On Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 12:40:13 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

On 9/30/2015 10:12 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 3:53:26 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

On 9/30/2015 1:32 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 2:12:01 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

Our thinking is that it's easier to remember to do something (trivial)
every month than to keep track of N month intervals.


I write on my kitchen calendar to check and change filters
every 3 months. No problem keeping track of when to do
this.

And when to fertilize the citrus trees, when to change the batteries
in the smoke detectors, when the roof needs to be repainted, when
the swamp cooler pads need to be serviced, etc.

I don't have any fruit trees.

We have 6 citrus. Ensuring regular watering and fertilizing
ensures large, tastey fruit (we just finished LAST year's OJ...
now we have to wait until January for the next crop -- though
the lemons will come due before then)

Yippee Skippee

The smoke alarms 'tweets' when the batteries needs to be changed.

We don't wait until it starts it's INCESSANT chirping. Do you
want to listen to it for an hour, day, week before you get around
to replacing the battery? Easier to be proactive and replace it
before it complains.

I change it immediately upon hearing it tweet.

You paint your roof???

Yes. Common practice is ~every 7 years. If you *wait* 7 years,
chances are you will end up with problems -- things that have
"gone south" at year #3 and become problems long before #7.

You live in a trailer? That's the only people I know who
'paint" their roofs.

So, *planning* on doing a portion of it every year reduces the
effort required for "year #7 (or, year #5, in our case) AND
ensures the roof gets looked at often enough that any problems
get caught before they become "trouble". E.g., our roof is
over 20 years old (25+) and still "intact". All neighbors
have had theirs replaced in that time.

Ummm, ok.

No swamp cooler here, just central heat & air.

Heat, air and cooler. As cooler is on roof, it requires maintenance
(make sure water line doesn't freeze in winter, make sure it is
cleaned out -- mold, etc. -- at end of season, etc.) each season.

My central heat and air unit sits on a concrete pad
in the yard next to my house.

We find it easier to just put things in very regular schedules:
e.g., instead of fertilizing three times/year (as recommended),
we fertilize monthly; cooler gets serviced at end of season
with pads replaced (instead of waiting for the pads to *need*
to be replaced); smoke detector batteries on New Years Eve;
roof gets 20% serviced each year -- instead of once every 5
years; etc.

The cat does get his flea drop medication the first day of
_every_ month. And the rechargeable tooth brush is run down
completely and recharged the first day of every month.

We try to do everything on a predefined schedule instead of
having to be "reactive" -- or, remember more "complex" schedules.
The effort is more expensive than the cost.

Whatever works for YOU, my uncomplicated schedule works for ME.