Value of time

[athena53]

I don't think in terms of $$ per hour. The three major questions:

1. Am I putting myself in danger? (High ladders, complex electrical work, possibility of back injury)?

2. If I mess this up, will it cost mega-bucks for someone to undo my work and do it right?

3. Is it something I enjoy doing, or at least don't find distasteful? I don't like messing with toilet innards or anything under the hood of my car (other than adding fluids). I get frustrated if I'm trying to install something and it doesn't fit- not good at creative solutions.

I clean my own house, mow my own lawn, have painted, removed wallpaper and "popcorn" ceiling texture and have put down tile so I've saved a lot. I hire out much of the other work.

 

[marko]

Most folks aren't born handy, just willing to try things, and generalize the learning so that next time we look handier. .

Example my furnace motor. The furnance was 15 yrs old, water from AC condensor hd dripped down and killed the motor.
Looked like a new furnace was needed.
So not much risk trying to fix it, once I found out the motors are only $100.
Just labeled every wire before unplugging them, took pictures.
then unbolted the motor and bolted the new one in.
plugged back the wires and voila.

One of the more important lessons I learned along the way with broken stuff is that "you can't break it any more than it is". I give it a try and if I still can't fix it then I call an expert but most often I go for it successfully.

 

[JDARNELL]

Nope. Comparative advantage I do what I do best. Being retired. I write the check.

 

[audreyh1]

For us, the value of our time increases as our income increases.

Getting older also has something to do with it - less energy, more concern about injury.

We do stuff ourselves if it’s easy and we know how to do it. But we readily pay other folks to take care of chores.

Our time is very valuable to us even if we spend plenty of it goofing off!

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

After neighbor paid $1,700 to trim and thin his oak trees - they looked awesome and mine were now meh. Thought I would just do it myself and save the money. It took me 2 days longer and I am still very sore 3 days later although it came with a nice feeling of satisfaction. At times I was worried a bit high up in the trees with a chain saw and almost broke a window when I miscalculated where a big branch would fall.

I'm not even as worried about myself like JoeWras (although those are concerns, too), I'm more worried about killing the tree or having it grow unbalanced and split in 5-10 years. A replacement mature tree would cost more that the trimming!

 

[Teacher Terry]

I don’t want my husband doing trees either. Too much chance of something going wrong. Everything else he can do. I know there will be a day that he will be too old. Yes us wives have a club)

 

[braumeister]

Here's a simple rule, just in case someone absolutely feels they must deal with trees.

If you are using a ladder, you are doing it wrong and you may die. Period.

Excellent advice.

I know a guy who got up on a ladder to attach a bird feeder to a tree limb. So far, he has had nearly a month total in the hospital, at least three surgeries that I'm aware of, wore a back brace for many months, and still suffers pain nearly two years later. Interestingly, he's my doctor.

 

[Just_Steve]

If it's broke I fix it, if it's dirty the DW cleans it.
DW once asked me to do some house chore, I don't recall what, I handed her a pipe wrench and told her the bathroom sink drain was running slow.
She looked at me like I lost my mind.

 

[Midpack]

I'd prefer to do any repairs or work I can for myself, I pride myself on being as resourceful as possible, love to learn new things. It's not like I don't have time, so doing a calculation doesn't make any sense to me.

• My neighbor and I are the only ones on our street who still mow our own lawns. I bought a top of the line Honda mower and it paid for itself in less than one season. And the more exercise/physical activity the better while I still can.
• Until I sold our boat last winter, I did all the Spring commissioning and Fall winterization myself (with some help from DW). Most people I know paid the boat yard to do all or part of the work. DIY easily saved us $2K/yr.
• If I come up against something new, I research it and decide if I want to attempt it - but if I'm pretty sure it's over my head I am happy to pay someone to do the work. e.g. I've fixed our now 26 YO clothes washer twice thanks to YouTube. First time cost $9 in parts, second time cost $20 in parts. In both cases I was faced with replacing it so no reason not to attempt the repairs, they both turned out to be relatively easy as it appeared on YouTube.
• I also won't do anything that's unsafe, like go on the roof of our two story house, e.g. I gladly pay someone to clear out gutters every late Fall.
• If I'm convinced a pro can do something significantly better than I can, I pay a pro. e.g. I've taken on fertilizing our lawn myself several times over the years, but the results are never quite as good, so I'm back to letting a service do it.

