diy

Easy Ways to Save Money With Pinterest

January 22, 2016 By Alexa Mason 2 Comments

Pinterest has continually grown in popularity over its short existence. It brings new ideas to people all over the world. You can find creative dinner ideas, crafts, workout plans and even ways to save money. There may be a few things you are passing up when it comes to the “saving money” aspect of Pinterest though.

Cleaning Products on Pinterest

People pin down so many interesting things on Pinterest. A lot of these are DIY projects that users are eager to share with their friends. There are many Pinterest users who post homemade cleaning products that can range from laundry detergent, dish soap, wipes, or stain remover. The best thing about these homemade products is that they usually cost almost nothing to make. Some of the homemade products is that they can cost around $0.10 per tub or container compared to the $5 you’re used to spending.

Clothing on Pinterest

Pinterest is also a great site to use for comparison shopping. By pinning down multiple clothing pieces from different sites, you can compare prices and quality. It’s a great way to see what stores are offering similar items for a cheaper price. Some Pinterest boards also offer ideas on how to make your own trendy apparel using clothing and household items you already own, cutting down on the money you’d spend buying it directly from the store.

Cooking and Groceries on Pinterest

Everyone knows how expensive groceries or eating out is. By browsing Pinterest, you can check out the many different cheap, easy recipes that people have pinned down. Cooking at home often sounds time consuming, but there are many people on Pinterest who are committed to posting recipes that are easy on your wallet and your time.

DIY Pinterest Furniture

Anyone who’s tried to decorate an apartment, house, or dorm room knows that furniture can be expensive and that interest, unique furniture is often very overpriced. Pinterest can offer ideas on how to repurpose your old furniture. For instance, if you search the tags “furniture” and “diy”, you can find dozens upon dozens of tutorials on how to cheaply reupholster furniture, how to create new furniture out of existing materials, or how to paint quirky patterns onto your dressers, bookcases, or coffee tables to give your room some interesting décor. Most of these methods don’t cost much and will save you from buying an entirely new piece of furniture!

DIY Home Decorating

Pinterest is also a great place to look for home decorating ideas. Many of the ideas are DIY projects that take everyday items and turn them into exciting craft projects. Are you wondering how much you’ll have to shell out for a nice vase? Look for some of the pinterest items that suggest using a pretty wine bottle instead. Need some more shelving for your walls, but don’t want to pay for sturdy shelves? One pinterest board suggests using old hardback books: paint the cover and spine (or cover them with any sturdy paper of your choice) and use those as shelves instead.

Pinterest DIY Home Remodeling

As previously discussed with decorating ideas, Pinterest also offers some wonderful DIY ideas for home remodeling. Of course, you’re going to have to spend some money, but the website has plenty of user ideas on how to repurpose cabinets, floor tile, or wallpaper. Looking through other users sites might also give you a great idea on how to save money and remodel your kitchen or bedroom yourself, instead of hiring someone else to do it for you.

Coupons on Pinterest

If you search “coupons” on Pinterest, you’ll have plenty of pins to go through since a lot of users are dedicated to sharing store or website coupons. This is a great resource for people who are looking to save money. Just beware of scam coupons or coupons that are expired. With so many coupon deals, it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of which ones you can use online, in a store, and which ones are still active.

Pinterest Artwork

Most people like to buy art to hang on their walls. It’s a wonderful way to brighten up a room and add some character. But art can be very expensive. Pinterest has many examples of DIY art projects that cost next to nothing. For example, you can buy a canvas from an art store for a couple of dollars and create any type of art you want. Browse through “diy art” to come up with some cheap, fun art projects!

Entertainment on Pinterest

Many Pinterest members are not only interested in DIY projects, but in providing their friends and other Pinterest users with cheap or free activities. Some users have lists of unique activities to do with a friend, family members, or on a date. Or they’ll repost community or city events that are going on that you might not have heard of otherwise. This might not be your cup of tea, but if you’re on a budget and you’re trying to limit your entertainment expenses without sacrificing them entirely, this is something you should definitely check out.

