How to Make Money through DIY

DIY or "do it yourself" sometimes has a bit of a weird connotation associated with it. Personally, I'm not sure why. Doing something yourself has several benefits: it costs more time instead of more money, it allows you to learn valuable research skills, and, most importantly, almost all things you do yourself are also professional services. You may be wondering why this is important. Well, once you learn a skill that the public considers valuable, you are able to earn money from it.

Say you cracked your phone. What a lame way to lose $100, right?. Maybe not. With a bit of time and practice, you could easily gain $100 Prices for a screen replacement are somewhere between ridiculous and outrageous, so you do some research on how to do it yourself. I promise that you will be pleasantly surprised at how cheap the supplies are, and how easy the process is. And guess what that means? You can now offer this service for profit at a fraction of professional prices! If that's not taking advantage of a market inefficiency, I don't know what is.

My goal in this article is not to teach you in depth how to do certain things yourself, it's to inspire you and convince you that this is the best way to live life. Independence should be a priority for everyone, and DIY is a way to start taking control. Since I've started doing everything I can myself, I have actually noticed improvements in my ability to problem solve. For instance, if I'm presented with a problem at work, in the past I would have asked my boss for advice on how to fix it. Instead, I do my best to work out a solution on my own, and often, with a little TLC, it's better than the fix or solution he would have given me, leaving him impressed and me with a potential raise.

In the next section of the article, I'll outline some examples of projects I started out with as a beginner DIYer and conclude with the best way to integrate this new ideology into your lifestyle, however busy you are.

The very first thing I did myself that I could have had done professionally was change my windshield wipers. I know, I know, nothing special. I'm sure several of you have done this as well. But if you did, didn't it leave you with a tiny sense of accomplishment? Whenever it rained and you turned them on, you got a little bit of satisfaction from the fact that you installed those wipers and they worked how they were supposed to.

If you haven't done this before, I'd urge you to give it a try. Even if you have to ask the guy in the auto parts store how to do it or watch a video on YouTube, it will have been your handiwork and you will be proud of yourself. The confidence you'll gain from seemingly small things like wiper blades allow you to tackle the bigger, more intimidating projects that aren't near as hard as they seem.

Now, for the part you've all been waiting for, how you can make money by doing things yourself!

In the intro I mentioned the cracked screen example as a business idea. I'll go a little more in depth on this because I believe it is one of the best ways to earn money doing it yourself. A kit of tools used to repair screens will cost somewhere between $20-$30, and the glass itself can be even less expensive. Put together with limitless tutorials on YouTube and 2 or so hours of practice, you'll be a screen repairing wizard. The tools will pay themselves back very quickly because even by offering this service at $70, which is $30 less than the competition, you'll make a huge profit. Now your only obstacle is marketing, which is another article altogether. Simple flyers or an ad in the local classifieds should drum up a decent amount of local interest.

Something I've always thought about, but never tried, is selling the tool kits and screen glass online. If you can buy straight from the manufacturer, you can imagine how cheap the screens would be. They're literally made from glass and plastic. Combine that with a nice looking website that took you all of an hour to set up (use Wix or Weebly for free) and a product drop shipper (again, for another article), all you have to do is keep a record of the orders and send them out when you get them. Oh, and watch the money come rolling in. If any of you try this, or have done something similar, please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.

• Oil change (I can do this in a half hour)
• Spark plug change
• Brake light replacement/headlight replacement
• Brake pad replacement
• Screen fix
• Website design
• Room painting

You may be wondering why most of the list is car projects. The reason for this is that I have found that working on your car and getting your hands a little dirty and ultimately seeing the final product is one of the most satisfying things you'll do. To replace a brake light, test it at night, and see all the street signs reflect red, or change the oil and listen to the engine hum is one of the best feelings you'll experience.

If you want to know more about something I've mentioned or you have a success story, please let me know in the comments! I really really would love to hear from you