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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: The advantages of being self-sufficient  (Read 19958 times)

Chris

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The advantages of being self-sufficient
« on: July 06, 2008, 11:48:10 PM »

URL: http://www.gotthegeek.com/content/view/230/1/

Growing up as a kid I quickly learned the building blocks of life. You know, the building block that goes something like, “The more money you earn, the more money you spend.” It’s kind of like how some retailers exclaim “The more you spend the more you save!” in their advertisements, it’s even the same as “how now brown cow” Believe it or not, these three sayings go hand in hand with one another.

Some people unfortunately don’t learn about this vital building block of life until it’s too late, and some don’t learn it at all, even after they die. I realized that the only way to avoid having to spend more money was to begin doing things myself. Instead of calling an electrician to come in and install two new breakers I did the installation myself, I change my car’s oil every 30,000 miles myself like I’m supposed to, I wash my car instead of going to a car wash, and I even do my own dental work instead of having to go to a dentist and have them work on my teeth. In fact, I was able to perform my own root canal. At first I thought I had numbed the area fairly well to the point where I was drooling and couldn’t feel anything, but soon after I started the operation I realized that I did the wrong side. Stupid mirrors.

There are several advantages of performing your own work without the help of some stranger who wants to kill you, your family, and your dog and then take all of you possessions and sell them on Craigslist along with your house. The most obvious in this case is the advantage of living longer. At least by one day.

Save yourself money
As the proverbial saying goes, “Time is money” and the only thing that costs more than your own time is the time of others. So instead of taking your computer over to Best Buy and have the Geek Squad “technicians” install more RAM because you have so much spyware running in the background you should read just how easy it is to do this on your own. You might be shocked that it’s about 30 seconds of work. Some how Best Buy comes up with a $60 bill for labor, claiming it took them 45 minutes to do the installation. They usually arrive at this astronomical figure because the “technician” working on your computer went missing when him and a few of his buddies went to play WoW in the back and left the timer running.

I’m not saying go ahead and drop your car’s transmission because it’s slipping when it changes gears – that might be a little too complex for any one person who isn’t an auto mechanic to do. What I’m saying is that the jobs that are usually less than one or two hundred dollars around the house can be done by a prospective do-it-yourselfer. Changing locks, small to mid-sized windows, new doors, lighting and some plumbing are all jobs that can be done by a do-it-yourselfer provided they have done some basic research online before hand. Oh and did I forget the mention that you need to be somewhat of a handyman / woman in order to get some of these things done? A hammer and a screwdriver alone aren’t going to be enough to replace a window.

Take for instance the project I undertook last year in which I installed two 30amp breakers in my basement for two Compaq R3000 UPS units. Prior to the installation I knew virtually nothing about installing new breakers and how to wire them properly. After doing some research online and looking at existing wiring already done in the house, I was confident that I knew enough to make the installation without killing myself or burning the house down.

Sure enough with careful wiring and double checking what I was doing every few steps because I was scared shitless that I was going to kill myself, I was able to complete the installation in just under a half hour. This just goes to show you that with enough careful research and observation skills, you can save yourself a good deal of money going without the help of a professional. Of course, there is always a time and a place for professionals. Use your judgment when it comes to undertaking such projects.

Learn something new
They say that you learn something new everyday. For some this might hold true, but I suspect for most this doesn’t usually take place everyday. In fact, I’m willing to bet it doesn’t usually happen on a weekly basis either. I’ll admit that there are days that go by sometimes in which I feel as though I didn’t learn anything new. As a result, these days usually make me feel like utter trash since it’s almost as if I wasted an entire day of my life since my mind was stagnant.

By doing something yourself instead of paying someone else an ungodly amount of money to do the work for you, it forces you to learn something new that you’ll most likely remember for the rest of your life and can pass on to others.

This knowledge of doing something yourself rather than having someone else do it for you is an invaluable life skill. For a true geek, learning something new has both intrinsic and extrinsic values that are nearly impossible to substitute by watching TV or by playing a video game for hours straight. In all honesty the initial utility from watching TV or playing a video game is greater than learning something new. However, in the long run the overall utility retained from learning something new will outweigh the amount (If any) utility left from engaging in some form of  activity involving a television and a bag of potato chips.

Give yourself something to do
Have you ever waited and waited to finally get a day off from work. You know, a day in which you have nothing planned and can do almost whatever you want to do? And when you finally get that day of rest and relaxation, do you ever think to yourself, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do!” This is when you should learn to do something yourself rather than hold off and pay someone else to do the job for you.

