Instead of paying someone else, there are loads of different things you can do at home to save cash with the help of YouTube tutorials.
Not by choice….but I’ve watched far too many videos of grown people opening boxes of toys!
My kids love these videos; watching people play on YouTube! (You know these people get paid to do it – and lots!!)
Luckily for me, they don’t ask me to buy the stuff they watch, but I’m sure there are many parents who are sick it!
Silly unboxing videos aside, YouTube does have its uses!
I didn’t get taught much in the way of “useful” stuff in school (anyone use trigonometry in everyday life?!), and have had to learn bits along the way.
While my parents gave me a good understanding of how to change a fuse and do a few bits around the home, it’s not until you have a home that I realise how lacking in some skills I am!
This is where YouTube comes in.
YouTube has loads of videos showing you how to do things. This could be anything from things you might not use every day, like how to put on Halloween makeup, to some really useful lessons to save money in life.
I’m not the only one using these videos – thousands upon thousands, and even millions, of people, are watching these videos to help save the need to call in an expert to do the job.
Here are some examples
How to cut your own hair
Hairdressing is a skill. My niece (*hello if you’re reading*) is a very good hairdresser and spent years in college learning the art. However, with a quick watch of a video, you could cut your own hair too!
You could look to save £30 a time!
Over 18 million people have watched this so there’s obviously a need! Would you give it a go?
How to stop a dripping tap
Drip, drip, drip!
In the day when the kids are running around, a drippy tap just disappears into background noise. But when all is quiet, the sound of drips can be the loudest thing!
Instead of calling a plumber out, it can take less than 5 minutes to do the job. All you need is a little plastic washer which you can pick up for a few quid.
While you may need to buy a few tools, having them in the house will save you cash down the line. However, you may find a neighbour with some plumbing skills that will be more than happy to lend you a tool or even a hand for a quick job.
How to change the bulbs in your car
If you’ve got a light out, the police may stop you and give you notice to fix it! Instead of getting caught up with being pulled over (or even avoiding to drive at night), it’s best to just get it sorted.
Emily Woldon, a member of the Skint Dad Community Group, did just that.
She told the community:
“So another little mission completed by ‘Ms single parent kicks arse’ (aka moi).
“The headlights needed replacing and Halfords wanted £33 (including fitting). So me being tight went off to Europarts and bought the bulbs for £5.”
Then it came to becoming a DIY mechanic. She went on to say:
Emily’s hand
“Got myself on YouTube and followed the step by step guide on how to do it.
“F*%?+{~ myself over removing the battery (yep as my luck would have it every nut and bolt are all worn down and didn’t want to budge – but of course I had the lubricant handy for crap like that)
“Changed the bulbs, refitted the battery and the car decided to refuse to start saying there’s an immobiliser fault… So off I go to my dear friend Google.
“Reset the BSI and BOOM – car is working and all for £5 and a bit of elbow grease.”
Well done Emily! :)
Would you get your hands dirty?
How to ditch your gym membership
Instead of having a gym membership, or even hiring a personal trainer, there are so many videos online showing you how to get fit.
Many of them talk you through exactly what you need to do, give you times you should be aiming for and give you a bit of enthusiasm to keep at it.
Would you save around £30 a month to stretch and tone in your living room?
How to repair your keyboard
Alan Hardy, also a member of the Skint Dad Community Group, is also a bad hand at using YouTube.
He explained: “The keyboard on my laptop refused to type some 6 letters making it useless.
“I thought I was just going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. But something made me look on YouTube on my phone and I found a video showing how to replace the keyboard with the exact same model.
“A quick scour of eBay found a new replacement keyboard for £11.95. Two days later hey presto one repaired laptop.”
There are loads of different videos on YouTube with guidance on how to repair a keyboard. Each of them are very different depending on what’s gone wrong with your keyboard and what model you have.
How to hang wallpaper
Wallpaper can work out to be a cheap way to spruce up your home. While it looks good, how easy is it to hand yourself, without needed to call a decorator out.
This video explains it quite well, and shows you don’t need a load of fancy tools.
Have you hung your own before? How did it go?
Couple of tips to get things right
While watching a video is one thing, doing it yourself is another.
Have a think and:
- Make sure to fully watch the video BEFORE you start to do your task. You wouldn’t want to be half way through the video only to find you need a tool you don’t have!
- Consider if it may be worth trying to watch a few different videos to find one that suits your style. The videos above are simple and self-explanatory – to me – but they may be missing some information useful to you.
- Whether you need to call in some help from friends or family. If the job seems too big for just you, you may be able to get a spare pair of helping hands in exchange for a cuppa and a few biscuits.
- If you really don’t feel confident then don’t do it! While you could save money by doing the jobs yourself, if you make things worse it could cost you more in the long run.
The thing is, doing it yourself is more than just saving money. By repairing stuff you own around the home you’re helping out the environment too.
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I love FitnessBlender too, perfect exercise to make me feel like I’ve actually made an effort. I’ve used videos to help with learning the ukulele (although I’m still not very good!)