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I LIKE TO THINK OF myself as frugal, not cheap. The difference between these two is admittedly subtle—and, indeed, my wife insists that I straddle the line between them.
That brings me to my lifelong do-it-yourself approach to all things home-related. I abhor paying for services that I can do myself. But sometimes, I wish I were a little less frugal.
When we first moved to Texas, I tried saving money by doing my own yard work. Foolish me. My first attempt was on a 98-degree day in August. I was nearly finished when my brand-new push mower hit an immovable obstacle, damaging the blade and main axle.
No problem. I would simply use a weed whacker to complete the job. I shrugged off my heat exhaustion, plugged in the cord and got back to work. Who knew that operating with a non-grounded extension cord would be a problem? Twenty-five minutes later, I heard a loud sizzle and pop, after which the weed whacker exploded in flames, completely melting the framework surrounding the motor driveshaft. My wife dialed a local grass-cutting service to finish the job. We’ve used them ever since, and our lawn has never looked better.
I’m also frugal about calling repairmen, especially since I’m confident I can repair just about anything. In truth, I run at a 50% success rate when it comes to repairs. I fixed the washing machine and dryer—twice—but have failed with other major appliances.
I remember being especially stubborn when it came to a broken dishwasher. My wife agreed that I could try my hand at repair, provided we still had clean dishes. Six months later, after suffering severe dishpan hands, I purchased a new Kenmore. In my defense, the problem was with the motherboard, and not a mechanical issue. I must say, the new machine looks marvelous in the kitchen.
There was the time I was convinced I could repair the food mixer. I ordered the parts, and gave it a whirl. Needless to say, my electrical rewiring was performed incorrectly. Now, to complement our Kenmore dishwasher, we have a beautiful KitchenAid twilight-blue stand mixer.
My wife and I are adamant about recycling. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’ve been known to wash out previously used Ziploc baggies. I justified my frugality on environmental grounds. But when my spouse saw the bags drying in the dish drainer, she declared me cheap. I compromised and purchased reusable silicone storage bags. I felt sure the higher expense, coupled with their reusable quality, would encourage her to consider me frugal, not cheap. But then she saw me washing out empty yogurt containers to use as starter pots for seedlings. Maybe I’m cheap after all.
I love woodworking, although the price of materials seems to have skyrocketed lately. My solution is to reuse old pallets and fencing that my neighbors place on the curb. To date, I’ve made two Adirondack chairs, a porch swing and countless planters from rescued wood. On the flipside, I needed to purchase updated tools after attempting to repair my circular saw. Don’t ask. Just know I still have 10 fingers.
Did I mention my plumbing expertise? Toilets and sinks are easy to fix. The bathroom shower leak behind the wall was not. I managed to turn a slow drip into a gusher. Yes, I did know where the shutoff valve was located, and probably should have used that knowledge prior to undertaking the task. We hired someone to repair the downstairs ceiling, although I repainted the plaster and new drywall to save a few bucks.
My wife thinks I try to reuse just about everything. I was driving yesterday, and accidently cut off another driver. He gave me the finger. I took it, and saved it for use at a later time. For my actions, my wife gave me the evil eye. That was another gift worth keeping and reusing, although I will have to hide it from her for the time being.
Am I frugal? Am I cheap? It is indeed a fine line. I’m comfortable being labeled as either. By saving a penny here and there, it has allowed me to be generous in multiple other avenues of life. Like emergency calls to plumbers.
Jeffrey K. Actor, PhD, was a professor at a major medical school in Houston for more than 25 years, serving as an academic researcher with interests in how immune responses function to fight pathogenic diseases. Jeff’s retirement goals are to write short science fiction stories, volunteer in the community and spend time in his garden. Check out his earlier articles.
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We fill our chest freezer each year with dozens of freezer ZipLocs full of fruit. Damn right I rinse them if they don’t have holes. [Also, use the large yogurt containers for plants.]
Glad to hear there are others like me. I keep walking around the house switching off lights in rooms no one is using. I would be happy to pay someone to fix things if they would charge a reasonable rate ($60/hour or less). Everyone seems to want to get $115 or more and then they don’t do the greatest job either.
Add me to the list of commentors who wash their ZipLoc bags. But rather than kitchen use, mine go to the garage. You know how you might need 3 or 4 of a certain screw so you buy a package of 10 at a big-box store? Those little packages never seal back up right so some of the remaining screws fall out. Solution? Reuse one of my second-use ZipLocs to keep them all separated.
David – Great suggestion, especially since my kids say that saving the baggies is because I must have a screw loose….
The teaser for this article talked about the baggies, which I totally do. My sister got me on that habit back when I was in college. I do not try to repair a lot of things myself. I do save many things that probably should be pitched – any box, little pieces of wood, you name it. It’s less about saving money than a hate of wasting things – because we might need those things “someday.”
You would be surprised at the number of theoretical uses for scraps of wood. I once made a wooden box out of scraps, so that I could store more scraps of wood….
