Alvin Toffler (I think) talked about this in his book "Future Shock" written back in the 70's. As a recall the context was different but he basically said that as we neeed to do less work due to improvements in productivity, we will have time to do things for ourselves that we used to pay others to do. He called this a "prosumtion" economy vis a "consumption" economy.

Doing your own repairs and home improvements is great until you blow a knee or something. Been 14 months now waiting for a orthopedic surgeon to look at the knee and 14 months of looking at unfinished projects.

Been going John Galt ever since I realized it was way cheaper to buy my own tools and do most of the labour myself.  I'm more conscientious (and more involved) when it comes to my own stuff, and when I'm finished, I still own all these rockin' tools.

But I won't bust or pour my own concrete any more.  Been there, done that, got the easily-spasmed back to prove it.

(Well, okay, I'll still pour self-leveling compound — at least you don't normally have to trowel that stuff...)

Garth

I have no problem with installing anything, be it a thermostat or a 1100 hp motor, however when it comes to installing things that burn or may burn in my house, I prefer to contract the job out. I like the idea that if something should f%$kup, my insurance carrier will have no choice but to pay up or in a worse case senario the final liability will not end with me. CYA.

It is amazing how many people are totally useless outside of whatever narrow scope their own professions require. Anything mechanical or technical is mystery. In schools nowadays shop tades (if even offered) along with sciences and maths are for the knuckle-draggers and the nerds.

In keeping with Kate's 'farmers' remark ... As we became less agrarian we no longer needed all the skills required to keep a home and hearth going. We have become too reliant on others and most on carnivorous government agencies who devour citizen spirit.

I try to be as self-reliant as I can be. When there is something that I cannot do, or prefer not to do, I look for a cash entrepreneur who passes on his tax savings to the customer.

If tax levels were reasonable and if governments were actually responsibly working in the BEST interests of their constituents most would be more than willing to chip in so we can have the services that only our collective efforts can provide. However, that is were anything 'collective' should end.

As far as macho goes, I have noted that most women seem to want men who are little more than women with dicks. That doesn't help.

I haven't kept up with the relevant tax laws, but I used to do tax returns for farmers in the 70's. At the time, farmers had to include the value of any livestock they slaughtered, or crops they grew, for personal consumption, even if it was in their own private garden. I don't recall hearing of anyone who was audited for this, but I did hear of farmers who wouldn't report the birth of one or two calves so they could raise them for meat under the radar. (The government used to track the size of your herd; again, don't know if this is still true.)

Just one point for myself going galt i was poor growing up ,so i have alway's had to go galt lol.

And yes my grandparent's were farmers and i thought everyone did there own maintenance and repairs it is all i have ever done ,it is all i have ever known . We couldn't afford the auto shops ,or firplace instalation companies .

Paul in calgary.

Paul in clagary

I've been Galting for hat will be 2 years, in December. Lately, the current economic mess has made it close to impossible to pick up the (taxable) part time work that I relied upon to pay the basic bills. I figured out I could live on less than $25K, so why pay the taxes on significantly more? I was working enormous hours, just because I enjoyed working, but the money I earned just disappeared in taxes and lost free time.

However, even at my most cynical, I would never have believed that the political class would actually just destroy the economy.

The truth is, I am now going to have to go find a job, as all of my part time work (the equivalent of the author's dance classes), has dried up. Even the credit cards (two different companies), I formerly used to finance my part time jobs have all been cancelled by the issuers in the past two weeks; not because I was behind in payments, or because I was over my limits, but because they have noticed the change in my status as a formerly well-paid employee and they consider me a greater risk, now!

I can't blame them, in these times. Still, this will not be an easy re-adjustment, this becoming an employee again thing. I liked remodeling my girlfriend's bathroom and tinkering on cars and boats.

Sorry to be lengthy, here, but I just thought I would post some relevant observations.

