Is DIY Worth It? | brokeGIRLrich
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to furnish my apartment in a financially responsible manner.
Overall I’d call the resolution a success, but while I was working on it, I became a little too addicted to DIY blogs. There are some brilliant, skilled folks out there making magic happen that costs them next to nothing – ReFashionista comes to mind immediately.
And then there are the common folk.
They read these blogs and think “that doesn’t look too difficult.” They develop painful additions to Pinterest and start boards like Awesome DIYs (which you should follow… cough, cough).
How do I know of these people?
Because I am one.
Fortunately, 85% of my apartment is furnished with grandmother-ly hand me downs. The only thing left to do really was tackle the bare walls.
I’d been dragging around a picture frame for ages that I’d intended to hang up on the train but realized if it fell down (because train rides can be pretty jerky), it might kill me. So I nixed that, dragged it back to my parents and decided I would save it till I had a normal person’s apartment.
Other than that though, I had nada. I contemplated a big mirror. Or some large print from sites like Fab or Anthropologie. Since I’m not independently wealthy or willing to sell a kidney, both of those were out.
I became borderline obsessed with Etsy. Dandelion seed wall decals? Yes, please. The Little Prince book wall art? Incredible. Wanderlust art? I like half her frickin wall art quotes AND I’ve got actual wanderlust.
Still outside my budget.
And then there was Pinterest. Which convinced me that, yes, of course, I can make gorgeous wall art at a fraction of those prices too!
So I scoured and scoured and realized I really like those simple quote looks and vintage-y prints.
And I went to Michael’s and bought a package of canvas, some paint, vinyl letters, some scrap book paper, 3 simple mattes, and a few paint pens.
$45 later, I could’ve bought Little Prince book wall art.
OK, so not super budget friendly. And nefarious too, because it seems way cheaper than it is until you get to the till.
None the less, $45 isn’t completely unreasonable for some wall art and I bought a package of 5 canvases, so I totally had a plan to spruce up the wall.
Until I learned that the vinyl letters were crap, didn’t stick and flew right off when I added the spray paint layer to my nifty quote art work.
And that simple, thrifty and gorgeous use of scrapbook paper as wall art actually looks pretty cheesy. And definitely like scrapbook paper tacked onto my wall.
So apparently, the costs on Etsy are totally justified because to make all these things not look like crap, you not only need skill, but the right tools.
Honestly, I probably could’ve achieved a similar effect with a little patience in thrift stores for half the cost.
Chalk it up to a learning experience.
Oh, and apparently I’m not alone since there is an incredibly amusing website about Pinterest fails… it comforts me.
Oh, I’ve been there! The husband loves to make fun of my Pinterest fails. And Michael’s can rob you without you even realizing it. I’m always shocked when I get to the counter. I’m with you… pay the artists because they’ve got skill. But if you’re still addicted to diy blogs, Just A Girl and Her Blog is like crack.
femmefrugality recently posted…The Best Place to Book Hotels for Cheap
Ha! I LOVE the Pinterest fails site, because I have definitely failed epically with Pinterest. I have realized that I can handle the cooking and recipe aspect of Pinterest, but when it comes to craftiness, I have ZERO abilities in that area. I have spent more money trying to get a cheap DIY look than I should, so I have just stopped and admitted that I can’t be perfect at everything. 🙂
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Beware of the Cute
I’m not bad at craftiness… but I’m kind of cheap. So if I’m buying the supplies myself, I totally pick the cheapest stuff… and then realize why it’s so cheap. I think the only way DIY really starts to be inexpensive is if you’re buying the supplies in bulk.
Oh, no!
I have been a DIY girl for as long as I can remember, but I am pretty cheap. The main thing I have learned over the years, is that you definitely have to choose what to DIY and what not to. A lot of the DIYs I do are things that I happen to have supplies for or came across at a great deal, or bigger things that I know I can do myself and really save on.
Thanks so much for linking up to WYWW!
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Our new apartment still has the majority of it’s walls bare. I look at them from time to time but then another 10 thoughts creep in and I forget to deal with them. I don’t consider myself very crafty or an artisan at all so I prefer to buy other people’s work.
My view of DIY is it’s a set of learned skills just like our day jobs. It takes the investment of time (and money) to gain the ability to churn out professional looking results. What pinterest normally does not show is all the failures. I’d treat DIY projects as a hobby rather than a means to save money, especially if you have to build skills from the ground up.
A few years ago I built my own bookshelf. I had enough existing basic skills with woodworking so it turned out well enough. Still, counting up the cost of materials and my time invested it would have been cheaper to hit up a yard sale. Fortunately for me it’s the type of thing I enjoy doing so the added monetary cost is offset by my own personal value. 🙂
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It’s true – if it’s a labor of love, it’s way more worth it.
I am not creative at all. DIY is usually just a waste of money and time for me sadly 🙁
Usually I start off well, but then I usually get frustrated and tired of spending so much time on a DIY project.
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When I was making the “when nothing goes right, go left” sign and it started getting all jacked up, I knew I should start over at one point… I would’ve if it were a prop for a show or something, but I just couldn’t be bothered. I was like… there’s got to a quick and easy way to fix this… there never is.