Pin Instead of Shop

Are you still eager to head out to a store and shop, even though you can’t afford to buy anything? Pinning an item you’ve been looking at instead of running out to buy it is one way to combat spending money. There are plenty of fashion or home decorating pinboards you can browse and pin down as a wishlist. Try this and see if it will help calm your urge to shop.

Photo: Flickr: Jurgen Appelo

Stay on Top of Your Home Improvements to Save Money and Time

June 23, 2014 By Guest Writer Leave a Comment

Tracking home improvement projects can be a risky adventure if you are not managing the details of the project process and the budgets throughout the improvement process. These details include the items necessary for the project, the labor if any for the project, and time and when certain items need to be procured. Managing budgets as the project goes through its process is necessary to insure that enough funds are available to complete the project. The last thing anyone wants is a half completed project in a home which occurs more often than you might think.

Home improvement projects generally have five phases. Each phase can guide you to the next phase and help you better prioritize your home’s and your family’s needs. By following a project management methodology for your home improvement projects, you are more likely to have awareness of the specifics about your project or projects and to follow the details needed to complete the project. Here are the five phases.

Managing Your Project Ideas and Concepts

When determining what you need and want done to your home in the form of projects, it is time to get them all in a wish list. Some projects might be fix it projects like updating a roof or replacing a hot water heater. While other projects are design or renovation projects that either require cosmetic updates or complete demolition and construction of a room or location in your home. When it comes to our homes, many of these projects feel like a priority but discussing what needs to be completed and the desire of the projects will help identify project priorities.

Maintenance or fix projects oftentimes become a first priority in that it affects a way of life. A broken hot water heater results in cold showers. Or a non-working heating and air conditioning unit can result in very cold winters and very hot summers. These projects are not the end of the world, but may find themselves in your priority list due to your lifestyle.

When it comes to decorating, design or updating your projects, determining your style or theme of what you want your home or a particular room to be like is important. You style will lead you in considering the materials and finishes you want to incorporate into the design of your projects. This is important as some materials may be more expensive than others but there may be a comparable material on the market that will still fit your needs but may fit into your budget more effectively.

In determining style, you will need to also gain a clear understanding of your spatial layout in your home or room. Having an understanding of your existing room or area sizes or understanding your room sizes for future additions is important to spatial layout. You can love all the products you want, but if they do not fit in your room than you will find it difficult to incorporate them in your design. Make sure your measurements are accurate for the space and the items that will be incorporated into the space.

Once the wish list process is underway, the number of projects that all the parties want in a home start increasing and the need to prioritize when each project will be started and then completed is a conversation for everyone involved. This can also help with managing expectations over a period of time. Managing projects over one year or over multiple years still becomes important to make sure visibility is transparent and the projects are moving smoothly. By managing multiple projects over time, all the parties involved can agree on when a specific project will be completed and when. Keep in mind weather conditions can help you design your project schedules. Conducting landscaping projects in winter where it snows might not be a wise use of time or dollars.

Following the Money

Once you have identified your projects, it is time to gather the data about the costs of these projects. Simple research can be done to find estimates of projects both from a parts and materials component and also a labor component. This research can be gathered online, while out shopping, talking to friends and even interviewing contractors or product manufacturers. Gathering this data about your projects will help you identify what budget requirements are needed for these projects and how to prioritize them against one another but also against the other items in your life like vacations, cars, education and more. This process also gives you an opportunity to start understanding the basic details of project expenses. This phase is your first opportunity to understand the finances and the time it takes to complete a project.

DIY or Contractor Hired

Understanding your capabilities and whether or not you have the time and the experience to conduct your projects or you need to hire them out will help you also identify the budget requirements for your projects. Hiring contractors to perform the work will result in a labor costs that you may not have been aware of and need to now budget. Labor costs can vary depending on the project and the crew that will come in and finalize your project.

This process may also include hiring a designer. If you struggle with understanding how to make a home truly yours or are looking to create a specific look, then hiring an interior designer can help you move the process along and also help you find exactly what you want as these individuals have connections with a lot of vendors and suppliers that could help with the design and feel of the room. An interior designer’s fees will need to be incorporated into your project budget. Interior designers can also help with recommending and/or hiring contractors. This community generally has a number of parties that work together and are familiar with each other’s style and communication methods.

