Saving Money While Learning a Trade
Posted by admin in Housing
To your left is a photo of me during a recent do-it-yourself project. I believe I was building a shed or something that required me to saw some wood.
Ah, who am I kidding? That's not me–it's a stock photo. I'd cut my freaking leg off if I tried to saw wood to build a shed. Not long ago I actually unscrewed some piping to rescue a wedged-in stopper from my bathroom sink and I acted like I was plumber of the year, embarrassingly telling anyone who would listen about my triumph. I'm just not handy.
But I know I could save some money if I was handy, and my wife might have a little more respect for me in the manliness deprtment. (Most men who stink at DIY make up for it by being good cooks or making a really lot of money–I'm still looking for a way to balance out my deficiencies in this area.)
So I read with interest today this article about a woman who not only hired contractors to tile her bathroom, but also hired herself to be their apprentice, saving a few bucks in the process and also learning how to do something she never would have considered before.
Truthfully I can't imagine hiring someone to do a fix at my house and then trailing behind them, saying "what are you doing now?" over and over again, while handing them whatever relevant tools they'd need, but if I could get over my ego it could really be a good way to learn, and it could save tons of money long-term. You can read books and learn through trial and error, but there's no better way to learn than to watch and question someone who already knows what they're doing.
Next time I need the roofers to come over, I'm going to climb up there with them.
O.K., maybe some repairs are better not done on your own, but learning to do minor things is not just a money-saver, but it can also be a huge time-saver. If you have knowledge, you can know much quicker if a repair is a big deal or not, you can make minor repairs quickly without having to wait around for a contractor who never ever ever ever ever ever shows up when he's supposed to — it would make life easier as well as cheaper. Plus there's a personal satisfaction in doing things with your own hands that you can't really put a price on.
Gotta go! See you tomorrow. I've got a loose doorknob that needs fixing now! (Well, maybe I'll just call someone and ask them if I can watch while they fix it for me.)
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“I’d cut my freaking leg off if I tried to saw wood to build a shed.”
Heh, that’s me, too. But I am a good cook so I won’t need to trail my plumber to improve my manliness quotient.