Are you self-sufficient? Do you consider yourself handy or mechanically inclined? Are you able to fix things when they break? Being more self-sufficient can save you money and give you greater pride of ownership and sense of accomplishment.
Becoming Independent
If you own a car and a home, then inevitably something is going to go wrong, and things will need regular maintenance and upkeep. You could pay someone to do this work, or you could tackle some of these tasks on your own.
The average homeowner spent $6000 last year on maintenance and repairs. If you could even cut that number in half, then you will save yourself thousands of dollars annually. But how can you learn to do things on your own?
Finding a mentor is one way to learn some skills. Several members of my family are mechanically inclined, so I had the advantage to learn from them. Even if you don’t have this luxury, you can still seek out friends or other contacts that you can learn from.
Online resources can be a great way to pick up tips and skills. YouTube offers endless tutorials on almost any subject that you can imagine. There are also endless online chat groups and forums dedicated to home and mechanical repairs.
Finally, you could take classes at your local community college to pick up some basic skills. The community college near me offers basic car care classes and basic carpentry courses.
Use Common Sense
A word of caution when it comes to tackling repair and maintenance jobs. Always use your judgement and common sense. If something seems too big a job or if it could be dangerous, then it might be best to call a professional. Dealing with things like high voltage electricity or things that require certain building codes shouldn’t be tackled by an amateur.
Real World Examples
Here are a few real-world examples of some projects that I recently did and some ballpark savings that I realized.
I recently did an oil change and tire rotation on my girlfriend’s SUV. The total cost was around $30 for oil and a filter. The dealership wanted over $100 for the same service.
The shower drain in my bathroom was leaking. I was able to pull out the drain and seal it with fresh silicon and replace it. The cost of a new drain assembly and a tube of silicon was $20. I don’t know what a plumber would charge for this service, but most probably wouldn’t even show up at a job for less than $100.
My lawn tractor had a bad bearing on the mower deck. I took the assembly apart and replaced the bearing and a few spline nuts. The bill was $50. Taking my tractor to a repair shop would have cost several hundred dollars.
These are just a few examples from the past couple of months. There are countless more that I could reference, but you can clearly see how quickly the savings can add up if you are able to take care of basic things yourself.
Conclusion
Are you self-sufficient? Having the ability and desire to do some of your own maintenance and repairs can save you thousands of dollars per year. Seeking a mentor or doing research on subjects can help you become more self-sufficient. Always remember to be safe and use common sense. Save the large dangerous jobs for the professionals.
Read Also:
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Based in the Pittsburgh, PA area, Brian holds full-time employment as a Warehouse Manager for an electronics firm. Brian enjoys wealth building, investing, gardening and the great outdoors. Brian holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Robert Morris University.
