YouTube, You Save
GOT SOMETHING THAT needs repairing? Faced with the increasing specialization of people���s knowledge, ever-growing technical complexity and our perennial lack of time, it���s often tempting to just call in an expert or even buy a replacement.
But repairs can be costly, which is why we���re told to get multiple bids. One of the ���bid��� options I always check out: fixing it myself with the guidance of that repository of collective step-by-step knowhow, YouTube. Perhaps not since the Great Library of Alexandria has so much expertise been collected in one spot���along, of course, with endless cat videos and slick dance moves.
Battery for the car key fob gone dead? YouTube plus $5 for the battery beats $20 at the dealer. Repairing a gate latch becomes a choice between installing an $18 latch delivered by Amazon or paying $100 for a guy to come out. Same thing with a leaky showerhead. I recently called about a garage door repair. The repairman said he charged $80 just to come out, which would be over and above the cost to repair.
Perhaps best of all, there���s that feeling of accomplishment from having both mastered a new skill and saved some cash. As a retiree, I love the small challenges involved. My peers sometimes shrug about broken things and say they never learned to do repairs. But is it ever too late to start learning? A fence repair became a family activity with my sons. My daughter-in-law to be���a baker���changed the oil on her car, courtesy of YouTube tutelage. She was so excited she offered to do ours.
Strikes me as a good thing: You learn skills, exercise the mind���and save money. Or, as Ben Franklin supposedly said, ���Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.��� But it seems he got that off the internet.
But repairs can be costly, which is why we���re told to get multiple bids. One of the ���bid��� options I always check out: fixing it myself with the guidance of that repository of collective step-by-step knowhow, YouTube. Perhaps not since the Great Library of Alexandria has so much expertise been collected in one spot���along, of course, with endless cat videos and slick dance moves.
Battery for the car key fob gone dead? YouTube plus $5 for the battery beats $20 at the dealer. Repairing a gate latch becomes a choice between installing an $18 latch delivered by Amazon or paying $100 for a guy to come out. Same thing with a leaky showerhead. I recently called about a garage door repair. The repairman said he charged $80 just to come out, which would be over and above the cost to repair.
Perhaps best of all, there���s that feeling of accomplishment from having both mastered a new skill and saved some cash. As a retiree, I love the small challenges involved. My peers sometimes shrug about broken things and say they never learned to do repairs. But is it ever too late to start learning? A fence repair became a family activity with my sons. My daughter-in-law to be���a baker���changed the oil on her car, courtesy of YouTube tutelage. She was so excited she offered to do ours.
Strikes me as a good thing: You learn skills, exercise the mind���and save money. Or, as Ben Franklin supposedly said, ���Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.��� But it seems he got that off the internet.
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