An interior designer or a contractor can help with the overall project management process of the project, which could result in increased fees but if this burden is too heavy for you, this could be a great compromise. You will however need to make final decisions on the overall project process.

When hiring contractors, interview multiple ones for the job and also ask for customer references. Once you understand that the contractors have the right skill, previous experience, and you feel like you have a contract that supports both you and the contractor, then you are in a position to start the hiring process. It is important to stay involved in the process and to establish a communication methodology to keep the project on time. Both contractors and owners can slow the process down by not making decisions quickly.

Labor costs can also change should an unexpected situation arise. Sometimes delays can occur due to permits or unexpected weather conditions can delay a project, among other things. Having a fall back position in your mind or in your budgeting process of extra labor costs can help you manage through any of these unexpected situations and keep you on top of potentially increased labor costs.

It is important and best that if you do not have the time nor the skills to perform the specific project, hire the right contractor to help you get the project completed. Nothing is worse than doing a project that you are not equipped to perform and then having to redo it thus spending double or more the money due to someone needing to come in and fix the initial project.

Always keep in mind your safety if you choose to do these projects yourself. Not having the skills to perform a contact can result in safety issues that could result in more challenging situations long term.

Shopping for Project Details

Now that you know which projects are in your near future, it is time to start shopping for the specific items necessary for your project. Homeowners will often remember the large items like appliances, large furniture, cabinets, countertops, and more in a project but forget the smaller items like garbage disposals, faucets, towel racks, etc..

Understanding the features, costs and specific details of each item is important during the project lifecycle. What you want versus what you can afford is a struggle we all face with our home projects. Should you spend more money on appliances and less on flooring and countertops? If you buy the high end bath tub you really want, can you save money elsewhere on the project and still be within your budget? These types of questions are ones that many people struggle with in seeing various aspects of the big picture.

Tracking Project Costs

The phases of a home improvement project allow homeowners the ability to understand how to manage individual cost budgets for projects and help keep you aware of any changes that might occur during a project. Tracking costs of multiple projects also help track the funds and cash flow needed over a specified period of time.

By tracking the project details including receipts, warranties, and photos of before and after will come in handy during tax time of the year if you decide to sell your home. These project details also come in handy when you need to update your home inventory and details with your homeowner’s insurance agent. Making sure you are properly insured when new projects are updated can insure that you are aware of your home’s details should anything unexpected happen like a fire or some other tragic situation.

Once your project is complete, It is also time to schedule the maintenance on your newly updated parts of your home. Appliances require regular maintenance where you will follow the recommended maintenance instructions from the manufacturer’s owners manual. Other items like countertops might also have suggested maintenance depending on the materials. Follow the recommended maintenance activities for these items by referencing sources that focus on these items. Determining if you need a service provider to come into your home occasionally can also help with the process of staying on top of your maintenance.

The most common reasons a project is over budget is poor planning, no budget or estimates, no comparison shopping, bad contractor contract, and not pitching in on labor.

Following these phases of the home improvement process can help you stay aware of your projects that include the details, the schedule and the budgets. Focusing on a process can also help identify if any unexpected changes need to be made to your projects that could result in increased dollars needed to complete the project. Following these simple steps can bring awareness and visibility to home improvements along the way avoiding any potential risk of an incomplete project.

Elizabeth Dodson is co-founder of HomeZada, an online home management solution to help you manage everything about your home in one place. You can follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

Planned Obsolescence: The Scourge of Frugality

March 20, 2013 By Jennifer Derrick 7 Comments

If you’re a frugal person, the concept of planned obsolescence stinks. There’s no polite way to put it. Manufacturers create things to last a short period of time, forcing you to upgrade or buy a new one at regular intervals. It’s become common practice in everything from appliances to power tools to electronics. Nothing is built to last these days.

At the risk of sounding like an old person, I miss the days when things were built to last. My mother still has the same toaster that she received for her wedding in 1957. The thing is fifty-six years old and still turns out perfect toast. I, on the other hand, have been married much less than half that time and have been through seven (if I’m counting correctly) toasters. And we haven’t always bought the cheap models, either. In an effort to get more than a year out of a toaster I’ve sprung for the higher end models, only to discover that they don’t last any longer than the cheap ones, on average. And we don’t make that much toast.

