Argh! DIY Advice?

Undertow · Oct 6, 2010

DIY? 4 Times It’s Cheaper to Pay a Professional

Article from CBS Money Watch.

It's one thing if you don't have the right equipment for the job, or if you're not entirely into getting grimey (ladies don't always like to crawl under cars to change oil), but simple stuff like selling YOUR OWN STUFF, shouldn't be that difficult.

Articles like this drive me up a wall. If anything, CBS Money Watch should be giving advice on how to be more self-sufficient in tough times. Changing oil and doing your own taxes are so simple that it's almost criminal to have someone else do it. Wanna sell some stuff? Don't HIRE someone - do the necessary groundwork on your own. Sweet lord.

What do you guys think? I realize we're in a community of relatively intelligent, self-sufficient people, but doesn't this seem just a little lame? Should we be encouraging people to do their own research, fix their own problems, maintain their own lives?

Miss sofia · Oct 6, 2010

Actually that whole 'cheaper to buy new than to repair' thing drives me nuts, so wasteful. And it's not strictly true that having certain things repaired is cheaper than binning them and buying new, doing some research and finding someone to do it for you can be the tricky and time-consuming part or sourcing a manual or a guide to help you do repairs perhaps. But i like my parents and grandparents try to subscribe to the 'make do and mend' mentality with things where possible. (Although i shouldn't labour this point too much as i'm always grateful for the finds i get that people leave out for the dustman or in skips because they couldn't be bothered to get a screw- driver out or whatever and do a simple repair job.

I do agree we should certainly be trying to learn how to be more self-sufficient. Ok there are some jobs that i as a single woman, have to have the professionals in for, but due to financial constraints, i have learned how to do albeit in a 'bodge it' kind of way sometimes, certain basic repairs to my house etc. It's also satisfying knowing you have done the work yourself.

As for that, getting people to sell your stuff for you. Ridiculous. I have worked at an auction house and many are more than happy to offer free valuations or point you in the right direction, as are many shopkeepers, not to mention the wealth of information available online.

The nanny state rears it's ugly head again

miss_elise · Oct 7, 2010

well on those points she might be right. I don't know how to recycle auto oils and to just toss the in the bin would be really irresponsible.

however on the things I do know how to do it's way cheaper for me to do them myself

LizzieMaine · Oct 7, 2010

As far as recycling oil goes, around here most municipal transfer stations (the fancy word for dumps) have facilities for handling waste oil. They charge a small per-gallon disposal fee for handling it, and it's easy enough to just pour it into a jug and carry it along when you go to dump your regular trash.

In many areas, gas stations and garages will handle used oil -- again, there'll be a fee, but it's usually not extreme.

As far as self-sufficiency goes, I refuse to pay anyone to do something I can do myself. Last week I replaced the taillight fixture on my car -- $65 for the part by mail order, and ten minutes of my time, versus $150 for the part retail and a $75 labor charge at the garage. If I didn't know how to do it, that price difference would be reason enough to learn.

Now, I wouldn't pull my own teeth (I used to when I was little -- piece of thread, doorknob, and away we go) or extract my own appendix -- although given the quality of our local hospital I'd be tempted to try.

Steveb1 · Oct 7, 2010

I never pay someone to do something that I can do myself. I'm very self sufficient and that comes from taking care of it myself all my life. There is a personal satisfaction that comes with this independence. It really bothers me when is see someone constantly looking for a handout and all these government programs designed to just give people money. These folks are just holding themselves back by constantly seeking handouts. If they worked to be self sufficient, their lives would be so much more fulfilling.

Paisley · Oct 7, 2010

Do people really need to be encouraged to throw stuff away instead of repairing it? I've saved not only money but time making repairs. This year, I've repaired my dishwasher ($65 in parts and five minutes' labor v. $600 plus delivery for a new one), repaired my coffee maker (a little solder, flux and five minutes' work v. $35 and a few hours' shopping for another vintage one), and my kitchen faucet ($40 in parts and tool rental and an hour's work v. $80 for a new one). That's $610 plus time saved repairing things instead of shopping and waiting around for delivery or repairmen.

Medical problems: doctors are good for some things, but they don't have time to solve puzzles. And they're as motivated by money as anyone else. Google Scholar is full of medical literature your doctor has probably never read and never will. Since starting my blog on this subject, I've solved problems that were real head scratchers for my doctors and my mom's.

