How to Get Started on Becoming a DIY’er

Common DIY Resources

So you want to get started on becoming a do it yourselfer – DIY’er? The world is full of information and it’s never been easier to access than now. Anytime you’re ready to learn how to pick up a new skill, engage research mode. Since we’re being frugal here, FREE information is best but might require a little extra weeding out of the bad information and putting the pieces together from multiple sources.

Modern Resources

My first go-to’s in order of approach are: Google, YouTube, and forums. Whenever you face problem, chances are that someone out there has also encountered that very same or similar problem, asked about it, solved it, and shared that knowledge with an online community.

Of course Google has crawled all of the web and will share the top results with you. Often times more than you can possibly read.

YouTube can give you a first-hand look at how others are approaching the same project, explaining the details in a much easier to follow format than some vague line art in a service manual.

Forums on any topic are the holy grail of focused information; compiled and fact checked by other enthusiasts. There’s also a forum for just about everything out there believe it or not. I’ve been on various forums since 2007 and can’t thank my fellow contributors enough. Also every forum sends you a happy birthday email every year (reminder to unsubscribe). Shout out to my tundras.com family!

Less Modern Resources (Old Fashioned)

There’s also some less technologically advanced information sources at your disposal. Like the library; yes read a book or two! A paper copy of technical information may be even more useful during a tedious task so that you can easily go back to the greasy pages and reference what you did the night before.

Then there’s good old fashioned word of mouth. My dad didn’t have the internet but somehow he could rebuild a carburetor, build a house, and design intricate parts on paper without CAD. The best way to learn any skill is to inquire how from an expert in that field. Be careful with this one though, if you’re asking for too much information or help from someone who makes their income from this skill and you intend to get that intellectual property for free or even worse profit yourself from it, they may not be too happy with you. Consider skill sharing instead. Maybe you could help them repair their slow computer or show them how to setup a Google business page for their company in exchange for a hand and education putting new brakes on your car.

DIY Information to Avoid

While the internet has a plethora of information, that doesn’t mean it’s all factual and correct. Unfortunately there are hackjobs and scammers everywhere in life. From my experience they tend to lurk on resources that are un-moderated, under-moderated, or provide no value to the poster. Mostly Facebook groups. While there are some very helpful and knowledgeable gurus out there trying to help on FB groups, for every one of them there’s 100 idiots with an opinion. Every post ever on an off road Facebook group about what tire brand to get is simply people posting what tires they have. Or blatantly ignoring the question and responding with unhelpful “look at what I have” posts.

I would also avoid taking advice from internet forums when it’s a topic that’s over the head’s of it’s standard audience. A prime example of this is Rich Benoit posting on the Tesla forums asking advice about repairing a totaled Tesla. The “Tesla Simps” as he refers to them, adamantly supported Tesla’s decision to deny Rich’s right to repair. In reality he was only trying to help them, but was far exceeding the comfort and knowledge level of the forum in general.

It Doesn’t Always Make Sense to DIY

I know I’m supposed to be trying to convince you to do it yourself in this post, but sometimes it’s really NOT the best approach. Consider the pros and cons of the DIY lifestyle in EVERY project. It can be difficult and discouraging. It can be expensive and time consuming. You may make a mistake, or worse fail completely! Most of the time that’s just the path that must be followed to master any new skill. In other cases it just flat out isn’t worth it.

Sometimes it’s just worth it to pay the pros. Know your limits and respect them. Work your way up to the more difficult projects. I pride myself in doing all vehicle work myself. Except I will always pay someone else to do vehicle paint and body work. I’ve even gone through the process first hand a few times. I had great mentors; great enough that they taught me I don’t have the patience for it and their service is worth the expense to me!

My wife has a Cricut vinyl cutter and enjoys designing simple custom t-shirts and stickers. That’s all fine and dandy. But when she gets one of the Facebook ads for a must have t-shirt with a funny saying that’s $5, it’s 100% not worth her time and money to buy a t-shirt, design the logo, print it, weed it, and iron it on. Just buy the $5 shirt and move on. This can be difficult to explain to her customers as well.

The Choice Is Yours

In conclusion; research, research, research! Get the right tools for the job, both physical tools and skills. But more important mentally prepare, then try it! The pros usually outweigh the cons and the frugal factor is high, so there’s really no reason not to become a DIY’er.