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Learn how to do things yourself. Learn how to cook, fix your car and repair your house. I've saved so much money over the years by being a DIYer and it's very f

Learn how to do things yourself. Learn how to cook, fix your car and repair your house. I've saved so much money over the years by being a DIYer and it's very fulfilling. Some examples of me saving money: Replacing the transmission in my truck: shop wanted $7k, I did it all for $2.5k. Fixing my deck and expanding it: contractor wanted $55k, I did it for $7k. Leaky pipe in ceiling: plumber wanted $1k, I fixed it for $25. I could go on for days...

wnolens 5y ago
Does the math pan out when compared against salary increases in tech? I happily DIY things, but for the joy of self sufficiency. USA software engineer bias: At several 100k raises possible (which you receive every year going forward), even 50k one time savings are drops in the bucket over the course of a career.
- jonathanfoster 5y ago
  It’s all about your time versus money in my opinion. Do you have more time than money, do it yourself. Do you have more money than time, hire someone. I found the hourly rate of tradesmen to be comparable to software engineer rates ($150-$200 per hour). But because I work on salary, one hour or my time does not directly increase my cash flow. Also, I’m senior enough in my career that effort alone does not equate to salary increase. Your mileage may vary of course.
- fasteddie31003 5y ago
  I've thought long and hard about this issue. Why DIYing makes sense for millionaires: 1. Depth vs breadth of skills: You could double down and become the most efficient software engineer, giving you great depth of skills and you could just pay people to do things for you. This leads to a boring life and a flat personality in my opinion. I know too many people who just know how to do one thing well. They are very boring to talk to, don't have many original thoughts, and just annoy me to be honest. 2. Control over your environment: It is a great feeling knowing you are the master of your environment and not beholden to anyone to get things done. Knowing I have control of my environment is a great mental relief and frees my mind to think how things should be done in a fun engineering mindset. 3. General understanding on how things work. I am a polymath and want to know how everything works. By DIYing you need to understand the fundamentals of how a lot of different things work to come up with a solution to problems. It's a good mental exercise. 4. Exercise: I have yet to find a better workout than manually digging foundations or chopping down trees for firewood. Most importantly, it get you away from your computer.
  - itake 5y ago
    I don't think SWE lacks breadth. There are so many problem areas that are both technical and non-technical. As a SWE, you could produce YouTube content or develop a new programming language instead of spend 1-2 hours per day DIYing in the real world. re 4/ Manually digging or chopping down trees has a high body tax. Non-symmetrical high impact motions are terrible for your body. Plus there is risk in falling in a whole or a tree landing on you. IMHO, low impact cardio (e.g. walking) or weight training with slow controlled movements at medium weight offers a safer alternative to manual labor. If DIY makes you happy, then sure. But purely from a logical standpoint, its not efficient.
    - fasteddie31003 5y ago
      I have a pretty risk tolerant personality. Cutting down trees is not for everyone. It takes planning and skills. If you live your life on a keyboard, you probably shouldn't jump into cutting down trees to start.
  - wnolens 5y ago
    Apparently your long and hard thinking skipped the economics part.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
avg_dev 5y ago
Do you have any resources for learning how to work on stuff? Any particular videos or books you'd recommend?
- fasteddie31003 5y ago
  YouTube! I would not have the confidence or understanding on how to do anything without YouTube. Essential Craftsman is probably my favorite https://www.youtube.com/c/essentialcraftsman https://www.youtube.com/c/essentialcraftsman
- jonathanfoster 5y ago
  YouTube is an amazing resource for learning. There are so many professionals making high quality DIY videos. And they’re actually entertaining. I recently installed a Mini Split AC in my garage and these two channels were invaluable. - Electrician U: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCB3jUEyCLRbCw7QED0vnXYg https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCB3jUEyCLRbCw7QED0vnXYg - Home RenoVision DIY: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCnorhjQR4zJkT7AVNhu395Q https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCnorhjQR4zJkT7AVNhu395Q
zivkovicp 5y ago
This is excellent life advice in general, and it feels great to know you can do it yourself.
gaws 5y ago
> Replacing the transmission in my truck: shop wanted $7k, I did it all for $2.5k > Fixing my deck and expanding it: contractor wanted $55k, I did it for $7k > Leaky pipe in ceiling: plumber wanted $1k, I fixed it for $25. How did you learn to do these things? There are many chances where things could go horribly wrong.

