I was considering giving myself a haircut – if I botched it my pesky spending moratorium nixes a quick fix at the salon – but the challenge has been put off until August. My video producer (yes, I was going to make a video of the ordeal) is on vacation.
But it got me thinking, when is Doing-It-Yourself in the name of saving money a really awful idea? A countdown.
10. Cutting your own hair. The opportunities for disaster are as thick as my hair. Not that this is going to deter me. Hair grows back!
9. Butchering your own (wild) animal. I heard on NPR that a grown buck is worth hundreds of dollars!
8. Using bug spray with abandon. One man blew up his home this way.
7. Making your own clothes. Fixing buttons and socks, sure, but princess seams?
6. Car repair beyond the basics. Your safety is important, yo.
5. Trying a bold new hair color at home. You pay your stylist for their skills and a second opinion.
4. Electrical work. There are reasons why electrical work requires licensed professionals and permits. Reasons like fires and explosions.
3. Making your own fireworks display. This is sure to get you a Darwin award.
2. Repairing your microwave. The cost of new parts will likely cost more than buying a new one, and fixing the broken involves handling very dangerous parts.
And the No. 1 activity that is a stupid way to save money is…
1. Nipple piercing. One hapless gal from “Lower Indiana” tried this at home and concludes “I still have trouble believing how tough the skin was to pierce.” Ouch.
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve done to save money?
July 9th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Honestly I cannot think of any stupid things I have done in order to SAVE money!
I can however, think of MANY stupid things I SPENT money on… The most recent was an HDTV for $1,800 that I bought about a year & a half ago…
July 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I HAVE done my own electrical work – albeit simple, however I have replaced a thermostat – to a programmable one that saved me $, the exhaust fan in my bathroom & 3 smoke detectors (hard wired, not battery) I saved over $300… well worth it. With the help of my brother we just renovated my bathroom… so start small That’s samrt!
July 9th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I haven’t done it…but I’m going to call back to yesterday’s Las Vegas post and say the stupidest thing would be to take/steal toiletpaper and tissues from hotel rooms.
July 9th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
When I was in college, we would drive up to ten minutes for cheaper gas or groceries.
Looking back it was pound wise but penny foolish, we probably spent that extra money on the gas just getting to the places and back!
July 9th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Whether something is a stupid way to save money can depend on your own abilities. As an example, you mentioned sewing your own clothes. If you can do this, you’ll get clothes that actually FIT. You can’t do it cheaper than Walmart, but you can do it cheaper than Macy’s or a boutique. Ditto to altering readymade clothes – well worth knowing the skills to do that.
Ditto to car repair, electrical or plumbing work, etc. To save $200 by installing a light fixture is a skill worth learning – and the Lowe’s/Home D. seminars are FREE (our favorite price).
On the other hand, the stupidest thing I did recently was buy 6 wonderful shot glasses at Cost Plus. I shoulda’ bought 8 right then, instead of waiting a week, then having to drive all over the Valley to find the last two in stock anywhere.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:52 am
I try to consider all purchases wisely but yesterday I bought Starbucks Ice Cream – buy one get one free at Walgreen- and I had a dollar coupon so that made it $3.91 for two pints of the cold stuff. That’s still a lot BUT I figure we can have milkshakes for desserts a few times. So maybe it wasn’t SOOOO bad but typically something I just wouldn’t purchase…
July 10th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Matt, why do you regret the $1,800 HDTV purchase? Has the price dropped? Do you not get $1,800 worth of enjoyment from using it? I’m not a big TV watcher but I’m curious why you think it was not worthwhile.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am
[...] post seriously cracked me up: What is the Stupidest Thing You’ve Done to Save? Check it [...]
July 10th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
i do cut my hair myself i cant get anyone to cut it(medical condition) its great u mess it up say bad haircut and i dye it myself they charge to much and it never looks right so i get a box of dye and if the colors off get color oops it takes it out then get a diffrent one and start again
July 11th, 2009 at 6:23 am
I cut a boyfriend’s hair. One side ended up shaved & the other side ended up OK. He looked awful for a month.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Well, some of what you do to save money should be based in what your skills are. So step one should be to figure that out. In our house, I was taught car care by a master technician. That certainly qualifies me (and my husband who had the same background) to do some fairly major repairs beyond the oil changes: catalytic converter, muffler, clutch, transmission, and with the help of a friend an engine swap. Those are MAJOR money savers, possibly worth taking a class at a local community college (tuition is $24 a credit hour BTW).
I used to design and sew costumes in college. So clearly my skills are beyond buttons. While I detest princess seams, curtains, pillows, chair cushions, simple tops or elastic waist pants/skirts, and certainly adding two inches of coordinating fabric to my childrens clothes to have them last an extra 6-12 months is within my skill range. Time is the issue there for those that have the skills.
Other things people may not have thought of: painting or wallpapering is a piece of cake. My sister and I did our room when we were 12 and 14. Read the directions.
In the same vein an imbecile could manage to brush on paint remover for an old or ratty piece of furniture and in due time brush on some new paint or stain. Same with kitchen cupboards.
My main point? Double check your skills and see where they can be applied!
July 14th, 2009 at 11:07 am
yes this past month I did my own haircut. really I just
wanted to make it not look so awful.
I wear it long and I have seen my previous professionals
who have cut my long hair and are trying to get rid of
the dead ends and make the heavy look of all long
hair by doing a certain thing that makes some
slightly shorter areas in a second layer on top.
this made my hair look thicker by adding air with
shorter hairs blending and not being weighed down.
I mimicked what they did and voila! My hair looked
a little better than before. that was good enough
for me. But I don’t really trust myself with the
home hair dying. done that before and really’
regretted it.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Brought a bargain brand lock and door knob to replace a #1 brand that was selling for about $12 more. To make a long story short, by the time I installed it, had to buy an extra tool to make it fit and make new keys, replace the door jam and other sundry tools, I spent more than $25 and two trips back to the hardware store. The brand name one only required that I removed the old key cylinder and use it, and put the new faceplate and door knob on. I did not think it out, I just saw the savings…Ha.