Do it yourself

One day I got motivated to do basic repairs myself. I remember that day well. I had just paid $22 for a terrible mechanic to put in a headlight for me. A couple days later another headlight went out. I went to Autozone that day and bought a new headlight for like $2 and installed it in like 30 minutes. Note: the first 28 minutes I was trying to replace the wrong bulb. As soon as I put it in the right hole it took like 2 minutes.

How to learn to be handy:

You tube. Seriously, type in anything into You tube and there are like 20 videos of some guy doing what you need to do.

So here is my list of things that you should not even consider paying someone to do.

Car

• Installing headlights - 2 minutes about $2 per bulb
• Break lights - a little harder, you have to get in the trunk and position yourself to be able to turn the lightbulb. Bring the bulb with you to Autozone.
• Reattaching a Rearview mirror - they sell a special glue for this. If yours ever falls off, gluing it back on takes under 5 minutes.

Home

• Light switches - I replaced all of ours with dimmers. Turn off the electricity (don't ever believe the labels on the panels). Get one of those testers at Home Depot that ensures that the power is actually off. Black=Power IN, White=Power OUT, Green=No power, ground. Note: Do this during the day so you can see what you're doing...because the power is off...
• Changing the locks - Seriously, 4 screws. You can do it. I guarantee it.
• Basic Plumbing - clogged drains etc. Gross and I'll spare you the details. Man up and just do it.
• Garbage disposal clogged? Hot water, baking soda and vinegar. Little red button under the disposal, push it to reset. When it's working, add ice cube and let them fly around in there to clean everything out. Note: any kind of skin does not belong in the disposal (avocado,potato, carrot, chicken, human).
• Dishwasher Installation - Look at a you tube video. Usually just pull the old one out, turn it on its side, disconnect it. To install, buy a Dishwasher Installation kit with flexible tubing (not copper). 2 hours, $20 for materials.
• Sanding, staining and polyurethane-ing - Sand with the grain, use glove to stain, polyurethane when it's the color you like.
• Moving - Invite 20 close friends, they'll have it done in an hour and will actually care for your stuff (depending on your friends)
• Shoveling the driveway - you choose to live in New England? Shovel your own driveway. Not like it's everyday all winter. Plus how much exercise do you actually get in the winter?
• Mow the lawn - enjoy the time outside with just you, your iPod and your lawn mower. This one is easy for me to say as my lawn is like 6'X10'.

Can you think of any others to share? A lot of this stuff might look hard at first but if you know it's easy, you might just try it!