As for taxes, it depends on your situation. I do my own and my parents', but ours are pretty simple. At the CPA firm where I work, some of our clients' tax returns are well over an inch thick, and some have to file in all 50 states. Professional football players have to file in every state where they play a game. When our clients have problems with the IRS--and the IRS makes mistakes all the time--a response on our letterhead helps make the problem go away.

Foofoogal · Oct 7, 2010

All I can say is God Bless my Accountant. lol

To even sign the thing scares me.

I did marry the right man ( I am very smart) for all the honey dos and he is a master at most odd jobs.

Some of the newer appliances and other gadgets cannot be fixed and/or cost more to fix.

Warden · Oct 7, 2010

It is true to say, most things are cheaper to buy new than repair,

I have a rule I repair once then if it goes wrong again I replace.

This does cost me more, I did think twice when it was £30 to re sole my shoes, when they only cost £20 in the 1st place, but I feel good for doing my green bit.

Harry

Ada Vice · Oct 7, 2010

Warden said:
It is true to say, most things are cheaper to buy new than repair,

says you!

I try and do stuff myself as much as I can, not only is it cheaper, it's quite often easier as I have trouble 'letting go' and trusting people whether they be mechanics or gardeners...

And I don't let the fact that I have a set of t*ts stop me from doing anything, we women are not made of breakable glass you know.

Undertow · Oct 7, 2010

Another bit of advice for anyone trying to dispose of used motor oil -

Call around your local auto parts stores - no kidding. My O'Reilly's Auto Parts, AutoZone, and Advanced Auto Parts (to name a few) will take my used motor oil for FREE. Sometimes the clerk will take it from me for disposal, but usually they lead me to the back room where I dump it in a bin myself. For FREE.

Warden, I think it all depends on what you're repairing, and how much effort you've put into researching the parts. If you bought a toaster from Wal-Mart for $10 and it fizzles out - you should unplug it, open it up and see if there are any loose wires, etc. But certainly, if everything looks like it's intact, and you can't find any literature on it, you may just need to go out and buy another $10 toaster.

But when we have access to things like Google, where a person can find repair manuals, message boards on repairs, FAQs and troubleshooting guides, I think it's a lot easier for someone to research the problem prior to buying a new unit.

I guess another gripe I have with this article is that it seems like it's patting folks on the back for being lazy. Forget "4 reasons not to DIY" - that's lazy journalism in my opinion. Instead, write an article about "10 Reasons to DIY" and include everything from that article, plus 6 more.

Regarding Taxes - I think anyone with a business (including those with complicated employment, like NFL players) should consider hiring a CPA just in order to avoid pitfalls and loopholes. But if you're a single/married person with kids and a mortgage, just read the tax book that came with your forms. Easy peasy, my friend. Just takes patience, a calculator and a pencil.

LizzieMaine · Oct 7, 2010

I think the best way to avoid the trap of disposable unrepairable goods is to simply avoid buying them in the first place. I bought my toaster at a flea market 30 years ago for one dollar. It's a flip-over model, there's no thermostat to get out of whack, no pop-up mechanism, nothing but a cord and a heating element. As long as the cord doesn't get cut, there's nothing to go out of order, and therefore nothing to fix.

A lot of the problem with modern goods is the "features." Every extra gadget they put on something to get it to do something you could just as easily do yourself is one more thing to break down. If having to pay attention to the toast and flip it over before it burns is the price I have to pay for thirty years of never having to worry about getting a new toaster, I think it's a pretty good trade-off.

But then, I'm a bitter old crank who refuses to keep up with the times. I wear that as a badge of honor, in fact.

JimWagner · Oct 7, 2010

I think that article was aimed at the kind of person who doesn't do their own repairs as a way to make them feel good about not knowing how. After all, if you can say it costs more to repair than replace you don't look like such an incompetent.

For those of us who do maintain our own stuff, we already know what's what.

That said, it is becoming harder and harder to find replacement parts for many items around the house, Google or no Google.

LizzieMaine · Oct 7, 2010

JimWagner said:
That said, it is becoming harder and harder to find replacement parts for many items around the house, Google or no Google.