OH! So true! I can’t even go in Michael’s anymore, it is just too expensive. I’m also horrible (truly terrible) at arts and/or crafts of any kind. Most of my wall art is from flea markets, antique malls, and Craigslist.
I never do DIY. First of all, I am not crafty. Second of all, I KNOW I will suck at making anything that professionals can do better. They have (as you said) the tools, the equipment and most of all, the volume. To be able to make these items for a low cost (relatively low), you need to sell and make a lot. If you only need one, it’s better just to buy it.
save. spend. splurge. recently posted…August 2014 Budget Roundup = $227,956.49 or a decrease of $4837.75 or -2.08%
I totally get what you mean. I’m not very crafty but totally get suckered in to the things I see on Pinterest. I end up wasting a bunch of money on supplies that I will never use again.
I’m pretty useless when it comes to DIY and have found that paying someone else to do it well is worth it. I’ve found Fiverr to be a really great resource for a more budget friendly Etsy.
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…Ever Consider Churning Bank Accounts?
I never even thought of Fiverr!
Just looked at that Pinterest fail website. Sleepy-bear omelet? Why?@?@?
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted…Those Awkward Money Moments
I think “why?!?!” is the main theme of that website.
Pinterest fails are priceless! Why in the world would you make a litter box cake? When I think dessert I think cat poop.
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LOL
Sadly I have not an ounce of creative talent in me so I’ve never actually done any DIY but I know that if I did, it would end up costing me more money in the long run because I’d have to hire someone to fix my mess!
Cari @ A Thrifty Yankee recently posted…Surprise!; I Don’t Have Credit Card Debt
I love DIY, but can’t count on all my fingers the number of times I’ve tried to make a project (or recipe) and then thought to myself, “screw it” I could have just bought the damn thing and not wasted my time, energy and money. But I’ve also taken my time with certain projects and gotten pretty good (mostly through trial and error).
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True, not gonna lie, I’ve actually got another picture drying on my floor as we speak and it turned out way better than the first attempt. Although I also totally skipped any suggestions involving spray paint this time.
I’m not really a crafty person, and I always admire people who can make something out of nothing with very little cost. I like simple aesthetics though, so I’m actually content with the minimum decoration we have right now, although I sometimes like to look up those pretty rooms on Pinterest once in a while (which I know most likely not up to my skill :P).
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Yeah, some people just have an incredible eye for turning nothing into something. I had a roommate like that in college. She took $100 and decorated our entire apartment with thrift store finds and two colors of paint and it looked incredible. She’s an unbelievable wedding photographer now down in NC and when I see her pictures on Facebook, I’m never surprised.
I love DIY and can do all kinds of mechanical, plumbing, woodwork, painting, etc. but I have absolutely no eye for design. I see things and think it looks cool but I can’t come up with “cool” on my own to save myself. Whenever I have to tackle a DIY for something new to me I use YouTube. Its amazing how many people take the time to video document the most specialized and mundane of projects. Just call me design challenged.
LeisureFreak Tommy recently posted…Only Suckers Save for Retirement
YouTube is an incredible resource for learning how to DIY things.
This is funny. I totally know what you mean and I feel the same way. I have boards for DIY stuff, but I haven’t been in the position to try any of it. I guess when I really need to start getting some ideas, I might find myself down the same path as you! I don’t think I’m particularly crafty and you are right. DIY stuff seems to take some practice and effort to become good at. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us at the Creative Style Linkup!
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As I was reading all I could think was “should have gone to a charity/thrift shop!” but I see you realised that too!
The trouble with DIY is that to be affordable you do need to search out the bargains and either plan ahead or wait till you find something just right. It’s not like popping to the shop and choosing something lovely that is just perfect, unless you want to pay a lot (as you discovered)
I am sad when people don’t think they can make stuff, I guess because I enjoy it so much I think everyone else should too. I love the feeling of having created something myself but I guess different people have different skills. I do have my fair share of fails though, I had to bin a batch of cakes just this morning, they were just about ok straight from the oven but got more inedible as they cooled till no-one in the house could eat them – what a waste of time, ingredients and electricity!
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We live and we learn. That bites about the cakes.
I had a similar experience last year when making an ornament wreath as a Christmas present for my in-laws. While the end result was beautiful, and I had fun making it, I made a few costly mistakes at the beginning. I bought too large of a wreath from, and I didn’t paint it or wrap it in ribbon first. So I ended up spending WAY more money on ornaments because I needed so much more than expected for the large wreath and to cover any gap that showed the white wreath from. In the end, I could have bought them an ornament wreath for the same cost.
BUT I enjoyed making it, and it looked really really good. Learning from my mistakes, I bought a bunch of cheap ornaments on clearance after Christmas. Next month I’ll get a smaller wreath frame, wrap it in ribbon first, and then make a wreath for my husband and me. THAT will actually be cheaper than buying it. 🙂
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One of my goals in life is to be a DIY girl. But I did try to make a christmas candle, found on pinterest, with peppermints all the way around it. I succeeded,but not before I burned the crap out of my hand with the hot glue gun. I did succeed in making a cinnamon stick candle tho. But then after Christmas we put it in our shed, and the candies melted. Lesson learned.
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