YMMV, and that's fine!

 

[aja8888]

Two things I don't do anymore are roofs and chainsaws.

I threw my chainsaw in the trash this summer. A fall off the roof would probably break more bones than I have had repaired in my lifetime (5).

 

[TwoByFour]

1. Am I putting myself in danger? (High ladders, complex electrical work, possibility of back injury)?

A good friend of mine, 69 or so and a former house builder, so knows his way around tools and ladders, was cleaning his gutters and fell off the roof. Broke his ankle and ruptured the Achilles tendon. It took several surgeries to repair the damage but it still is not right - he used to be an avid skier but cannot do it anymore.

So I am also pretty cautious about ladders and potential for injury. I do use a chain saw a lot though. We have lots of trees that drop limbs that I need to buck up.

 

[Amethyst]

Even for things I can do well (e.g. painting) I value my time at $50/hour. It took me 10 hours to paint a small bathroom (including taping, cutting in, etc.) The contractor had quoted $450. I should have hired them.

 

[NW-Bound]

I will continue to do things that I am physically capable of. That's how I get my exercise.

I don't watch TV, but tend to spend too much time on the Internet.

 

[Walt34]

I don't do trees! I have a pole saw and will trim a low hanging, tiny caliber branch. That's it. We have a now disabled friend who was injured doing tree work. Pretty much scared me away.

<snip>

Sadly, my body is not cooperating to do the heavy stuff like I used to. I see myself hiring out a lot more. That's OK.

That's what's happening here. I don't do trees or even more than a couple steps on a ladder anymore. I was rebuilding car engines at 14 (with Dad) and I don't even change the oil on my car/truck now. I'm done crawling around under vehicles.

When the house needs painting, inside or out, I'll reluctantly hire that out but they're probably gonna hate me because I'm fussy about that. And I hire a guy to cut the grass, used to do that myself too. Fortunately we have the money to hire people to do all that stuff.

 

[HI Bill]

I'm not quite retired (planning for next year). I need to retile my patio. I'm debating whether to work an extra two days and pay someone else to do it, or to do it myself. Every time I tile a floor, my back is sore for a few days! But, I would get exercise, not have to deal with a contractor, and I'd know the job was done right.

 

[Jerry1]

Two things I don't do anymore are roofs and chainsaws.

I threw my chainsaw in the trash this summer. A fall off the roof would probably break more bones than I have had repaired in my lifetime (5).

I have a small cordless chainsaw (Ryobi), and while it still needs respect, it’s a lot more manageable than a larger gas powered one. I wouldn’t get on a ladder with it and I use it for two to three inch branches and such around the yard.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Good insight from the O.P.

I am going to try grocery delivery in the near future. Generally the delivery charge is $15. A good trade of time/money when busy.

I have gone back to doing routine auto maint, oil , filter , brakes , etc. It takes longer to drop the car off and return, or wait than I can do the work myself. I will not use the quick lube hacks. These places have proven over and over how to screw up a simple job.

The high end car dealers will pick up your car with a flatbed tow truck. and drop off a loaner no extra charge. But a $300 oil and rotation is a little out of my comfort zone.

From time to time, I have seen mobile auto maint services.Good concept. Never seen one last. Many urban cities prohibit commercial auto repairs on site except emergency work.

 

[Winemaker]

I do all the repairs for my house, mom's house, my 3 rentals, and give suggestions to siblings. I also cut the grass and do the bushes at same.

I have done trees in the past, but paid $5000 at my rental. The dead ash tree had two trunks over 75 feet high, and had to be felled on the neighbors property, because my lot wasn't that big. The $5000 included a ash tree on my neighbors property, too, but I could have done that one. I left it to the pros.

 

[Midpack]

A good friend of mine, 69 or so and a former house builder, so knows his way around tools and ladders, was cleaning his gutters and fell off the roof. Broke his ankle and ruptured the Achilles tendon. It took several surgeries to repair the damage but it still is not right - he used to be an avid skier but cannot do it anymore.

So I am also pretty cautious about ladders and potential for injury. I do use a chain saw a lot though. We have lots of trees that drop limbs that I need to buck up.

