This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
In the last month or so, I have found You Tube to be a great resource that has helped our save money. We started looking at videos to help us do things ourselves, rather than pay someone else to do it.
Here are actual ways I saved money with You Tube:
Resize a watch band I have a watch that I have not been able to wear because the metal band is too big for my wrist. It is one of those fun accessory watches, not an expensive one so I did not want to spend $20 to have the jewelry store resize it. I checked You Tube and found a couple of videos on how to resize a metal watch band using common household tools. All I needed were: needle nosed pliers, a push pin and a small hammer. My multi-tool came in handy. I did the instructions step by step and was able to resize the watch successfully.
Total savings: $20
Tips:
- Watch at least three videos to get the whole picture. I found that getting different perspectives help you decide the best steps to take for your needs. One video may leave out a step that ends up being valuable to you, while another one may give you yet another tip the first one didn’t cover.
- Do not try this on expensive, irreplaceable watches. I did not mind trying it on the $12 watch, since I did not want to spend $20 to get it adjusted.
- Take your time and do it step by step. Follow along the video if you have to.
Hem a pair of jeans I bought a pair of jeans at a thrift store that fit really well but were too long. The local tailor charges $15 to hem a pair pants, which would have costed more than the $5 I spent on the jeans. My Mom taught me how to shorten pant legs, but I never tried hemming jeans because I did not want to lose the stitching on the hem. I searched You Tube, found instructions on “how to hem jeans by hand while leaving the original hem” and watched a few videos that got my attention. I tried it myself. With only a basic sewing kit, I was able to shorten the jeans and keep the original hem. I was very pleased with the results.
Total savings: $15
Tips:
- If you do not know how to sew, first watch basic sewing videos and practice.
- Buy a basic sewing kit before you get started.
- Just like the watch example, I would only recommend trying this out on an inexpensive pair of pants, especially for your first time.
Cut hair Apt Prepper son got a very short haircut that requires a visit to the stylist every 2-3 weeks. I told him to try and keep it to once every six weeks, as these visits could start adding up. He watched several You Tube videos showing how to cut your own hair. He then bought a hair styling kit from Walmart for $20. Thereafter he started buzzing his hair himself and now does it on a regular basis.
Total savings: $20 a month
Tips:
- If you’ve never tried it before, don’t start cutting your own hair right before an important event or appointment such as a job interview, wedding, reunion etc. If you mess up, you will regret it. The best time to try it is during a vacation when you have no plans to go anywhere.
- Use the proper tools: only use scissors or tools that are meant for hair styling. Buying a hair styling kit is worth it.
These cost saving chores worked for us, but they may not be your preference. You may find other activities more to your liking. Your results may vary so do a lot of research before launching your DIY project. The best way to approach this is only try these projects that have minimal risk, but have maximum gain. You’ll gain some skills and save some money in the process.
© Apartment Prepper 2016
I have to admit YouTube has been a godsend for me. I have watch hundreds if not thousands of videos on how to fix and repair things. Some repairs go as planned, some do not, but I am yet to not find a video on something I need. Better yet, now that I have a Roku, I can stream YouTube right through my TV set … works great. You see all the videos you want or need on a bigger screen.
Love Youtube to learn how to do new things! Just put new brakes on my wife’s car. Wasn’t sure about one part of the procedure…Hello Youtube!
Like Mike just said…awesome to have Youtube streaming through the Roku. Where was this technology 20 or 30 years ago? Imagine having the internet when we were in high school! Of course…when you see so many kids walking around staring at their i-phones like zombies…maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t have it!
Hey DP – I know what you mean, when I was in school had to use the library for research-now it’s at the tip of our fingers. We had to memorize a lot more too! Thanks for the comment.
Hi Mike the Gardener, I’m with you -since getting the Roku it’s great to be able to stream YouTube onto the TV. It takes a bit to weed through the better how to or repair videos but it’s worth it. Thanks for the comment.
Repaired the washing machine and replace the bulb in the headlights with You Tube tutorials. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find good videos, but it’s worth it. Tutorial saved us buying another washer.
A good tip is if you’re having problems with a specific item search [company name and model] and one or 2 key words and you’ll find tutorials from the company or someone who had the same problem and found a solution.
Hi Sarah, Thanks for the tip!
YouTube is an awesome resource, no doubt. My husband and I have used it for so many things. Changing the furl filter in my car and how to change spark plugs as well as other home repairs. My guy has been cutting my hair since shortly after we started dating with fantastic results (and free for me) but when I wanted to buy clippers and do my children, YouTube was a great resource. We watched about a dozen together and results were better than the barbershop. When I started seeing silver streaks in my locks, I checked YouTube for my guy to help me do the color. Great info on avoiding box dyes as they not only destroy your hair, but cause cancer. We went with henna and the results were great. I posted pics on Facebook and my friends gave rave reviews as well as in person. Having my guy cut and color my hair saves me over $1200 a year, with the children’s haircuts plus transportation costs, tip, etc. it is close to $1700. I have even gotten my guy to braid my hair. French, Dutch, fishtail, and variations on these. Looking better than ever and saving big dollars.
Hi Cheryl, That is great, you are saving a lot of $ coloring and cutting hair yourselves. Colorists charge a lot, and you may or may not get the color you want. Thanks for sharing!
It is a great skill to learn and be able to do at home. My neighbor stopped by just before Thanksgiving to chat just as my guy had me caped and was starting the sectioning to pin up my hair, I prefer one on one time for it, but we had things to do that day, so I told him to continue. She watched as he did the sectioning, trimming on my hair. She commented that my hair was getting quite long and he wasn’t taking off much. I told her I only wanted a dusting as I want my hair longer. He then repeated the sectioning and applied the henna to my roots. My neighbor had worked in a salon and she complimented him on doing such a thorough job. She had just gotten her hair trimmed and roots done during the week and she paid $130 including tip. Her hair just reaches her shoulders, while mine reaches to my elbows, so I know they would hit me with the “long hair extra” charge, so it would be closer to $200. And the fact she mentioned my hair was getting quite long and she didn’t think he was taking off very much reminded me of the many times the stylists would cut off more than I asked, and I was glad it was my guy wielding the shears and not a scissor happy stylist. The thought of spending $200 every six weeks is something I could not afford, and it made me even more thankful my guy is not only willing, but is very detailed in making sure he does the job right. So yes indeed DIY does save me a lot of money.
About a year ago I decided that we were no longer going to have a repair person fix anything if we could do it ourselves. You Tube has really made this possible. I’m even having Boy and Girl watch videos to see if they can fix their things before they ask me to fix something for them. Last month I regrouted the floor tiles in my shower. The total cost was about $15.00 and took only a few hours total over two days. It probably would have cost hundreds if someone came over to do it for us.
What If It is Today: That is awesome you save yourself a major expense by regrouting your shower yourself! I wish I had known about this years ago!
Definitely use Youtube for auto repairs, have an Isuzu Rodeo and couldn’t figure out how to put transmission fluid in it, Youtube to the rescue. (You put it in through the bottom of the car, may that engineer be slapped with a cold fish).
Use it for firearms related stuff, learned how to spray paint my rifle, take apart a new firearm, useful modifications.
Wife couldn’t stand that I used Youtube for stuff that I didn’t know how to do, now I’ve got her hooked. 😀