I can remember that my parents had the same appliances for decades, and only got new ones when my mom couldn’t stand the avocado green any longer. They still worked when they were shown the door; they were only eliminated because they were ugly and refused to die. On the other hand, I am shopping for a new fridge and have been told by numerous salespeople that I can realistically expect five to eight years out of the current models. Ten, if I’m lucky. That’s just depressing. And expensive.

I understand why manufacturers have gone to this model. First, it’s cheaper for them to produce lower quality goods. Second, if you force your customers to keep buying new stuff, you increase your revenues. Lower cost to manufacture plus more purchases by the consumer equals “success” for the manufacturer and retailers. For the consumer, it means we pay more money. Consumers used to be able to dodge this bullet by calling a repairman to extend the life of their products, but repairs are now just as expensive as buying a new item in many cases (that, too, is by design). And that’s if you can find someone trained to repair your item. Repairmen are a dying breed.

This is another reason why emergency funds now need to be bigger than they used to be. It used to be that you could figure on buying a new major appliance every fifteen to twenty years. Maybe longer. You had plenty of time to save up for those replacements. Now with everything needing replacements every five to ten years, your window for saving up has gotten much smaller. Couple that with the fact that many homes have more appliances and electronics than they used to and you’re looking at a very aggressive and expensive replacement cycle. You need to save more than your parents did to cover these breakdowns and replacements.

So what’s a frugal consumer to do? Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do. The manufacturers are winning this war. However, there are a few things you can do to try to turn the odds in your favor just a bit.

Take care of your stuff

Take the time and make the effort to take care of your stuff. Don’t neglect your appliances. Perform routine maintenance such as cleaning the back of the refrigerator, having your air conditioner/heater tuned up and cleaned, cleaning your oven, and keeping your tools and yard equipment dry and protected from the elements. Don’t abuse your items by subjecting them to overuse or using them against the directions. The better you care for your items, the longer they will last. You may be able to extend their life by a couple of years with regular maintenance and careful use.

Learn Basic Repairs

Learn some basic repair tactics. Yes, there are some things that are beyond most people’s ability to fix. However, there are many simple things that can be learned. Replacing a heating element in an oven, for example, isn’t that big of a deal. I’ve replaced the timer on my dishwasher without too much trouble. Replacing a frayed cord on a vacuum cleaner can be done if you have a spare cord. There are many small repair skills that are easy to learn which can extend the life of your items and help you avoid having to choose whether to repair or replace.

Look for the simple fix

When something breaks or starts acting funny, don’t rush to replace it just yet. Sometimes the problem is simple to fix. Google your item and the problem (or drag out the owner’s manual) and see if there is a simple solution.

Do careful research

When you buy a new item, do as much research as you can on the manufacturer and the unit. Read reviews and try to find the product that has the best track record and a manufacturer that stands behind their products. Look for comprehensive warranties and reports of good customer service. You can reduce your odds of getting a crappy product by doing some research and choosing the best model (which may not be the most expensive).

Look for products that use standard parts

As an example, some products require special batteries which are not commonly available. When the battery dies, most people are forced to just buy a new one. But there may be competing products that use standard batteries. If you know how to work on cars, you might be better off choosing an older model that you can fix rather than a newer one that is computer controlled. When you buy something new or as a replacement, choose the one for which you can easily find replacement parts and that matches your repair skill set. Skip items that use proprietary parts or parts that cannot be serviced by the user.

Don’t assume

Don’t assume that buying the high end model will save you. High end models are just as guilty of planned obsolescence as are the lower end models. Do your research and find the best model; don’t assume that the pricier stuff lasts longer.

Get off the consumer treadmill

After years of buying things like game stations, smartphones, DVD/BluRay/etc. players, and other trendy electronic products, I finally just stepped off the treadmill. I keep my lifestyle intentionally simple so there is far less junk in my life that needs constant upgrading and replacement.

