DIY Home Maintenance Tips | What to Youtube & What to Leave to the Professionals

Keeping up with repairs and maintenance of our homes can be costly! And the issues always arise at the worst possible times! Today we look at what the internet has to say about economical ways to tackle home repair projects, while also sharing our personal experience. We even discuss the ‘tools’ every home should have. No matter your level of ‘handiness’, frugality can intervene.

Sponsors:

CookSmarts: Not an official sponsor, but we like them! It’s a meal planning service that provides recipes, instructions, weekend prep options, and a shopping list for 4 meals per week, with dietary adjustments to meet your needs. They are offering 3 free weeks of meal plans if you sign up at frugalfriendspodcast.com/cs
Duct Tape: Not the brand, just the tape. Need a dress to wear out on the town? Make it out of duct tape. Broken pipe? Duct tape. Broken door knob? Duct tape. The most versatile maintenance and fashion product on the market.

What the Internet has to say:
This article from life hacker lists common home repairs that most people could tackle themselves. From clogged garbage disposals to jammed windows, they provide a pep talk convincing you that you’re capable along with video links to show you how!

What Jen and Jill have to say:
We like this list because these are our most common problems!
Finding video tutorials for the issue you are experiencing is the best way to cut costs on repairs. Oftentimes it is very possible to fix minor issues yourself!

What the Internet has to say:
This article, also from life hacker, provides a guide on building a toolbox to meet your home maintenance needs. From basic to pro, there are some great suggestions!

What Jen and Jill have to say:
Our biggest take-away is organization! DIY repairs and home maintenance will seem all the more overwhelming if you can’t find your tools - and definitely not cost effective if you end up just buying new every time!

Tools we like = duct tape, lighter fluid (ok, maybe that’s not a tool), hammer, POWER DRILL!
Tools we laugh at = level

We agree with the list of ‘non-essentials’ but helpful items including: safety goggles, work gloves, rags, pencil, superglue, and WD-40.
Pawn shops are great for finding cheap tools

Cheapskate toolbox: vice grip, WD-40 and duct tape, multitool, pliers, ruler, several screwdrivers, scissors
You don’t need a shed full of tools to get the job done!

BILL OF THE WEEK - If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill

Thank you Leah for your bill of the week! Jill genuinely thought this was the sweetest most adorable thing she’s heard all week. Thanks for your genius!

Bonus Internet Find:

This article from Hub Your Home lists projects you should NOT tackle yourself. Call in the professionals for these! Know your limit and learn from the show ‘home improvements’ - it will only benefit your relationship with housemates!

• Electrical work
• Garage door repair
• Roof repair
• Tree removal
• Crown molding

Frugal Friends Book Club

We are reading “Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez in the month of October

If you want a free copy of next month’s book, we are giving away 1 book for every 5 reviews we get this month, no limit!
To enter, leave us a review on your podcast listening device (not just itunes) screenshot the review and send it to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com
We’ll select the winners for this book at the end of the day September 30th.
Thank you so much for hanging out with us today! Hit the subscribe button wherever you’re listening to this episode and we’ll come at you every Friday with more frugal goodness. Until next week!