hubby's turning into a mechanic

he spent yesterday afternoon tracking down parts, and this morning he went to a co-worker's house to use the floor jacks and do the work. firestone wanted to charge way too much and we don't know if we can trust any of the local guys. so his co-worker offered to help with maintenance repairs on our '99 mazda. cv boots, brakes, and some wires that may be causing the engine to be sluggish all needed replacing... these things happen when a car hits 100K miles. the things one will do to save $$$. i get the cheap haircut, hubby turns into a mechanic. i have to say, my "sacrifice" is much easier to bear.