It’s no secret that it’s always easier to “just call somebody,” but for many home maintenance issues, it may be cheaper to do it yourself. While there are certainly some more complicated repairs and tasks best left to the pros, there are a surprising number of scenarios where you can save a bundle on a relatively easy task.
Want to know what you can DIY to save some money? Here are 17 easy ideas.
Painting
Paint isn’t cheap, and if you’re adding labor costs on top of that, a simple wall-painting project can get out of hand. Painting projects can cost hundreds if not thousands, depending on the size of the space. Grab the paint yourself, lay out that painter’s tape, and get rolling.
Spackling and Patching
If you’ve ever frantically tried to repair the walls of an apartment before you’ve moved out, you’re well-acquainted with spackling. If not, it’s easy, and you can buy kits for this stuff at any hardware store.
Changing Your Oil
Change your oil yourself, people. I myself have a car that requires synthetic oil, the expensive stuff, but even buying it at a Walmart can end up being far cheaper. It’s really not hard at all.
Replacing Door Handles and Locks
This is the best kind of DIY project: Something that only requires a screwdriver. Even most electronic locks are installed the same way these days, so there is no need to pay somebody the cost of labor for such a simple task. These things are like $30.
Fixing a Squeak
While you’re working on your door, go ahead and grab yourself a bottle of WD-40. The stuff is the gold standard for a reason, and you can nab a bottle for less than $10. Give the hinges a good spray. Don’t pay a professional to come and lubricate your door.
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Meal Prepping
Though restaurants are one of my greatest joys, the amount of money you save by eating and home and meal prepping is astronomical. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be as boring as it seems; here are some places to start.
Mowing the Lawn
This is an obvious one, and it has the bonus of giving you an excuse to invest in a lawnmower big enough to ride in. That’s an investment in a good piece of equipment instead of paying somebody by the hour for the rest of your life. That said, if you really don’t want to do it yourself, you can always hire some neighborhood kid for dirt cheap.
Sealing Driveway Cracks
You can buy a variety of types of sealant at a place like Home Depot, and once you have it, the job is really just about applying it to the cracks. You may be done with this whole thing by the time your $100/hour handyman shows up.
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Installing Your Own Security Cameras
Security cameras are expensive enough to buy on their own, and adding in the costs of a professional to do nothing but stick them in a corner would be a waste. Not able to get up on a ladder yourself? Ask a neighbor or a family member; this one is too simple to pay for.
Trimming Hedges
It is perhaps 100 times more expensive to pay for hedge trimming than it is to do it yourself. It’s also about 100 times less fun. Would you rather get to play with an enormous set of scissors or pay somebody a few hundred bucks to do it for you? Shears are less than $40. A decent hedge trimmer doesn’t cost much more. This is an easy one.
Replacing Showerheads
Showerheads seem complicated, but they’re really not. The seal tape is the only “tricky” part, but once you’ve wrapped the edge of your shower pipe up, the rest is as easy as screwing the head in. Bingo-bango-bongo.
Cleaning Gutters
Anybody able-bodied enough to get up onto the roof can clean the gutters. A gutter cleaning can cost anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on your house. All you need to do it yourself is a ladder.
Setting Up Smart Lights
Getting your lights vocally controlled is pretty effortless, as long as you’ve got some sort of home pod like an Echo or a Google Home. Pick up some smart lightbulbs, plug the receiver into your internet setup, and screw the lights in like normal bulbs. You can save a fortune on light bulbs by utilizing the dimming settings.
Sewing and Patching
Listen: I am an idiot. Yet, I have also sewn my own clothing back together. CVS or any drugstore has tiny little sewing kits. If I can do it, you can do it.
Replacing Wiper Blades
They snap in and out, my friends. Your dealership will charge you a comical amount to do this simple task. Ask them what kind of blades your car requires, source them yourself, and save yourself hundreds.
Grow Your Own Produce
Need a pinch of parsley? Little sprig of thyme? These are expensive things at grocery stores, but reaching into your own garden is priceless. The more space you have, the more options you’ve got.
Installing and Replacing Smoke Detectors
If you live in an apartment complex, you have the benefit of a landlord that will do this kind of thing for you. If not, you could pay up to $150 to have somebody come and screw in a new smoke detector. You can do this one if you’ve got a ladder. They sell those batteries everywhere, too.
