What do you outsource?

[ua_guy]

1. Some medical care
2. Lawncare
3. Hair cuts (do not want to learn to cut myself)

#3 - That's actually one thing we do not outsource.

I started cutting my own hair when I was 21. My partner has a similar hair style (buzzed), so it's easy to knock out two haircuts in about 20 minutes, and we clean up each other's edges.

We've been doing this for 12 years. There are 52 weeks in a year, and on average, I need a haircut every 3 weeks, and my partner does his as the same time.

If the average retail "Great Clips" / "Hairmasters" haircut is $25 including tip, that's $5200 per head over 12 years.

x2, since there's two of us.

$10,400 saved in 12 years just by cutting our own hair. Did I do that math right?! lol.

Wait, I need to subtract out the cost of clippers. We've gone through 2 pair ($90) and a couple different sets of blades (like maybe $150 worth).

We're still over $10,000 savings in 12 years just by clipping our own hair. Not bad.

[JoeP]

At our weekend place this past weekend, our old washing machine would neither spin nor drain. I was not looking forward to bailing 15 gallons of dirty water and figuring out what to do with the wet clothes, so I looked on the internet and the "lid switch" came up often. A quick check of the lid closing, I didn't hear the usual click of the switch. I jammed a small tool in the slot and the washer started the spin and drain!

I'm not suggesting all solutions are this simple, but I just saved us from a $80 service call. I also saved us from a service guy telling me that I needed a new pump and control unit. Even that those are not the problem, most people usually believe service people when they say something, because they are vulnerable not having a working appliance. The part was $26 plus shipping, and a quick look on youtube shows it taking about 15 minutes of my time.

I also took my first stab at making SUSHI this weekend. It was very challenging, because it is a tricky technique for me. But I made 3 good rolls, and everybody loved them. So now I can make some creative and tasty food for less.

Don't let "I don't know how" be the sole excuse for outsourcing. Resources such as youtube are invaluable.

[riverwed070707]

At our weekend place this past weekend, our old washing machine would neither spin nor drain. I was not looking forward to bailing 15 gallons of dirty water and figuring out what to do with the wet clothes, so I looked on the internet and the "lid switch" came up often. A quick check of the lid closing, I didn't hear the usual click of the switch. I jammed a small tool in the slot and the washer started the spin and drain!

I'm not suggesting all solutions are this simple, but I just saved us from a $80 service call. I also saved us from a service guy telling me that I needed a new pump and control unit. Even that those are not the problem, most people usually believe service people when they say something, because they are vulnerable not having a working appliance. The part was $26 plus shipping, and a quick look on youtube shows it taking about 15 minutes of my time.

I also took my first stab at making SUSHI this weekend. It was very challenging, because it is a tricky technique for me. But I made 3 good rolls, and everybody loved them. So now I can make some creative and tasty food for less.

Don't let "I don't know how" be the sole excuse for outsourcing. Resources such as youtube are invaluable.

Totally agree! As we were trying to figure out how to DIY a dog ramp for our boat this weekend I got to thinking about all the things we've attempted or tackled that saved money due to the vast availability of tutorials on the internet. Even things like changing the oil in your car - before the internet you'd either have to check out a how to from the library or know someone personally who could teach you. I feel like these days there are few things you couldn't self teach yourself.

We've tiled floors, built decks and patios, done car maintenance, learned to garden and landscape, etc all with a quick google search.

[disneysteve]

3. Hair cuts (do not want to learn to cut myself)

#3 - That's actually one thing we do not outsource.

Same here. I used to go to Hair Cuttery about every 5-6 weeks and spend $15 to have them cut my hair. One day about 8 or so years ago, we were walking through the outlet stores and in the window of the Conair outlet, they had a hair clipper set for $15. I checked it out and it was essentially the same thing Hair Cuttery used (not that quality level but otherwise similar). I figured it was worth risking the cost of one haircut, and possibly having one bad haircut, to try it myself.

The first time, we made a production of it with me sitting in the kitchen with a drape on and my wife did the cutting. It came out just fine. A few weeks later I decided to try it myself. It couldn't be easier. You can't make a mistake because you use the attachment for the length you want and it can't accidentally cut more than that.

Ever since, I've been cutting it myself every 2-3 weeks. I keep my hair much nicer than when I would wait 5-6 weeks or more because I didn't want to spend the money or take the time to go to the shop. I've replaced the trimmer once with a better quality one about 4 years ago for $30. So in almost 10 years, I've spent a total of $45.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Lawncare - condo not by choice
housekeeper - every two weeks
pet groom - used to cut it but now my DH says no way so he goes every 3-4 months

haircuts - both of us. I love my short hair but it's painful to find time to go and my DH too. We are struggling because he can't cut my hair.

[rob62521]

Most home repairs...remember the joke about a service person charging more if someone helping...that would be our case.

Auto service

Tax preparing

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Riverwed whag does your cleaner charge for coming twice a week? I find it exhausting to have then come every other week to clean up.

[riverwed070707]

Riverwed whag does your cleaner charge for coming twice a week? I find it exhausting to have then come every other week to clean up.

She's just a college student who needed some extra income so its not a professional service or anything but we pay $75/week and I gave her the option to come 3x a week for 2 hours each or 2x a week for 3 hours. She chose 2x a week and the days change based on her availability but its working out great!

What I didn't want was a service that I felt obligated to clean for before they come to clean She doesn't do all the deep cleaning but she helps me keep up on the day to day like dishes, laundry, vacuuming (we have 3 husky mixes so it needs to be done A LOT) and that sort of thing.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Crazy good price to come 2-3x/week. So the hourly rate is 6 hrs for $75. That's amazing.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

A few things:

major car repairs
major work on the house
I plan to have the pellet stove and furnace professionally cleaned

Everything else we basically DIY.

I enjoy stuff like mowing lawns, etc. it's well-needed exercise to me.

On the other hand, I have robots clean the house (Roomba) and clean the pool (Hayward Navigator).

I don't begrudge anyone for not doing anything they don't want to. Time is more precious than money IMO.

To me a big part of any job is the enjoyment I will get out of it, whether or not I have the tools, or if I want to buy the tools, do I want large tools like miter saws taking up space in my basement when I will probably use the tool once? Is the skill level way above mine to the point where I will probably do it a few times then rip it all out in frustration.

I repaired our washer, dryer and dishwasher myself, based on information I got off the internet and youtube videos. Quite rewarding.

Installing a storm door? Outsourced that one and I'm glad I did, they repeatedly ordered the wrong door. Would have made my life miserable. Plus I have a tendency to cut wrong lengths, install backwards, lol.

Figured I added a few years to my lifespan outsourcing that one.

[cypher1]

To me a big part of any job is the enjoyment I will get out of it, whether or not I have the tools, or if I want to buy the tools, do I want large tools like miter saws taking up space in my basement when I will probably use the tool once? Is the skill level way above mine to the point where I will probably do it a few times then rip it all out in frustration.

Agreed in terms of enjoyment and rewarded with new experience/skills. Interesting you bring up certain tools vs usage. I do the same for choosing not to get a table saw for certain cuts, or a wet saw for tile work. I don't think I would get enough usage for the up front cost.

I only draw the line for working on roof repair, house siding, or replace/installation of AC/furnace. Also landscape, because I just don't want to do it. Otherwise DIY electrical, plumbing, carpentry, cars, I can deal with.