by Lenna Gonya

Created on: December 13, 2009   Last Updated: December 18, 2009

At some point dad will probably need to fix something around the house, and, it will be less of a strain if he can find his tools when he needs them. Dad's personal, portable tool bucket will solve this problem, and, give him something more interesting than a sweater to open on Christmas morning.

My husband is good at fixing about anything, from plumbing to wiring, to woodwork.  He learned early on in our marriage, right after we got our first estimate from a professional.  The problem isn’t that he doesn’t have tools.  There are at least five sets of identical tools located in various shops, garages and buildings. But, when it comes time to actually use one of the five or six tape measures, utility knives or hammers, they mysteriously disappear.  We have all learned, through the years, that this is always our fault, since one of us obviously used them and didn’t put them back.

This year, my son came up with a solution for dad’s missing tools, that one of us usually get blamed for misplacing.  We are assembling a tool bucket for him, that he can carry with him, and that he will be totally responsible for maintaining.  This bucket is easy to carry from job to job, will, hopefully, keep all his tools organized and available, and, will keep us from being accused of swiping his stuff.  

Another plus is that your husband can’t use the excuse that he can’t find the right tool to fix that little project that you have been asking him to take care of for months.

These tool bucket “aprons” are available at any home and garden store, and fit over a five gallon bucket.  The exterior has pockets for essentials like hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, utility knives, elusive tape measures, pliers, and other useful items.  The interior of the bucket can hold levels, squares and boxes of nails, screws, a saw etc.  You can also include some duct tape, (an absolute must), rags, an extension cord, flashlight, and some hand cleaning gel.

In order to keep this bucket exclusively dad’s, we are planning to put his initials on all of the tools either with a marker or by engraving.  If this gift is a little too utilitarian for your hubby, you can always throw in a few specials treats in the bucket, like his favorite snacks, or some other little surprise extras.

Anyway, this should be a gift that keeps giving for many years to come, for both him and all those people who really need his help.  Just be sure if you use any of these things to put them back!

Learn more about this author, Lenna Gonya.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.