Hit 50 hours on a deck rebuild and realized the 'DIY saves money' thing is kinda wrong for me

After tracking every hour and cost, I'm at over $2,500 in materials and my time. If I'd hired it out, it would've been maybe $4k, so I 'saved' $1,500 but spent a full week of my life. Anyone else do the math and feel like their time is worth more than the cash saved on a big job?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanegibson20h ago

Honestly, the hidden cost for me is the mental load. Even when I'm not working on the project, I'm stressing about the next step or a missing tool. That constant background worry for a whole week has its own price tag that never shows up in the receipts.

juliahall18h ago

Ever think that hidden cost was just being dramatic? I totally did. But @shanegibson is right, that mental load is real. I'll be trying to watch a show and my brain is just looping about the paint color I picked or if I bought enough sandpaper. It's like a second, unpaid job just worrying about the first one.