Do-It-Yourself

What would you list as the top 10 reasons to do-it-yourself?

I bet that price comes in at the top for DIY. But is that really the best reason? Can you think of other reasons why?

Here are my personal reasons:

10. Because it takes time to find a really good professional, and time is money.

9. Because being self reliant is a virtue, and a blessing for fiercely independent people.

8. By the time I some that could do it, I could have already had it done.

7. Because most things come with instructions, and reading is good for you.

6. Because my life at work is boring, so I want to do real work when I get home.

5. Because there is a sense of pride in the fact that ,"I made it." or, "I didn't all by myself." (Ask my 2 year-old if you don't believe me.)

4. Because getting off the couch and doing anything is a step in the right direction.

3. Because my wife made me do it.

2. Because its cheaper.

1. Because if you want it done right then you better, "Do-It-Yourself".

So do-it-yourself and do it better.

-The Bug Guy

www.pestprojoe.com

Other thoughts on Doing it Yourself.

Why DIY?

Contrary to popular belief, the main reason for DIY is not (or should not be) about saving money. While this is possible in many cases (and especially against 'top of the line' commercial products), there are other, far better reasons to do it yourself.

The main one is knowledge, new skills, and the enormous feeling of satisfaction that comes from building your own equipment. This is worth far more than money. For younger people, the skills learned will be invaluable as you progress through life, and once started, you should continue to strive for making it yourself wherever possible.

Each and every new skill you learn enables the learning processes to be 'exercised', making it easier to learn other new things that come your way.

Conclusion

People choose DIY for the fun of creation, to learn, or to get something that can't be bought because it is too specialised - even in a seemingly minor respect. Sometimes, all three will be involved at the conscious level, but all three will be usually be involved at the subconscious level.

When you make something (even from a kit), you have the opportunity to customise it so that it does exactly what you want, not what someone else's marketing department told you you want. You will always learn from the experience of building it, even when it seems like a mindless chore stuffing components into a PCB and soldering them in. When it's finished, installed in your system, and doing exactly what you want, then the fun and pride of having made it will always be there - even long after the event.

Do you get any of these things when you buy a product? In a word, no. It is simply a commodity, something that countless others have, exactly the same as yours. If it doesn't do exactly what you want, then you have to live with it - even make excuses to yourself in extreme cases (where you'd like to strangle the salesthing given the chance).

DIY is not for everyone. Some people are forced into it because they can't get exactly what they want, and others do it because they think they'll save money. These are not good motives for DIY, although once they get into it, the motives will hopefully change.

The number one reason for DIY is simple - fun. Audio is a hobby for most people, and hobbies are meant to be fun - recreation at its best. In the same way that listening to your system is a recreational activity, so too is building your system yourself. As with all hobbies, there are new skills to learn, a complete jargon to master (that part is admittedly not so much fun), and something to show for it when it is completed.

Having acquired various tools (and talents) along the way, you may find that you can use them for other DIY activities - especially woodworking tools. Again, don't expect to save money. Many goods are available that are made in China (or perhaps India or some other developing country) for far less than you could build them for. Some are real bargains - well made, and will last well in normal use. Others are terrible - cheap materials, flimsy and with a marginal finish that won't last until next Thursday.

The old saying that 'you get what you pay for' no longer holds relevance - some bargains are real, others are very obviously false. Some highly priced goods are no different from the bargains, many having been made in the same factory (some may even be identical to a bargain version).

Again, the DIY approach is more about satisfaction and creation than anything else. If you do happen to save money in the process, then so much the better.

... Of course you can always do pest control yourself for less.

It doesn't take much to do Pest Control right and do it yourself.