Save Money – Do It Yourself! Top Services and Products You Don’t Need to Buy
When times are hard and you’re struggling to make ends meet, it’s time to start looking into doing anything you can to cut your expenses and your living costs. Normally this will mean looking for ways to get your bills more cheaply, or cutting down on some of your luxuries like eating out or playing video games – but one other great way to save money that many people overlook is to simply get handy and start doing things themselves instead of paying for services or products. And once you get into the DIY mind set, you’ll find there are actually a ton of things you can do yourself instead of paying for. Here we will look at some ideas that might be able to help you reduce your regular expenses…
Furniture
The furniture is very expensive, but things like wardrobes, cupboards and even beds are relatively easy as far as woodwork goes. All you need is a bit of courage and a few flat planks of wood to stick together and you’ll have something that’s also completely unique and a great learning curve.
Cut Your Own Hair
Haircuts can be surprisingly expensive and they’re also rather inconvenient requiring you to take an hour or more out of your day and then make small talk. Cutting your own hair though is relatively simple after you’ve seen a few videos on YouTube, and if you make any mistakes you can always just use a lot of product to cover them up. Failing that, why not buddy up with a family member or friend and take it in turns to cut each others‘ hair.
Plumbing
Of course you will sometimes require the services of a plumber but in many other cases it will be possible for you to sort your own plumbing out if you just give it a go. Leaky taps can be fixed by isolating the water supply then changing the washers, cold radiators often just need bleeding, and jammed plugs can often be fixed with some drain un-blocker product and a shower head.
Mechanics
There are some aspects of mechanics you shouldn’t try yourself – of course a car is potentially a very dangerous piece of machinery. That said though, if you suspect it may just be a flat car battery that’s causing your problems, or if you’re willing to have a go at fixing an oil leak (often you’ll just need to put a new pan in), then you can again save a lot of money this way.
Clothes
If you’ve ever watched Gok Wan in the UK, then you’ll know that it only takes a creative eye and a pair of scissors to fashion an old, tatty piece of clothing into something that looks much more stylish and fashionable. And once again, by making your own you’ll be wearing items that are completely unique and that will make a great conversation topic when people ask where you got them.
Fertilizers and Pesticides
If you spend a lot of money on fertilizer and pesticide, then you’re probably buying synthetic products that aren’t great for the environment. The great thing about an organic garden is that it doesn’t have to cost you anything – if you use your compost for fertilizer for instance and egg shells to scare off slugs this can save you a lot of money on expensive products.
Author Byline:
John Lowrie is an employee of Payday Angels, one of the most prominent payday loan companies in the country. He maintains the company’s blog and creates budgeting tools for their website. You can connect with him on Twitter.
Category: Saving Money
