Do It Yourself And Save

Do It Yourself And Save Money

I have a neighbor who refuses to do a lick of work for herself or learn anything new. She spends all her retirement income hiring other people to do the things she could very well do for herself. While it’s true that I have suffered a few injuries trying to do everything myself, it has paid off handsomely over time. Being a female senior citizen (see picture), no-one expects me to do all the things I do, but they are still a bit envious and sorry that they didn’t learn a few useful skills instead of turning up their noses at anything less than professional. Most of them can’t even fix a leaky faucet, so instead, they pay a gleeful plumber more than $150 to do 10 minutes work with $10 worth of material. You have to be willing to LEARN do it yourself techniques, and it is never too late.

Some years ago, in the days before AAA, we lived next door to a fellow educator, and one morning when he got up to go to work, he had a flat tire. Not having a clue as to how to change it, he walked around and around for several minutes looking perplexed until my husband, who was NOT a college grad, took pity on him and changed it for him. I made up my mind then and there to never be in the same boat with that helpless over educated nincompoop who couldn’t do something so simple as changing a tire. It’s one of the best decisions I ever made.

This morning I repaired a broken baby gate used to keep my three dogs from getting into my two cats’ quarters and gobbling up their cat food. It took about twenty minutes, requiring only a cordless drill, two steel washers, some wall spackling and a putty knife. If unable to repair it, a brand new gate would have been required.

For the beginners, the books on the left will provide the basic knowledge you need. You don’t need all of them, but just pick the one best suited to your needs and get started!

For those of you who are a bit more advanced, the guides below will help you with some of those projects you have been putting off. Again, these are the best and most highly rated resources on the market.

MY SHED PLANS

HOW TO BUILD A CHICKEN COOP

WOODWORKING 4 HOME

TED’S WOODWORKING

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