As DIY-ers we are so fortunate to be living with the technology in this day and age. Got a project and don’t have a clue what you are doing? You-tube it. Have an idea but don’t know how to get started? Google it!
It’s like a drug. We tell ourselves that no project is too big, no task too hard. We run to the hardware store and buy up all the DIY goodies that make us tick. Then we come home and put them on the table. After a few months of moving them out of the way we begin to wonder…was this task too hard…was this task too big…
One of the hardest reality checks of being a DIY-er is knowing when to let someone else do the work for you. Absolutely, 100 percent, you could totally do the project yourself and it would cost you so much less if you just did it. However, let’s look at the whole picture.
Time. It’s a one word sentence in my world. My pay-the-bills job is not a typical 40 hour work week. I am on call and could lose hours of my life with minimal notice. Because of this, time can be more valuable to me than money.
We have a code in our house: “Living things come first.”
This means that things that breathe and rely on us to survive come first. No questions asked. The dishes are piled in the sink, the laundry didn’t get folded, the floors need swept…it’s all good because the rabbits got fed, the chickens were tended to, the bees look happy, the freshly planted fruit trees were watered and the inside animals are taken care of. (Yes, bees can look happy…trust me, you’ll know if they aren’t)
In our house, we take “stay-cations”. Last year, our stay-cation was supposed to be fixing the 135 year old kitchen ceiling. Math is hard, angles are not fun. Therefore, Mom (cuz she’s cool like that) gets to be the person who figures out angles and measurements. I’m more than happy just to be the grunt in projects like this. Got a heavy board that needs held in place? Yep, I got that!
Problem is that I have a completely bummed up shoulder. The idea of holding drywall in place above my head with my not-so-great shoulder made me cranky. Cranky is not good…cranky is annoying…cranky makes projects way less fun…
It took me awhile to let go of my DIY-er mentality for this job. Yes, we could totally do this project ourselves. Absolutely, it would look great in end. But…at what cost? Could I swallow my DIY pride and admit that maybe it was best to let someone else do it for me? Could my lifestyle afford for me to be out of commission for a month while my shoulder healed from a week worth of holding drywall above my head?
Once I was able to let go of my “I can do it by myself” mentality, I started researching drywall contractors in my area. I found a drywall guy 10 miles away. His quote was far cheaper than I expected and I hired him on the spot.
It took him four days (2 hours each morning) to turn my falling down plaster ceiling into a smooth beautiful surface. Talk about a pride buster!!! I was planning on taking an entire week off just to replace the ceiling and the contractor did it in 8 hours at approximately the same cost that I would have spent to do it myself!
The ceiling looked absolutely fantastic. And instead of using our stay-cation to hang drywall on the ceiling, we used it to paint a second row of kitchen cabinets that we had recently installed ourselves. The ceiling was happy, my shoulder was happy and we accomplished twice as much as we initially expected to.
As DIY-ers, we default to doing things ourselves. Don’t forget to give yourself a break. Don’t forget to look beyond yourself to see if there is a better option at a reasonable price. Don’t be afraid to admit that a project is too big or is simply something that you really really (I mean really) don’t want to do yourself.
As a DIY-er…it’s ok to sometimes not DIY. Sit back, grab the beverage of your choice and watch someone else do the job for you for a change.
I was going to build Tobi a cat treadmill. I mean hey, it’s all over You-Tube so I could totally do that! Three months later, he’s continuing to steal the other cats’ food and getting fatter and fatter, meanwhile increasing his risk of hip failure and diabetes and I haven’t had the time to build his treadmill. DIY pride shoved to one side, we purchased one at the store with a 20% discount and free shipping. In the end, it was better for Tobi if I purchased one rather than waiting to find the time to make it for him so that he could get to a healthier weight. Weigh your options (pun intended). Hopefully, here’s to a skinnier DIY “helper”! (Meow)
You work hard. Don’t forget to give yourself a much deserved break.
Until Next Time,