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Why DIY is Essential in a Frugal Household

1st July 2019 by shoestringjane@outlook.com Leave a Comment

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We live in an era where everywhere we look, it seems as though someone, somewhere is trying to part us with our hard-earned money. Adverts are on our televisions, smartphones and the billboards outside the windows. We’re forever tempted to spend a fortune on eating out or getting takeaway instead of throwing together a cheap, easy and healthy meal ourselves. We’ve been slowly but surely coaxed into believing that when something goes wrong in the home, we should always replace rather than repair and call in help for the sake of convenience rather than attending to the task at hand ourselves.

However, DIY is the perfect antidote to this mentality. It empowers and educates us. It makes us realise that with the right tools, a little know-how and the right attitude, there’s very little in the home that can’t be accomplished. An aptitude for DIY is essential in the frugal household. 

But first, a caveat…

Part of being an effective DIYer is knowing your limits. There are some jobs which are inherently unsafe if you don’t know what you’re doing, or could do a lot of damage to your property if something goes awry. For this reason, we don’t recommend attending to roof issues yourself. Use a reliable local company like PH Roofing instead. Likewise, we don’t recommend making infrastructural changes to your home’s electrics or plumbing. You could get a nasty shock, start a fire or create a tiny leak that goes unnoticed for weeks but wreaks significant damage to your home. 

With that caveat out of the way, let’s take a look at why DIY is so important for a frugal household…

It gets us into a “make do and mend” mentality in the disposable age

We live in an age where virtually everything is disposable. If something stops working or looking right, we throw it away. This disposable attitude can not only lead to a lot of expense, it can be devastating to the environment.

The beauty of getting into DIY is that it slowly but surely engenders a “make do and mend” mentality that’s sadly lacking in this disposable age. Over time you’ll find that you’re spending less and making a significant difference to your environmental footprint. 

It helps us realise that we don’t always have to “get a man in”

In our convenience-obsessed society, we’ve become dependent on others to solve our problems – not with our wits but with our wallets. While, as discussed above, there are occasions where it’s safer and more prudent to rely on an expert, it’s not always necessary to “get a man in” to solve problems that pop up around the home. Especially since…

It’s easier than ever to pick up the skills we need

Living in the digital age means that no matter what problem we need to solve or what skills we need to develop, we have instant access to the means to gain the knowledge we need. There’s little that can be done around the house that you can’t find a tutorial for on YouTube. 

It sets a good example for our kids

Finally, those of us who have children would do well to imbue them with the skills and tools that they need to solve their own problems around the home. The millennial generation has recently come under scrutiny for their sub-par DIY skills. Getting your kids into DIY (whatever their age) can empower them to be more autonomous and independent as adults. 

This is a collaborative post.

 

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About Me

Would you like to take control of your finances, pay off your debts and save for the future? At Shoestring Cottage we aim to show you that you can live a good and happy life on less than you think, you can get off the consumer treadmill and you can live more simply and healthily and not feel deprived.
We are also moving toward a less wasteful, more sustainable lifestyle and believe frugality and sustainability go hand in hand. Read More…

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