Save, save, save

You know you’re going to need a replacement item sooner rather than later, so never stop saving for those replacements. The minute you bring your new appliance home, start saving for its replacement. The more you can save, the more you reduce the constant shocks to your budget.

Complain

Write to the manufacturers and let them know what you think of their practices. If you encounter egregious examples of shoddy workmanship, report them to the BBB. Write reviews on consumer review sites and social networking sites. It may or may not help, but as a consumer your voice and your money are your weapons. Refuse to buy from the worst offenders and let the world know what you think of their crappy products.

Planned obsolescence is a real problem for those who want to be frugal. Couple the high failure rate of items with the fact that you can no longer find repairmen for many things and it means that you’ll be spending more money more often. But if you shop wisely and take care of your items, you may be able to at least extend the life of your stuff. At the very least, brace yourself for buying more replacements more often.

(Photo courtesy of Jason Tester)

Making Things Isn’t Always Cheaper

December 19, 2012 By Jennifer Derrick 5 Comments

Making your own things, sewing your own clothes, or making gifts are often touted as ways to save money. After all, the thought goes, you can make something for less than it would cost to buy the item. Unfortunately, while making your own items can bring you many rewards, saving money isn’t always (or even usually) one of them.

For example, I needed a new bookcase recently. I didn’t need anything fancy, just something to tuck in a closet to give me a little extra shelving. I could have made my own. I have the skills, tools, and knowledge to do so. However, I was able to find a perfectly serviceable unit at Target for $20. There is no way I could have made a bookcase for that amount of money. Just the wood alone would have cost more than that and that’s before I bought stain, screws/nails, etc. I bought the manufactured unit and had it assembled and in my closet that afternoon. Had I made it, it would have taken at least a week with all of the other things I have going on right now.

Sure, a handmade unit would have been nice. It would have looked a bit better than the store bought unit and I could have customized the size. But for the job I needed it to do, the store bought unit was just fine. I also needed the extra shelving fairly quickly. Having it in one day was preferable to waiting a week. Plus, buying the unit freed up a lot of time that would have been spent making a unit and, right now, time is at a premium for me. Buying rather than making saved me both money and time.

This is often the case, particularly when you don’t need to be super picky about the item you’re buying. Modern manufacturing processes and economies of scale simply make it possible to mass produce something for less than an individual can make the same item. This wasn’t the case in our grandparent’s day, which is why they so often made things and managed to save money. There simply weren’t any cheap goods to buy. Now, though, times are different and buying is usually cheaper.

It is possible to save money by making something if you already have the materials on hand, or if you can get the materials for free. If you’re able to make something out of scrap/trash, if you can find someone to give you the materials you need, or if you can scrounge up materials from somewhere else (think dumpster diving or yard sales) you can likely make something for less than the cost of buying new. However, if you have to go out and buy new materials, you might as well just go buy the item you need (if saving money is your main goal).

That’s not to say that it’s pointless to make your own stuff. Far from it. When you make your own, you can customize the item however you want it. You get the satisfaction of a job well done. The thing you make might be better/more functional/more durable than a store bought item. For some people, making things is a hobby that relaxes them, is fun, and/or provides a side income. There are plenty of reasons to make your own items but if saving money is the goal, you have to think carefully.

If you’re trying to save money by making your own items, figure out how much it will cost to get the materials/tools you need, as well as how much time it will take you to complete the project (your time is worth something, too). If you’ll have to learn some new skills to complete the project, factor your learning curve into your estimate. After you’ve got a figure in mind, look at how much it will cost to simply buy the item. By comparing the two numbers you’ll know whether making your own is a good deal or not.

(Photo courtesy of Rubber Dragon)

Things Worth Paying Someone Else To Do

August 23, 2012 By Dana O. Crandell Leave a Comment

I’m a cheapskate at heart. I do my own mechanic work, maintain my own computer, do my own home repairs and will do just about anything I can manage on my own, to save money. So, it might seem strange that I’m writing this article about paying for services. Well, I’m a cheapskate who’s learned that there are times when it’s actually more cost-effective to hire someone else. So, because I’m also a person that likes to share ideas, here are some on jobs you might want to pay someone else to perform, and why:

Changing Oil

Do it yourself oil changes is an activity that people sometimes suggest as a way to save money, but it doesn’t make sense to me. I have found that with a coupon (search online or in flyers or mailers that come to your house) you can get your oil changed for around $20 – $25 at most of the quick oil change shops. This is close to what you would pay for oil and filter at a retail outlet without spending the time (or getting dirty) to do it yourself. They key, of course, is that the oil change shops will try to up-sell you on other stuff, so you need to remember not to get hooked into these other services as they will be overpriced to make up for the cheap oil change.