“ In my defense, the problem was with the motherboard, and not a mechanical issue“
Jeff, you haven’t heard of CircuitBoardMedics.com?? Send in your broken circuit board and they send you back a refurbished board. I fixed our washing machine with this. 🤓
I too wash our freezer bags, not for thrift, but for environmental reasons.
Over the past few years motherboards, which often pose a vexing conundrum, have cost me a dishwasher and clothes washer. Thanks for the tip on CircuitBoardMedics.com.
Ditto on the thanks for the motherboard site!
Jeff – enjoyed your DIY article about me. I wrote the same DIY article a year ago, but could never cleverly finish it because the failures seemingly outweighed the successes. I don’t know how I even survived in the pre-youtube video era.
Thanks John. I really enjoy your views on a myriad of topics.
We wash baggies, too, AND reuse plastic food containers. As far as home repairs, I’m only allowed to work outdoors. Divorce is expensive.
I too like to do a lot of repairs to save money. I even finished the basement at my prior house some 30 years ago. The degree of difficulty and complexity helps me to decide when outside help is needed. I know defining this is different for each of us. When taking on a project, I think of this line from Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry in Magnum Force, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
P.S., I am an investment advisor and not in the trades. I just enjoy doing this kind of house work (within limits).
George – I am jealous that you were able to finish the basement, even if it was many years ago. I’ve only been given permission to attempt smaller projects. It seems my wife knows my limitations better than I do!
Jeff, this year I doubled down on reusing Ziploc bags. I realized that 90% of them were perfectly fine as-is after one use. Haven’t advanced to washing them, however, and bags that held chicken are still one-time use.
We really like the silicone baggies. Dishwasher friendly too!
I got rid of the DIY “bug” when we downsized to a much smaller residence.
No room for my workbench 🙁
I can still use super or gorilla glue when appropriate but anything beyond changing light bulbs is done by experts.
Instead … I concentrate on spoiling my grandchildren.
Fun article! I have never been under the illusion that I can repair anything, nor that I can mow a lawn in North Carolina without getting heat exhaustion. The whole time I owned a house I had a yard service and house cleaners, and I was eventually on first name terms with a local handyman. Now I have moved to a CCRC I can heave a sigh of relief and leave all that stuff to others more competent to handle it.
Jeff, you are too funny! And listen, LOTS of people wash ZipLoc bags, but only the heavier freezer bags, not the thin ones. I’ve been washing and reusing them as long as they’ve been around – and have passed the habit to kids and now grandchildren. As far as DIY home repairs, I limit myself to what can be fixed with a screwdriver. I appreciate your anecdote about re-using wood. When I replaced a ragged wooden fence in back of my house, a local handyman asked if he could have the discarded lumber. Came with his truck, took it to his home a couple blocks away, fixed it up and installed it in the same place on his property where I had it on mine. He had the tools and know-how to make it look great again (and gave me a big discount when I hired him to paint my newly finished basement). He also gave me painting advice, such that I can now paint old furniture and do touch-ups with pretty good results, thus saving me money, and him from jobs too small to be worth his time.
Linda, thanks. It is good to know I’m not alone with my recycling habits. And glad to hear that these actions can be passed to future geneations.
Did I mention my large collection of reusable plastic Coke bottles (and they come in lots of handy sizes…)?
I may be cheap at times or so i have been told, but when it comes to even the most mundane DIY, I’ll pass. I find it hard to even enter a Home Depot without shaking. What is all that stuff? I don’t even know what to call what i am looking for.
I recently learned faucets don’t have washers any longer-who knew?
I am helpless and quite enjoy being so. My family seems to like it that way too, given I almost electrocuted myself once.
Interesting. I must be “wired” differently. I seem to get the same trepidation just thinking about calling a professional fixer! Indeed, on the flip side, I can get a vicarious thrill just sitting in the Home Depot parking lot!
I’m recalling the time that I got knocked on my ass when I cut a wire on a circuit that I thought was turned off. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I guess that’s the reason electricians undergo a couple thousand hours in apprentice programs.
Dan – I can relate. I learned my electrical lessons the hard way too. It once took over 2 hours to recover feeling in my right hand after replacing a live electrical outlet!
Hey Jeff, My brother in law, who works in the construction trades taught me 2 essential lessons. Never use your hand as a hammer and never assume a wire is dead unless it’s laying on the ground and you can see both ends.
If my wife read this she would think I wrote it.
Funny….that’s just what my brother said! It seems the “frugal” gene runs in strong in our family.
Thanks for sharing. I also wasted a ton of time and money trying to fix an old dishwasher to install in my remodeled kitchen. Cleaned every nook and cranny, replaced spray arms, seals etc.. just to find it still leaked! The new one was really expensive but it it fantastic! It seems like my husband and I have just enough DIY successes to encourage us to keep trying!
Jamie – definately keep trying the DIY. Sometimes the journey far outweighs the outcome. My 50% success rate is far sweeter than all my failures combined.