so I've never been a big DIY guy except for screwing in stuff for the most part, I've done some minor work on cars and did some desk handywork, but for the most part stayed away from it
but when I wanted to install an RO filter on my water, my dad was busy and unavailable (he's really handy and I never really learned), and the quote from the water company was $1050 which was a lot
a quality brand RO system with more stages than the water company was 200 online, which meant I could save over 800 bucks just by doing it myself
it was pretty difficult at first. The hardest part by far was measuring the water pressure of my kitchen hose and there's not an easy way to do it without a bunch of adapters and I learned a lot, but this gave me a bunch of confidence for the bidet I wanted to install
knowing what I know now, it would've taken me 3-4 hours instead of time over multiple days, but my RO system works great and I actually installed a feature that makes it cleaner than standard systems, which the water company may not have done
we wanted to install a bidet for a while but the handyman quoted us at 250, which is 200 dollars over the price for the bidet itself, which is a lot
it took some time but I was able to do it pretty easily because of my experience from the RO system
now I saved over 1000 bucks by doing it myself (and doing it well, no leaks anywhere) and will save hundreds on filtered water I was buying and toilet paper from using the bidet
and the accomplishment and confidence factor is underrated, every time I look at the bidet it gives me a boost b/c I did it myself
Learning how to DIY easy-to-moderate stuff saved me close to a 1000 bucks and counting
byu/foaaz101 inFrugal
Posted by foaaz101
7 Comments
My dad and husband replumbed our entire basement and added a new outdoor hose. Probably saved us $5-10k. I’m trying to have my dad teach my husband and I all this stuff while he’s still able
There is a LOT of plumbing and electrical work that is DIY friendly. Especially with the introduction of PEX pipes. I replaced half the plumbing in my house when the old copper pipes started to leak. For that I still used copper which is why I haven’t done the whole house. In the next phase I’ll replace all the copper with PEX. Its so fast and easy.
Definitely good advice, I think its worth mentioning that the up front cost of tools can be prohibitively expensive if you don’t have access to borrowing them.
I live by this mentality. If you are willing to learn and accept that in the beginning you may break something and have to replace it, long term you most definitely save a lot of money. There are countless repairs and needed upgrades I’ve been able to do on my own that have easily saved me thousands in the last couple of years. My wife doesn’t quite understand it because we come from different financial backgrounds, but what I think is opening up her perspective and what she’s learning to appreciate is that she can come to me at midnight telling me the washer is broken and I know how to fix it in less than 20 minutes. No need to wait 1-2 days for a repair tech that maybe even charges off-hour service fees, plus parts and labour.
Someone outside this community may call it being cheap… I reckon that if the shit hits the fan harder and longer than it has historically, we will lot be charged 1000% markups because there’s no cash flow and no jobs.
If all that wasn’t reason enough to get your hands on experience with DIY going… then let it be this: it’s so fucking satisfying to accomplish something on your own and not have to rely on someone else to fix your problems.
Good job!!
Saves so much money if you can learn… My dad, years ago, installed our heating system completely by himself (pre-internet – he learned through DIY books!) and when it was time to turn it on, he had to have it inspected by an expert for insurance purposes. The expert said if he was ever looking for a job he would give him one. Not bad for an office worker!
Yesterday I gambled with this one – car had a check engine light on and the code was indicating that it could be the catalytic converter gone bad. Got a quote from a local shop that it would be at least $1500 to fix it depending on the parts. Did some research online and found that a lot of folks had found that replacing the o2 sensor would clear the code. $100 in parts and $50 in tools later, I replaced the sensor and cleared the code! Now I just owe my buddy a good meal for helping me 😀
Saved myself $1300 dollars
I do work on my car alone…. people are stunned that a “woman” knows this and that. just between changing oil, doing minor repairs and less minor it saved me quite a lot .
changed my breaks. oil. ll filters, steering rods (just these saved me more than 200 bucks), battery from online (got a way better one for 40 bucks less), spark plugs, cylinders ….. I at least saved 600 just on that. I need to change the suspension ball joint now, if anyone did it I would be glad to get tips ( the piece is around 15 bucks . between 10 and 25 online; the garage asks me for150 to do it.
handheld bidet cost me 3 bucks and was easy to install.
repaired a broken window (thanks housemate for the gift) and the scratched wooden floor (thanks other housemate) , I was the one renting and subletting ….. it cost me little to repair compared to hiring someone.
I also tiled some rooms , painted, repaired my washing machine , demolished a wall…; few things here and there
gardening saves you money too , especially getting rid of trees and stumps