Life is expensive. As much as it's normal to rely on other people for various services, the bills can seriously add up... and quickly too. While some things are better left to the professionals, there are some services you could bypass by learning the skills to do them yourself. It may take quite a bit of practice but in time, you'll get the hang of it... all while you save a pretty penny. There's also something incredibly liberating about being self-sufficient. There's a sense of empowerment that comes from knowing you can do something on your own that most people rely on others for. Here's a list of five useful skills you can easily pick up to save money:
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#1 Figure out how to cut your own hair
Haircuts nowadays are pricey. Men can spend upwards of $40 per cut, while women can spend over $80 per cut. Imagine all the money you'd save if you just learned to cut your own hair. Of course, this is a skill something that takes a lot of time to get comfortable with. Most people are incredibly picky with their hairstyle, plus mistakes can be difficult to hide since hair takes time to grow. But there are a lot of pros to cutting your own hair, aside from saving money: 1) you can be as diligent with your hair as you want, 2) you can take all the time you need, and 3) you don't need to visit a barber or hairstylist whenever you want a haircut. It may be helpful to build a multi-way mirror and to stick to one type of hairstyle when you're first starting out.
#2 Change your own engine oil
A statistic from AAA reports that it costs almost $9,000 to own an operate a car, and 8% of that comes from maintenance fees. While some things can only be done by an experienced mechanic, there are some maintenance tasks that you could easily pick up on and do yourself. Learning how to do an oil change is a good place to start. A simple search on YouTube will yield you handfuls of tutorial videos that can show you what to do step-by-step. You might even be able to find the exact make, model and year of your car so that the steps are specifically tailored to your car. Just make sure to read your owner's manual before jumping into it.
#3 Start doing your own taxes
Paying for someone else to do your taxes can put a big dent in your bank account. Why not do your taxes yourself? There are several programs you can use nowadays to file your taxes completely problem-free. Take TurboTax, for example. The entire process is basically fill-in-the-blanks, and there are helpful descriptions to guide you throughout. You just need to input the values into the program and it will basically do the rest for you. You can even submit your finished forms through the program itself!
#4 Learn to groom your own pet
Similar to cutting your own hair, you'll save a lot of money by learning to groom your own pet. Many of the materials you'll need for pet grooming can be found at your local Walmart or pet store, and you can get them all for pretty cheap. YouTube tutorials will serve you well while you're learning this skill as you'll be able to search up grooming tutorials for the exact breed of your dog.
#5 Pick up the basics of sewing and tailoring
Sewing and tailoring is a rapidly dying art. Usually, if we need an article of clothing fixed or altered, we'd run straight to our grandmothers, or to the local seamstress. It would be so much more convenient for you if you could do the repair yourself! Not only would you be able to save money, but you'd also save yourself the time and hassle of having to go to the seamstress and wait for her to get to your work order. Start by buying yourself a starter sewing kit and sewing books. You never know—once you get good enough, you might even want to upgrade to a sewing machine.