On New Years Eve many years ago we had a blizzard with well over a foot of snow. A (single) early 50’s coworker of mine, decided he needed to clear the snow off the roof of his one story house. He took a ladder up and swept snow off. While getting on the ladder to come down, he slipped and fell and landed twisted on his back on his driveway. He knew he’d done some serious damage but there was one around, it was below freezing out, so he tried to crawl back into his house (probably doing more damage by his own thinking after the fact). He yelled for help for 45 minutes before anyone heard him, and they called 911.

Despite 7 months of rehab, his back was never the same, he could barely walk. He came back to work for several months, but he was miserable, and made everyone around him miserable too. He gave up and retired before age 55, without enough funds, though SS disability helped. He was a loner in retirement and he passed away, having gained 90 pounds, at age 59.

Like many others here, that’s why I won’t do anything unsafe around the house, better safe than sorry. And I won’t hire anyone to do anything that isn’t fully insured for their line of work.

 

[Walt34]

Like many others here, that’s why I won’t do anything unsafe around the house, better safe than sorry.

That's my line of reasoning too. Even discounting humanitarian considerations I'm worth far more alive and uninjured to DW than any amount of money I could save on a DIY job. Not to mention the pain involved.

 

[Red Badger]

I have a small cordless chainsaw (Ryobi), and while it still needs respect, it’s a lot more manageable than a larger gas powered one. I wouldn’t get on a ladder with it and I use it for two to three inch branches and such around the yard.

Ladder and chainsaw guy here. Learnt my lesson. I have a cordless pole saw that I use to keep my neighbors' trees in check (I have none). Small limbs only, so I can keep my limbs.

My long ladders stay in the garage and I'm okay with that. I had a pulled hamstring and Achilles tendinitis in the last couple years. They never completely healed. It gives me an appreciation to refrain from avoidable serious injuries.

 

[mountainsoft]

My time has no value... I do absolutely everything myself unless the task requires a tool I don't have. Even then there's often alternative ways of accomplishing tasks, and if the special tool is less than what I would pay someone else I buy the tool.

We built our own house, build our own cabinets and other wood projects, fix our own cars, repair our own appliances, do our own lawn and landscaping work, cut down trees and chop firewood, you name it.

Car tires and alignments are about the only task I hire out. I also had the pro's pour the slab for our garage (six guys working their butts off, glad I outsourced that one).

Otherwise there's very little I can't figure out how to do myself and not get paid for it.

 

[FUEGO]

3. Is it something I enjoy doing, or at least don't find distasteful? I don't like messing with toilet innards or anything under the hood of my car (other than adding fluids). I get frustrated if I'm trying to install something and it doesn't fit- not good at creative solutions.

I feel like toilet innards and outtards are the sweet spot where you can still save a ton of money for not a lot of work. $10 for a fill valve replacement kit, a couple of rags, and a wrench and an hour later you've saved $150-200 vs a plumber.

Of course I get a kick out of saving $150 and doing these particular DIY tasks. But I've outsourced a lot of plumbing in the past 5 years simply because I realized I didn't enjoy all of it (like things involving blow torches, bending at weird angles, and/or lots of feces). So I pick the low hanging fruit, keep my toilet machinery up to date myself and let the pro swing the big wrenches/drain snakes.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

That's my line of reasoning too. Even discounting humanitarian considerations I'm worth far more alive and uninjured to DW than any amount of money I could save on a DIY job. Not to mention the pain involved.

But do you have life insurance?

What's the saying, something about not wanting death to be a financial incentive

 

[Starsky]

My Value of Time philosophy is dualistic:

For things I want to do, I will waste inordinate amounts of time and pay whatever it costs, "I have nothing better to do"

For things I hate to do, I will delegate as much as possible and try to give my business to people I like [who do that thing], "There are a million other things I'd rather do"

Over time, we have taken on a housekeeper, gardener, pool boy, and every type of handyperson you can think of. My car goes to the dealer for everything. Even the jobs I'd like to do are painful in old age - for me it's mostly arthritic hand issues, and protecting my fragile skin. I never have tried to quantify an hourly rate, but unless it's something I can do easily and have all the tools, I'm making the call.

'I paid my dues and I'm old, and I have the money' - It wasn't aways that way, but now it is and it feels good to keep others employed.