Writing Ad Copy or Other Content

There are dozens of writing tasks you can probably handle on your own, but when the purpose of the writing is to put money in your pocket, there are good reasons to hire a professional. Writing compelling text takes more than just talent and grammar skills and by the time you learn how, your competitors will have your prospective clients. Fortunately, finding good writers is easy these days, thanks to sites like Elance and Textbroker.

Proofreading

There’s a very good reason that professional authors regularly hire proofreaders. Our minds have a way of tricking us into “reading” what we intended to write, instead of what’s actually on the page. For most, it takes days or weeks to “detach” from something we’ve written enough to proofread our own work accurately. Paying a proofreader may save you embarrassment, increase your profits and might even make the difference in having your writing accepted or rejected. Proofreaders work on a reasonable, per-word basis and are often a good investment.

Preparing Your Resume or CV

When it comes to landing a professional job or competing as a freelance professional, first impressions are everything. More often than not, that impression is going to come from the resume you submit, since prospective employers see it before they see you. While it’s true that anyone can create documents like these quite easily with modern technology, creating a resume that stands out from the rest isn’t quite so easy. Hiring a service or individual to at least “tweak” your resume may determine whether you land that dream career.

Transcription

Converting audio to printed text is tedious work and requires focus. It’s also a little like proofreading, in that your mind can often hear something your ears didn’t, so accuracy can suffer. Professional transcribers can be hired online for about $15 – $60 per audio hour, so it’s worth considering how much of your own time would be required to produce an accurate document from audio content, especially with any distractions you may have.

Research

The internet has placed almost any information you could want to have literally at your fingertips. If you know how to find and verify it, that is. Sure, you can Google just about anything and get thousands of hits. That’s part of the problem. Do you really have the time to go through all those links and determine which ones are from good sources? If you need lots of accurate information quickly, paying a professional researcher may save you a lot of time that you can use to make money. You can hire one through the freelancing sites or an independent agency.

Business Accounting

If you operate a business or invest, managing finances isn’t just important; it’s critical. It’s also enough work to take entirely too much time away from the other aspects of the business. Hiring an accountant not only lets you put the time saved back into your business, it can help you maintain a better picture of where you stand financially. That can mean solving problems before they cost you too much.

Business Website Development

No doubt you’ve seen hundreds of ads online and in the media promoting designing your own website with someone’s software. There are also dozens of great content management packages out there, like WordPress and Drupal, that may make the process of creating and managing a site easier and there’s a veritable plethora of themes available for any business. So, why pay someone else? There are several very good reasons, but here are just a few:

1. Eventually, you’re going to run into a problem you don’t know how to fix.
2. The developing process will take time away from running your business.
3. Downtime equals loss of profits.

If an online presence is important to your business, you’ll save yourself money and grief by hiring a professional.

Business Website Promotion

Even professional developers hire someone else to market their websites. There may be no more competitive business than website promotion and the stakes can be very high if you depend on leads or sales generated from a website. Think about the staggering number of sites you’re going to be competing with and check out how many already have a good foothold. If you’re going to compete on the World Wide Web, you need people to find your website. You may be surprised at how reasonably you can hire a professional promoter.

Ebay Listings

If you don’t spend a lot of time on the online auction sites, but have a lot of items to sell, you might want to consider hiring a Trading Assistant. It takes a lot of sales to build a reputation on sites like Ebay, and there are a lot of things to know about posting auctions, not to mention many pitfalls to avoid. For many people, it’s worth paying a small fee to a “Power Seller” to save time and use the leverage of the seller’s reputation. To find a seller in your area, start here.

