Quote Originally Posted by mklotz View Post
There are more personal advantages to making one's own tools than simply saving money.

DIY forces one to think in terms of design to solve the present problem. This is a skill that will pay off big time as one attempts to deal with bigger problems. It's a cruel teacher but learning to learn from your mistakes is an important step in improving your skills.

The self-satisfaction from DIY is probably a better boost to one's mental health than time spent with some graduate of a social ecology program at the local liberal arts college.

DIY will teach you which commercial tools you should buy and which are mere money-extractor gadgets.

There are less intellectual payoffs as well.

DIY helps to thin that heap of "it'll be useful someday" junk piling up in the corner.

Stuff you built works the way you think it should work, not the way some penny-pincher designed it for minimum cost.

Your wife won't nag you so much for spending time in the shop if you've just made her a kitchen gadget she can't buy.
I look at this post then looked at your awards rack under your name. You absolutely nailed it. What a wonderful post. You’re worth your weight in gold here!

Problem solving has been one of the most therapeutic tools that I use for my own mental health. I started these tips because my sanity was crumbling after ‘20 and they’ve kept me healthy.