Speaking from experience again, I need things to do on my days off. Even though I find myself complaining about how it seems like I never get a day off, I always find myself LOOKING for things to do on those days that I do have off. Whether it be cleaning, working on my car, or writing for this website, it seems as though I always need something to do or I’ll find myself going crazy wanting to find things to do around the house. By doing things yourself rather than paying people to do them for you, it gives you things to do on your days off if you’re the type of person that finds themselves going crazy after sitting around for three straight hours.

Saves you time
Let’s suppose you don’t know how to change your car’s tire in the event that you should get a flat. You’re on your way into work one day when you run over a spike strip because you went the wrong way and now you’re forced to wait for a tow truck to either laugh at you and then tow your car away or laugh at you then install a donut on your car to get you to your destination. Most of the time it takes almost an hour for a tow truck to arrive, sometimes even longer depending on the amount of traffic on the roads and your location. Sometimes they might not even come at all.

Now let’s suppose you know how to change your car’s tire in the event of a flat tire. Your car gets a flat; you pull over and get out the jack and the spare tire. You loosen the lug nuts a bit, you jack up the car and the rest is history. You’re back on your way in about ten minute’s time rather than an hour.

Sure it’s great to have a service such as AAA for when you roll your car after smoking a funny one, but do you really need to use them when you have a flat tire? Save yourself some trouble and practice changing your tire on your day off if you don’t know how to change it already. Make sure you read up about it first though – You don’t want the car fall off of the jack and land on top of you even though there’s almost no reason as to why you should be under the car while you’re changing the tire.

There are instances in which the money you spend to have a task completed for you is worth less than the amount of time and effort it would have taken you to complete the same task. If you find yourself having a difficult time fitting the task of doing regular oil changes on your car and can somehow manage to drop your car off while performing other tasks at the same time, then this investment of 30 dollars might be worth the time and the hassle of doing it on your own.

There are still some things that are left up to others to do for you just for that very reason – It’s at times impractical for you to do everything on your own in order to save money here and there. But if you do a generous amount of things on your own, you’ll have more money to invest towards other things.

As you can see, doing tasks in and around your house can be rewarding to yourself and others if you complete the tasks successfully. I say others because it will save other people the time and the hassle of having to deal with you when you feel the need to post a topic asking how to install a new piece of hardware instead of reading the instructions or looking through the already posted threads that have already covered the exact same topic – 5 times over.
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10001110101

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Re: The advantages of being self-sufficient
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2010, 10:29:23 PM »

I think one of the easiest and best ways to do so:

Build your own furniture.  Especially if you're a college student, or just young person with a limited income who is starting out, it's easy to just load up your VISA/MC of choice and bed, bath, beyond, target, and wherever else you choose, but really for about 20 bucks you can build your dinner table, coffee table, entertainment center, end tables, and well just about anything that doesn't involve your direct physical comfort like a chair, bed, etc. or has moving parts like drawers.

Cinder blocks, 2x4's, and plywood.  Wood glue, sanding block, and spray paint in colors of your choosing, or polyurethane/woodstain if you're an au naturale kinda guy/gal.

Do your measurements, go to Lowe's, they'll cut everything for you to your exact specifications, for absolutely free, aside from the cost of the materials of course.

Cinder blocks will run you about $1-1.50 at pricier retail outlets such as home depot/lowes.  2x4's i think are about the same... the expensive part is the plywood ($15-20), you just need to have it cut efficiently so you don't "waste" extra wood, for example they come in large like 6x8 sheets or something or 8x10, so you need to have it cut for several different tables at once... don't waste the excess.

Basically, sand and paint all wood pieces to colors of your liking, use cinderblocks for legs, and you glue the plywood to 2x4's cut to the length of the table top you want, the number of 2x4's will be based on the width of the tabletop... so for say an 18" wide table top you'd need probably 3 for a very sturdy table.

Not to mention it's attractive if you have good color-coordination.  Versatile as well.  Parts are interchangeable and reusable.

And let's face it, nobody makes anything off selling used furniture unless it's an antique...  So save yourself a lot of money and build your own tables, desks etc!
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 10:33:43 PM by 10001110101 »
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xolik

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Re: The advantages of being self-sufficient
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2014, 11:31:19 PM »

There's a front page?
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