Should You DIY It or Buy It?

Well, 9 times out of 10 my answer is going to be DIY it! However, there are some things that I would definitely buy instead. Today I’m going to share how I decide between the two & how sometimes the situation at hand may change my mind. This is a shorter post than usual, but I hope y’all still enjoy it!

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How I Decide to DIY or Buy

There are a few questions I ask to myself when I’m deciding if I want to DIY or buy ~>

• Will it save me money? If not, is the end result worth it?
• Do I have the skill set required to make it? If not, is it something I want to learn?
• Does it require me to purchase things to make it or do I have the items on hand? {related to first question}
• Do I have the time to make it?
• Will I enjoy making it? {the most important, I think!}

After I run through these things, then I can decide which way I want to go. Sometimes I decide to buy from another DIYer because they have already made something awesome!

Home Decor

This is one category where I DIY the most! Thrift stores are filled with home decor items that can be updated with just paint most of the time. You can even buy the paint in some thrift stores as well. It really just depends on how handy you are & how much time you want to put in it. In the end, you will have something uniquely yours, like this old window I turned into a command center ~>

While I did find some cool window pane decor on Etsy, I wasn’t able to find a command center quite like this one. Now sometimes, I find a unique & fun piece of home decor when browsing around & I just have to have it. For instance this sign makes me smile & it’s not a bad price either!

Home Improvements

I grew up in a DIY home, so I’ve done everything from painting trim to hanging drywall! When it comes to cosmetic things & small renovations, I’m all in. It’s quite pleasing to look at a home improvement & know, hey, I did that! I’ve discovered there are fat light planks under all the ugly paneling & wallpapered sheet rock in most of my house. This lead to a mini wall makeover just before Christmas 2016.

I also managed to fix my non-draining washing machine with a little help from YouTube. This is something I feel the need to remind my husband of from time to time!  : D

There are some home improvements I prefer to leave to the experts. These include ~>

• Electrical things ~> I usually turn to my husband or parents {mom’s an electrical designer} for help with anything electrical. My parents basically rewired their whole house! If you’re not lucky enough to know someone with the skills, hire an expert. It’s totally worth it!
• Roofing ~> Me on top of a roof doing anything is not a good idea! I’m very clumsy & our roof has a steeper pitch than most.
• Cutting down large trees ~> I cut down branches & small trees all the time, but larger trees require an expert. There are all kinds of things that can go wrong!

I’m sure there are more I could add to the list, but I’m a pretty avid home improvement DIYer!

I could go on about other things I like to DIY, but I think I’ll leave it at that today! Told y’all it was short!  ; )