wnolens 5y ago

Does the math pan out when compared against salary increases in tech? I happily DIY things, but for the joy of self sufficiency. USA software engineer bias: At several 100k raises possible (which you receive every year going forward), even 50k one time savings are drops in the bucket over the course of a career.

jonathanfoster 5y ago
It’s all about your time versus money in my opinion. Do you have more time than money, do it yourself. Do you have more money than time, hire someone. I found the hourly rate of tradesmen to be comparable to software engineer rates ($150-$200 per hour). But because I work on salary, one hour or my time does not directly increase my cash flow. Also, I’m senior enough in my career that effort alone does not equate to salary increase. Your mileage may vary of course.
fasteddie31003 5y ago
I've thought long and hard about this issue. Why DIYing makes sense for millionaires: 1. Depth vs breadth of skills: You could double down and become the most efficient software engineer, giving you great depth of skills and you could just pay people to do things for you. This leads to a boring life and a flat personality in my opinion. I know too many people who just know how to do one thing well. They are very boring to talk to, don't have many original thoughts, and just annoy me to be honest. 2. Control over your environment: It is a great feeling knowing you are the master of your environment and not beholden to anyone to get things done. Knowing I have control of my environment is a great mental relief and frees my mind to think how things should be done in a fun engineering mindset. 3. General understanding on how things work. I am a polymath and want to know how everything works. By DIYing you need to understand the fundamentals of how a lot of different things work to come up with a solution to problems. It's a good mental exercise. 4. Exercise: I have yet to find a better workout than manually digging foundations or chopping down trees for firewood. Most importantly, it get you away from your computer.
- itake 5y ago
  I don't think SWE lacks breadth. There are so many problem areas that are both technical and non-technical. As a SWE, you could produce YouTube content or develop a new programming language instead of spend 1-2 hours per day DIYing in the real world. re 4/ Manually digging or chopping down trees has a high body tax. Non-symmetrical high impact motions are terrible for your body. Plus there is risk in falling in a whole or a tree landing on you. IMHO, low impact cardio (e.g. walking) or weight training with slow controlled movements at medium weight offers a safer alternative to manual labor. If DIY makes you happy, then sure. But purely from a logical standpoint, its not efficient.
  - fasteddie31003 5y ago
    I have a pretty risk tolerant personality. Cutting down trees is not for everyone. It takes planning and skills. If you live your life on a keyboard, you probably shouldn't jump into cutting down trees to start.
- wnolens 5y ago
  Apparently your long and hard thinking skipped the economics part.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]

avg_dev 5y ago

Do you have any resources for learning how to work on stuff? Any particular videos or books you'd recommend?

fasteddie31003 5y ago
YouTube! I would not have the confidence or understanding on how to do anything without YouTube. Essential Craftsman is probably my favorite https://www.youtube.com/c/essentialcraftsman https://www.youtube.com/c/essentialcraftsman
jonathanfoster 5y ago
YouTube is an amazing resource for learning. There are so many professionals making high quality DIY videos. And they’re actually entertaining. I recently installed a Mini Split AC in my garage and these two channels were invaluable. - Electrician U: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCB3jUEyCLRbCw7QED0vnXYg https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCB3jUEyCLRbCw7QED0vnXYg - Home RenoVision DIY: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCnorhjQR4zJkT7AVNhu395Q https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCnorhjQR4zJkT7AVNhu395Q

zivkovicp 5y ago

This is excellent life advice in general, and it feels great to know you can do it yourself.

gaws 5y ago

> Replacing the transmission in my truck: shop wanted $7k, I did it all for $2.5k > Fixing my deck and expanding it: contractor wanted $55k, I did it for $7k > Leaky pipe in ceiling: plumber wanted $1k, I fixed it for $25. How did you learn to do these things? There are many chances where things could go horribly wrong.