03.SepIs “DIY” frugal?
The photo on the left is from a nightstand I built. With my own two feminine hands. Since the wood is from an old, unused ensaymada rack from my mom’s baking business and I already had the tools lying around the house, it didn’t cost me anything as far as money is concerned.
In other words, I got a nightstand for free. More or less.
DIY or do-it-yourself usually describes projects such as crafts, furniture, or home repairs that you do without the aid of a professional. If you have a leaky faucet, you replace it yourself. If you want a new bed frame, you build it. Although you might spend on materials, you won’t be spending on labor or taking the risk on an untrustworthy contractor.
Does this mean that do-it-yourself projects are frugal?
YES.
You can use found objects. If you’re making something out of materials you already have, then the cost of the project is almost zero. I have a habit of gathering thick, chopped up branches and trunks in the neighborhood - which would’ve been thrown in the garbage if I didn’t get them. (Sayang lang, di ba?) Also, like what I did with the nightstand, you have the option of reinventing something you already have.
It’s usually cheaper. Unless you get tricked into buying very expensive materials, working on repairs or projects yourself can be much cheaper. In my nightstand example above, I didn’t have to pay for a carpenter to build it.
Your tools can be used for a variety of projects. I did buy the tools, most of them years ago - but I’ve used them over and over again. Neighbors and friends have even borrowed them. A saw may cost hundreds of pesos, but there’s so much you can do with it, and if you take care of it you can use it for several years. In fact, if you can sell your projects, these tools could easily pay for themselves.
… and NO.
It’s very time consuming. Although I didn’t log the hours spent building the nightstand, I bet it was a little over 6 hours which were spread throughout 2 weeks. Compare that to going to a furniture shop, picking what you like, and taking it home that afternoon.
You are not an expert. Taking on big DIY projects as a novice can have disastrous results. I don’t know much about electricity, so imagine what would happen if I tried to rewire the house! Or, if you don’t have carpentry experience, it might be scary and dangerous to build a crib for your baby. Even my nightstand has its flaws. It takes years of practice to be good at carpentry, plumbing, and other DIY fields.
Hmm… I guess this means the answer depends on your perspective.
My take: Personally, carpentry and home repairs/maintenance is something I’d like to learn, not just to be frugal, but also because these are things I’m really interested in. I’d like to have a hand in creating the space I live in and the things that surround me. What would make DIY projects work is that if you’re truly interested in them and you’re working on projects that are within your skill level. As the years go by, following this rule will help me become more proficient in carpentry and the other DIY skills I want to learn.
What do you think? Do you think DIY projects are a frugal choice? Or do you prefer to have professionals come in and do the work for you?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 am and is filed under Frugal Tips, Frugality, Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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I consider it a frugal choice, you don’t have to pay for labor and you get to learn a new skill you might be interested in. I also consider the time you invest in DIY’ng as well spent solely because at the end of it all, you gain a new skill (or you get to hone an existing skill) - in other words, time in exchange for personal growth equals time well spent.
If you’re like me then my answer has to be “no”. I DIY because I like the learning, saving money is normally a far second objective. The truth is most of the chores I have a handyman do, giving me more time to DIY what interests me.
The frugality of it all depends upon who is involved. Some people’s time are more expensive than others. So if a student builds a night stand, definitely, it would end up cheaper for him. However, if a doctor builds a nightsand, I would think the savings would not be worth it for him/her as his time costs more than that table.
@ Carlos: I agree that the time spent on DIY is worth it because of the new skill. Actually hindi lang sa skills mismo nakakatulong sa akin ang DIY. Form of relaxation ko na rin sya
@ Louis: Good point. Sabagay, if I would do my own carpentry work because that’s what interests me, hindi naman ibig sabihin nun ako na rin magrerepair ng appliances sa bahay kung hindi naman ako interesado dun.
@ Raine: That’s a good way to look at it. Personally, kung icocompare yung hourly wage ko sa pag-DIY, eh lugi talaga ako. It would be cheaper for me to buy a finished product. However, the new skills I learn and the relaxation I get from DIY makes it totally worth it. I guess it wouldn’t be worth it if someone isn’t really that interested in doing these types of projects.
Thanks for dropping by, everyone!
Nice blog you’ve got here! I believe in being frugal, but when it comes to DIY projects, some will definitely cost you more than you think, because, like you said, it eats up time. Although I’ve definitely saved a lot of money by designing my own websites, for example, I could have saved myself a whole lot of trouble if I just let someone else do it. But then again, I happen to like tinkering with CSS, and PHP and HTML, so it’s not really time wasted. On things I’d rather not do, like make my own furniture, I’d rather let the experts do it.
Good point, Caroline. Frankly, I don’t think I would do the furniture if I wasn’t really interested in it!
Well, I agree with what others said, a DIY project is a wise choice if you’re really interested in it. It’s like a hobby and when you’re probably good on that craft you can even earn from it. I learned PC troubleshooting because I like to tinker with it and I even earned a little by fixing my officemates PC. I also saved money since I no longer need technicians. Imagine shelling out P700 for Windows installation!
However, there are things that I can never become good at so it’s better to leave those things to the experts. The time I will spend trying to learn it is better spent on my side jobs.