mechanic a few years ago.
I asked all the people at the office who they used to fix their vehicles, and somebody gave me an amazing referral for a mechanic I still use to this day. I have paid that mechanic to do everything from fix my brakes to replacing my car air conditioner compressor. He’s very skilled at what he does with his hands. And because I got a referral from a friend, he gives me fair pricing as well. If I went to the car dealership for instance to get the same work done, I would probably pay twice as much money for the same thing. So I’m always on the lookout for referrals for various services and skilled workers. Recently I found a guy who repairs small appliances through a friend I met in college. We still talk from time to time on the internet and he was telling me about a friend of his who lives nearby. This guy repairs things like window air conditioners and space heaters. I have a small window air conditioner that needed to be repaired and the guy said he would do it for $50. Instead of having to buy a new window air conditioner for $300, this man got my window air conditioner working again for a fraction of the price. It’s really convenient having somebody like this who can fix all these things for you. If I ever have small HVAC equipment and appliances that need to be repaired again in the future, I know where I’ll go.