Recycling

Getting rid of recyclables can be time-consuming, not to mention messy, even if you have curbside recycling available. If you live in an area where you pay a deposit for cans, plastic bottles, or other recyclables, you may have a big chunk of space reserved for saving those items until you return them for a refund. You may be surprised to find that there are a few enterprising individuals that will take those cans and bottles, along with your other recyclable materials off your hands for a small fee, or in exchange for the redemption value alone. Either way, before you discount this as a silly notion, think about the time you invest in sorting, hauling, etc. and see if it might not be better to use that time doing something profitable.

Semi-Complicated DIY Home Projects

Simple do-it-yourself home projects are a great way to save money, but I have found that anything that gets even a little bit complicated is better left to someone who knows what he’s doing. I think this one depends a lot on your DIY capabilities, but for many the time and possible damage that can be done trying to do it yourself can often make it a better choice to let a professional do it.

Anything You Hate Doing

This isn’t a free-pass excuse to say that you should pay others to do anything and everything, but if there is something that is important to be done on a regular basis that you absolutely hate doing, it is worthwhile considering paying someone else to do it. While you may be able to save money doing it yourself, the stress it causes you (usually for a prolonged period because you procrastinate doing things you hate doing) plus it not getting done as thoroughly or as well as it should be done can make it worthwhile to pay someone else to do it. While monetary costs are important to remember, how doing things yourself affects other areas of your life are also important to consider.

There are undoubtedly many other tasks I’ve neglected to include in this list. The point is, though, sometimes it’s not cost-effective to do everything on your own.

(Photo courtesy of quaziefoto)

Sometimes It’s So Simple

August 3, 2011 By Jennifer Derrick 2 Comments

My neighbor’s refrigerator died a couple of weeks ago. It was running, but hardly putting out any cold air. Since it was in the middle of a heat wave, she felt that she had little choice but to just go get a new one. So she went out and spent $2,000 on a new fridge.

I don’t blame her, in a way for choosing to replace over calling a repairman. Very often the cost of a repair can equal or exceed the cost of a new appliance by the time you factor in parts and labor. At that point, it becomes a personal choice whether to repair or replace. Where I do think she went wrong, though, is in not attempting to even find out what the problem was and fix it herself.

A couple of weeks after having the new fridge delivered and the old one moved to the garage until it could be recycled, a friend who knows a little something about appliances happened to be visiting and took a look at it. It turned out that what it needed was a good cleaning. The entire back of the unit was caked with dust and the fan was so clogged that it was hardly turning. After he cleaned it out it functioned normally, so the friend took it home to his place. He got a free fridge for nothing more than running a vacuum cleaner attachment over the coils and fan. Sometimes the problem is very simple to fix.

Cleaning the back of the unit might not be something that would occur to the appliance novice, but in this day of readily available information via the Internet, there’s no reason not to at least Google your problem and see if there are any easy fixes that you can try. When my washer started having problems, I Googled the symptoms and found out that the problem was likely a faulty knob. I bought a replacement knob, installed it and the problem was solved for less than $20.

I’ve had the same thing happen with cars (a simple rubber gasket fixed a problem that the mechanic wanted to charge $400 to fix), other appliances, and many other objects. Many times the problem isn’t that difficult or expensive to repair. It just requires a willingness to get your hands dirty and a simple replacement part or cleaning task.

If you don’t know what to search for on the Internet or you’re getting conflicting answers, you can try a home or appliance repair store. Ask some of the employees in the relevant department if they have any ideas. Sometimes they are clueless, but some of them know what they’re doing and can give you some ideas or parts to try.

Another good source of information is the manual that came with the appliance. Most have a “Troubleshooting” section that describes the most common problems. If you’ve lost the original, you can generally download the book from the manufacturers’ website or read their support information online.

Of course, if you really want to buy a replacement appliance or car, a malfunction can be the perfect excuse to go out and get a new one. But if you’re interested in saving money, it’s best to try and find a simple fix, first. If the unit is already broken, you can’t make things much worse so you might as well try a little DIY repair. You might be surprised to find that all you need to do is clean it, glue a dislodged part back on, or make some other very simple repair. Take a minute to research the problem and see if there is a simple fix before you shell out the big bucks on a replacement.