On the Economics of DIY

I mentioned to my roommate this morning that doing a lot of things yourself instead of paying someone else to do or make them sure takes a lot of time.  Most of the time it's worth it though.  Either you get something you couldn't otherwise afford, or you get something that's not otherwise available.  Also, if you reduce the amount of income that is required for you to live, you can use the savings to build your self-sufficiency even more.

A side benefit is if your income gets reduced, but you're saving money by doing things yourself, you won't have to pay as much in taxes.  Not only on your income, but sales tax on things you might have otherwise bought, but you instead made.  So far, they're not taxing a home garden as "income", although if the pretender gets re-elected we might expect him to try that sort of nonsense.

Gardening gets you organic (if you do it that way) produce, and once you have enough of the proper kind of dirt in raised beds, it's less work from there on out.  Canning is pretty much work, but then you know what's in your food, and there are periods of time you can sit down and rest while you wait for something to boil.  And just think, I don't need a gym membership.  I can lift weights here at home, i.e. bags of manure, my watering can, logs, rocks, big potted plants, etc.

Sometimes DIY doesn't make sense, for example I can go to the thrift store and get a shirt for $2 to $5.  If I were to bother to make myself a shirt, new fabric alone would cost more than the shirt from the thrift.  It would have to be some specific design or fabric I had to have and couldn't find at the thrift. I sometimes alter an existing garment to get what I want.

Pants, on the other hand, I might start making again.  I do NOT like the low-on-the-hips style for women, and it is almost impossible to find anything else anymore.  Not only does that style not flatter me, but it is very hard to conceal-carry anything with any stopping power in hip huggers.  And the damn things feel like they're falling off all the time.  Both that style and the "sagging" that some guys do with their pants are examples of styles that take power from people in the form of their mobility.  But at least the guys can pull their pants up, whereas I can't find the old style of women's pants.

You can also make your own vinegar, laundry soap, cosmetics, shoes, etc.  I think these are good skills to know, just in case you have to use them one day.  You might find that making EVERYTHING yourself is kind of a pain, and only do some things yourself so you can have a life, but as long as you know how to make something, at least you're a step ahead of folks who don't know how to make anything themselves.

It might even be a new profession post-crash.