This is where improvisational skill comes into play. Last year I needed to replace the gasket on my refrigerator -- and the standard "old refrigerator" replacement gasket won't fit mine. So I thought about it, and came home from the hardware store with a roll of rubber weatherstripping, a tube of black silicone sealant, and a pack of single-edge razor blades. Half an hour later, I had a new gasket, which is still working fine.

It might be getting harder to make do and mend, because we live in a culture that considers it to be just this side of Communistic to not BUY BUY BUY at all times, but necessity is the mother of invention.

Miss Neecerie · Oct 7, 2010

Like with all things....its a matter of knowing when you are capable of fixing it yourself (with parts or with creation of parts yourself) and when its in the long run actually going to cost you more time, money and effort, to do so.

This threshold is an individual one, and while I agree that people should not necessarily be encouraged to consume more, I would not necessarily imfringe on their merry right to do so...lest someone get it in their head to say outlaw the things I find important.

viva the freedom to have the choice....

Paisley · Oct 7, 2010

Undertow said:
Regarding Taxes - I think anyone with a business (including those with complicated employment, like NFL players) should consider hiring a CPA just in order to avoid pitfalls and loopholes. But if you're a single/married person with kids and a mortgage, just read the tax book that came with your forms. Easy peasy, my friend. Just takes patience, a calculator and a pencil.

I do my federal taxes and my parents' online through H&R Block's taxcut, and state taxes through Colorado's free web site. I don't even have to get out the calculator. But I recommend looking over the results before you submit your returns. Save your confirmation that you submitted your return timely, too.

Mav · Oct 7, 2010

Dedicated DIYer, primarily because I'm rather...uh..."frugal." For most around the house jobs, there is sufficient information available to learn how. My guess is, fixing it yourself is going to come back into vogue, fairly quickly.
Taxes are another matter. Mine got so overly complicated about 12 years ago that I actually do save money by having an accountant do them.

Mid-fogey · Oct 7, 2010

As said before...

…know your limits. like LizzieMaine, I’m reluctant to pay someone to do something I could do myself, but I won’t deprive my family of things because I can’t fix them. We enjoy our a/c, TVs, etc. I’m certainly not taking a plasma TV apart to fix it. Also, as a person who has a fairly full schedule, I have to weigh my time to do it myself against the other things I need to get done.

That said, I saved over $10,000 by gutting and redoing by bathroom myself – and did more than I could have reasonably expected any contractor to do. I also saved a over $6,000 by rebuilding my two staircases and building the front porch you see in my avatar.

Every major job I do saves me enough to buy every tool I own – and I’ve got a lot of tools. Every big job I do teaches me more, and makes the next job easier. In an era of on-line videos, and advice it’s never been easier to try something new.

Paisley · Oct 7, 2010

I had professional tile setters do the tile & cement board for my shower and bathroom floor. They also did a bit of carpentry and took out and reinstalled the shower door--so they did a lot of work, which took them two days. I did the painting, sink & cabinet installation and most of the plumbing myself. Years ago, I had someone else put in a skylight.

As I see it, I have to look at the bathroom every day and live with it indefinitely. And having a one-bathroom house, I didn't want the bathroom to be torn up for weeks. I'm happy with the results.

ETA: There's one job I'll hire out because I just hate doing it: snaking the drain. Stinky, filthy work. And I've paid to have my lawn mowed because I have a small lawn with grass that only needs mowed once a year. It's not worth it to keep a lawnmower for that. I don't do my own alterations, either--I'm not good at it. So there are a few things I hire out.

noonblueapples · Oct 7, 2010

LizzieMaine said:
It might be getting harder to make do and mend, because we live in a culture that considers it to be just this side of Communistic to not BUY BUY BUY at all times, but necessity is the mother of invention.

BUY BUY BUY is also why that article was written; someone has to pay the bills.

Another great help with the computer is the ability to find parts. Anyone with a computer should never go to a retail or parts store unless they need something right away. I drive an old Jaguar, and when I need a part I look up the part number and then put that into google shopping and just click on the cheapest price that comes up.

A concern with modern cars is that while the build quality is hier than it's ever been the individual componets are being sold in larger and larger assemblies. A woman once came into the service station I used to work at and neeeded an inner tie rod....we had to install an entire steering rack as no smaller components were available.

Miss 1929 · Oct 8, 2010

LizzieMaine said:
I
But then, I'm a bitter old crank who refuses to keep up with the times. I wear that as a badge of honor, in fact.

And that is why we all love you.

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