{"id":1215,"date":"2010-11-29T05:45:30","date_gmt":"2010-11-29T13:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2010-11-22T17:09:55","modified_gmt":"2010-11-23T01:09:55","slug":"should-you-do-it-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/should-you-do-it-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Do It Yourself?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a common belief that \u201cdo-it-yourselfers\u201d are in a position to save a ton of money over those who pay others to do everything. While you may have a particular skill, aptitude or talent that you can employ to do a job others have to pay for, is it always true that \u201cdoing it yourself\u201d saves money? The answer is a definitive \u201cit depends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the factors to consider when determining if doing a job yourself is actually cheaper \u2014 or even a good idea at all:<\/p>\n<h3>When it\u2019s primarily a matter of money<\/h3>\n<p>No one wants to pay more than he or she thinks something is worth. That\u2019s why many people opt to prepare their own meals, do their own yardwork and clean their own house. Sometimes their motivation is more than just saving money &#8211; sometimes folks enjoy taking on these tasks. Not only are they saving money by not hiring a professional; they\u2019re indulging an enjoyable passion as well by doing certain things others would consider \u201cchores.\u201d It\u2019s a case of \u201cOne man\u2019s work is another man\u2019s hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>This category includes such activities as:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cooking\/baking<\/li>\n<li>Light yardwork\/gardening<\/li>\n<li>Carwashing<\/li>\n<li>Sewing\/crafting<\/li>\n<li>Event\/party planning<\/li>\n<li>Personal care, i.e., haircuts, manicures, haircoloring<\/li>\n<li>Furniture re-upholstery and refinishing<\/li>\n<li>Home repairs\/maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Appliance repair\/maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Minor automotive repair\/maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Home remodeling projects<\/li>\n<li>Photography<\/li>\n<li>Computer upgrades\/repair<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These can be performed with a moderate amount of knowledge, motivation, some patience and diligence. Sometimes doing it yourself costs you nothing except your time or only a fraction of what it would cost to hire a professional. If you\u2019re willing to spend your time doing these jobs to reap the monetary savings or sense of accomplishment (or both), you should go for it.<\/p>\n<p>Other times, it can prove to be a bit more costly doing even seemingly simple things yourself because they:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cost you more to purchase the \u201craw ingredients\u201d for the project than it would a professional<\/li>\n<li>You don\u2019t take into consideration all the time, equipment and effort he job entails<\/li>\n<li>You make costly mistakes due to inexperience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Factor in all these elements before committing to a do-it-yourself project. Be certain you take all possible precautions and obtain as much pertinent information as you can so you\u2019re well-equipped for the job you\u2019re taking on.<\/p>\n<h3>When health and\/or safety is at stake<\/h3>\n<p>Although some jobs are quite costly to hire out, it\u2019s in your best interest to do so. These jobs have elements of danger that are not worth the risk to your health\/safety and well being. These jobs include work on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Electrical systems<\/li>\n<li>Plumbing<\/li>\n<li>Heating\/air conditioning\/ventilation<\/li>\n<li>Major automotive &amp; machinery<\/li>\n<li>Heavy landscaping<\/li>\n<li>Pest control<\/li>\n<li>Legal\/financial<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These categories of projects, while seemingly in the realm of some advanced do-it-yourself enthusiasts are potentially dangerous to undertake when you\u2019re not a professional in the field. If performed improperly, the ramifications of taking on these projects by non-professionals can run the gamut from legal and financial entanglements to serious injury and even death. It\u2019s not worth the risk to take on certain projects: leave them to those who are savvy in the field and you\u2019ll end up saving headaches, money and even bigger troubles caused by inexperience.<\/p>\n<p>Doing it yourself can be a cost-cutting strategy that provides a bonus in self-satisfaction. On the other hand, it can lead to serious and\/or expensive trouble when you bite off a project that\u2019s more than you can chew. Know the risks and the limits of your abilities and you\u2019ll reap the rewards of being a wise do-it-yourselfer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a common belief that \u201cdo-it-yourselfers\u201d are in a position to save a ton of money over those who pay others to do everything. While you may have a particular skill, aptitude or talent that you can employ to do a job others have to pay for, is it always true that \u201cdoing it yourself\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[513],"tags":[72],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}