Hacker News Reader

Comment by uvw | Hacker News Reader

I took the first nice car I bought three years after I got my first job to the dealer to replace brakes. They charged me $550 for it. After that I taught myself how to fix things, starting with cars, plumbing, drywall, electrical and each and every thing in my daily use. I haven't paid for any repairs or upgrades to my house or my cars in over 10 years. I invested in tools and educating myself rather than pay someone else.

I can now fix anything and everything that I use daily.

View on HN

I did the complete opposite.

I paid a company to buy furniture from IKEA that I selected, deliver it, assemble it and get rid of all the cardboards and waste. I just sat there for three hours and everything was done. Best money I spent.

I also did the same while moving to a new home. I paid the mover to do everything, dismantle beds and furniture, pack everything, then assemble everything in the new property. I didn't feel the pain of moving at all.

I get that sometimes saving money and learning something new like fixing cars is a good thing. But as a 45 years old, spending money to get peace of mind and reduce stress has become the priority for me now.

I follow this as well. It's not simply peace of mind. I have books to read, videos to watch, code to write, newbies to mentor, and kids to play with. There are two days in a weekend and the worst thing I can do is something I don't enjoy, which won't improve my salary in the future.

For me it started because of money, but then it became a hobby. Besides, I can go for an oil change and have everything done for me. However, it's fun researching about different oils, finding a best price online, getting it shipped and then doing the oil change with my young kid. I consider it nice father/son activity. Having my son learn about things is a bonus.

Similarly, when I finished some unfinished part of the basement, I planned it with my kid, went to Menards to buy drywall, picked a color, painted together. He got a sense of accomplishment and so did I.

I can see your point. I’m currently fitting new doors in my house and teaching myself how to do it. It’s a pain in the backside however, but it’s satisfying and I feel a sense of pride every time I open and close the door to go to the bathroom. I did that!

Yep. I am writing code professionally for long time, so that pride and sense of accomplishment is hard to come by. But fixing anything, even small, gives me that satisfaction every time I use it.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com