Is DIY'ing Costing You Too Much Money?
How to DIY without breaking the bank
I understand. You started out doing DIY projects with good intentions. For me, I knew I'd save loads of money by making my own laundry detergent. And, I do. Since then, I've made some wise investments in my DIY supply purchases and some not so wise ones.
Who can blame me after all? I was so excited and DIY'ing rapidly became a hobby instead of just a way to save money and eliminate a vast majority of chemicals in my family's life. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. Hobbies can be a great thing; giving one a passion for something, and serving (hopefully) a useful purpose in one's life.
Hobbies or missions (that is what I call my DIY obsession now) can also be all consuming money-drainers if you aren't careful. Admit it. You have purchased enough DIY supplies to choke a horse by now, haven't you? No? Well, if not, I'm here to make sure you don't. At least not unless you are really using all those supplies.
The trick here is this: be wise, shop with your head, don't over do it all at once, and shop around.
Be wise
Don't invest a ton of money in a single item unless you are really sure you'll use it more than once. Save the big purchases (HUGE box of baking soda, for example) for the items you already know you love and can't live without. It may sound like a great idea to buy the super-size bottle of jojoba oil because, even though you've never used it before, you have tons of DIY recipes for it! NO! Start off with a small bottle to try it.
Shop with your head
Do not shop in a DIY frenzy. You know what that feels like don't you? I sure do. You've spent the evening browsing Pinterest (LOVE Pinterest) and Google for DIY recipes. You've been making a list of items you need for different projects. Before you know it, you have 20 items on your list. Perhaps you are just starting DIY'ing. That is usually when the frenzies begin. Can you really afford all that? Is this going to save you any money in the long run? If not, is the trade-off (less chemicals, etc) worth it. If not, trim your list down.
Don't over do it all at once
I can't stress enough. Go slow. Buy the basics and slowly build up your DIY supplies. You might ask, as a new DIY'er what the basics are. There are a couple ways to go about this. One way is to buy the items most often used in DIY recipes (beauty, health, home, etc).
This list for beauty might look like this:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Coconut oil
Honey
Kitchen basics (eggs, lemons, etc.)
Shea butter
Some containers (better yet, recycle!)
A set of measuring spoons and other tools
Another way to go about this is to make a list of say, 5 recipes you want to try first. Set yourself a limit of that many and do not add any at first. Use those recipes to make your list. Try to find 5 that use similar ingredients. Then, add one a week, or one a month.
Either way, you are thinking smart this way. If you go all hog wild, you just might turn your DIY hobby/mission into a money pit, instead of a smart way to enhance your life. You really do not need every essential oil there is up front. One or two is plenty.
Shop around
This one is very important. Shopping around becomes more important once you figure out that you really like an ingredient or supply. It's okay to buy a tiny bottle of peppermint essential oil at your local health food store when you are trying it for the first time. Note ** You can find way better deals online, even at the beginning** However, did you know you can find it way cheaper at Amazon? Or, you can even search for websites specializing in essential oils. Note **Stay tuned for my resource page, coming soon**
Update 10/1/13: Visit my resource page
If you know for a fact you love baking soda. Perhaps you've seen my posts on all the uses for it. Shameless plugs here, here, and here. Or, maybe you've used it in everything from beauty, to cooking, to no-poo shampoo, etc. Should you get a little tiny box at the grocery store? No, absolutely not. Get a economy size box online or locally and save yourself some money.
Compare prices and get your money's worth. If you follow these tips, your DIY journey will be a lifelong one.
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