Large print · Every number sourced · No ladders

What I told customers for 38 years, written down so you can keep it by your chair.

Two large-print books for an older house: one to stay warm and pay less for heat, one for the small repairs and safety jobs you can do yourself for a few dollars. And plain talk about which jobs to hand to a pro.

Both books for $39.99 $54

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The Warm House Book and Peggy's Dollar Shelf, two large-print books by Peggy

Peggy at her kitchen table with a notebook and a cup of coffee

A letter from Peggy

For 38 years my husband Walt and I ran the hardware store on Main Street. I worked the register and the paint and plumbing aisles, and most days somebody came to the counter holding a broken part in a paper sack, asking what it was and whether they could fix it themselves.

Usually they could, for a few dollars. Sometimes they couldn't, and the kindest thing I could do was tell them so before they climbed up on something.

Every fall it was the heating bill: good people ready to spend real money on a problem that needed a few dollars, or ready to fix something that needed a phone call instead.

So I wrote it all down. Every price, every number and every safety warning comes from a real source, listed in the back. Where a trick from the internet works, I say so. Where it doesn't, I say that too.

Peggy

The two books

One for the cold months. One for the rest of the year.

The Warm House Book

What I Told Customers for 38 Winters

146 entries14 sections988 pagesLarge print

Stay warm in an older house and pay less for heat, without ever setting a room you live or sleep in below 68 degrees, and without climbing a ladder.

Know your heat, and get it ready before the first cold night
Find the drafts: windows, doors, and the cheap fixes that work
Heat the person, not the whole house: warm beds and warm chairs
Pipes in a cold snap, and what to do when the power goes out
Hype checks: viral warmth tricks, scored
Help that's already paid for, with a state-by-state directory

Bonus: Peggy's Winter Calendar, 26 weeks from October to spring, plus printable checklists and trackers.

$27 Get this book

Peggy's Dollar Shelf

150 Fixes From 38 Years Behind the Hardware Counter

150 entries14 sections1,107 pagesLarge print

Fix the common things that go wrong in an older house yourself, for a few dollars, keep yourself safe living alone, and know exactly which jobs to hand to a pro.

The short toolbox: what to own and what to skip
Toilets, faucets and drains; doors and windows that stick
Locks and safety for living alone
Fall-proof your house, room by room
The water heater, damp basements, summer heat and pests
Call a pro: the warning signs, and the questions to ask

Bonus: Aisle by Aisle, Peggy's walk through the hardware store, plus a year of upkeep, month by month.

$27 Get this book

The bundle

Both books, the whole house, all year

The winter book and the fix-it book cover different ground, so together they cover the whole house: 296 entries, both bonuses, and every checklist and tracker.

$39.99$54

Get both books

Instant download after checkout. 30-day money-back guarantee. Payment is handled by Gumroad.

How every entry works

The same thing I'd tell you at the counter

Each entry is one fix, one problem or one claim from the internet, laid out the same way: what customers asked me, what it's costing you, what to buy and what it costs, step by step, my verdict, and the one mistake to skip. On top, my three scores:

Saves

What it saves you in dollars, from the sources in the back. If nobody has measured it honestly, I won't make up a number.

Safe

Yes, with care, or no. Some of the hype checks get a no, and that's the point of them.

Alone

Yes, with help, or call a pro. If you need a ladder, you need a phone call.

See inside

Real pages from the books

Large print, big pictures, short steps. Click any spread to see it full size.

Two pages from The Warm House Book: entry 12, The $5 Filter You Change First — **The Warm House Book**, entry 12: the scores on top, the story from the counter, and what it's really costing you.

Two pages from Peggy's Winter Calendar: week 1 jobs and a temperature tracker — **Bonus: Peggy's Winter Calendar.** 26 weeks, each with its jobs on the left and a tracker to fill in on the right.

Two pages from Peggy's Dollar Shelf: entry 13, The Toilet That Runs All Night — **Peggy's Dollar Shelf**, entry 13: the running toilet, how to tell it's the flapper, and the fix.

Two pages from the Aisle by Aisle bonus: the fastener aisle — **Bonus: Aisle by Aisle.** Peggy's walk through the hardware store, starting with the fastener aisle.

What you can count on

My rules, in every entry

Every price, number and safety warning comes from a real source, listed in the back of the book.
I never tell you to keep a room you live or sleep in below 68 degrees.
I never send you up anything taller than a step stool with a bar to hold.
Gas lines, the electrical panel and the roof are phone calls, and I tell you what to ask.
Nobody paid to be in these books.

A good gift

For a parent living alone in an older house

If your mother or dad lives alone, these are the books for the jobs you worry about from far away: the carbon monoxide alarm, the frozen pipe, the throw rug in the hallway, the man at the door who says he's from the gas company. Print the checklists, or set the books up on their tablet.

Questions

Good questions from the counter

Is this a printed book?

No. Both books are digital downloads (PDF files). They open on a tablet, computer or phone, and every page is made to print well at home: print the checklists and the pages you need.

How big is the print?

The text is set in 14-point type on a 6 by 9 inch page, in a typeface made by the Braille Institute for readers with low vision. On a tablet you can zoom in further.

How do I get the books after I pay?

Checkout is handled by Gumroad. Right after you pay, you get a download link on the screen and by email, and you can download the books again later from that email.

Will it work on my Kindle?

Kindle readers can open PDF files, but on a small black-and-white screen the pictures and tables are small. A tablet, a computer or printed pages work best.

Is the advice safe?

The books are general information, not professional advice for your house or your health. Every safety warning has a source, and anything that involves a gas line, the electrical panel, the roof or a ladder is marked as a job for a licensed pro.

Where does the information come from?

From government agencies, utilities, university extension services and the makers' own instructions, and every source is listed in the back of each book, entry by entry. Store prices were checked in October 2026 and will change.

What if it isn't for me?

Then you get your money back. Every book comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee: reply to your Gumroad receipt within 30 days of buying and ask for a refund.

Keep it by your chair

Both books, both bonuses, every checklist. 30-day money-back guarantee.

$39.99 $54

Get both books