While I greatly admire self-reliant folks, I have some reservations about self-sufficiency, in extremis. After all, in addition to the spontaneous invention of money, the division of labour is probably the most important factor in our prosperity.

Farmers, self-reliant? With those massive government subsidies? Aren't an awful lot of farmers farming due to these subsidies? Should be be any more against the destruction of uneconomic small farms than we are against the destruction of small mom and pop shops by WalMart?

As Paul points out his family was self-sufficient out of necessity, viz. poverty.

I pay my car mechanics cash. I have had lots of renovation work done to 2 houses over the last few years. Payed cash. Any extra work outside of my day job. Cash. New furnace. Cash. Plus I barter for work whenever possible.

I stopped donating blood. I tore up my organ donor card. I bet if every white male in Canada stopped donating blood, affirmative action would stop immediately. Then again they tell me I have a bad attitude.

Don't care.

I've met a lot of people like that and most of them weren't farmers. It's a way of life and a powerful drive for some people. I'm sure as hell not one of them, although I manage to keep my car, guitar amplifiers (tube)and computer working without much allegedly professional help.

I have always done car repairs and home maintenance myself. Saves a lot of money and taxes. Besides, I know how the job was done. I find that the Auto Industry, particularly the Japanese companies, seem to try to thwart this. A Japanese car is a wonder until you have to have it fixed. Parts are 3-6 times more expensive than a Chev and often require very pricy special tools made only for that particular brand.

Recently did the same thing my self. New 60 gallon hot water tank and 2 stage condensing gas furnace. $2500 installed.

That's about $8K the government doesn't get to tax, not to mention the $250 rebate they owe me for the furnace.

Life can be damn good when you want it to be....

gord @5:12 - ummmm.... what's the connection between blood donation and affirmative action?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I just don't understand.

an amazing amount of labor us plumbers/gasfitters/tinsmiths save, when we work on the side...

Black Mamba "what's the connection between blood donation and affirmative action?"

In a nutshell it would be. "you don't want me in your club, don't expect me to pay dues let alone volunteer for anything."

Most clubs survive by dues and people volunteering to survive. Most clubs do lots of charity work and are generally good community people as well. If I can't be a member of the club anymore I'm going to stop paying dues and volunteering for the club. My time and money is better spent elsewhere.

I'll donate blood again when the government considers me an equal person under the law. If 60% of the population did this the Charter would be torn up tomorrow.

I think Gord may have a good point, although I'm not quite sure where he's going with this.
Gord, can you elucidate a bit more on this?

"I think Gord may have a good point, although I'm not quite sure where he's going with this."

I don't have a well thought out plan here. Just throwing an idea out there. It's just the principal idea behind "going Galt" and the concept of "unintended consequences". Marginalized people stop contributing. What happens if things get a bit extreme? What would happen if people stopped donating blood because they were being marginalized because of their race? You would have the Memphis bus strike, the Woolworths boycott and the Coke boycott all rolled into one but with thousands of dead people. After some finger pointing someone is going to raise their hand and say, "Maybe affirmative action isn't needed anymore" and a whole bunch of people would agree with them.

Sorry for the morbid topic by the way. I just see it as the natural progression of what's going on.

Farmers, or smart farmers at least, these days are running business. The romantic idea of farming is long, long gone. Are farmers inventive and independent and creative? Absolutely. But comparing a modern farm to "John Galt" reveals a profound lack of knowledge and understanding.

A farmer who removes himself from modern commerce isn't going to be a farmer for long.

The problem with "going Galt" is that the lawyers and insurance companies are taking over the planet.

I have a hardwood flooring business and know from experience that I best not attach a dishwasher or fridge/icemaker/waterline or toilet because if there is ever a leak, the first thing that is asked by the insurance co. is who did the installation? Regardless of how well I did the job, I get pinned with the costs and I have to pay. Can't afford to start replacing people's houses when a plumber at $75-100 places the repairs in their court.

Well worth the cost. Penny wise...pound foolish!!

That's why I got out of doing home renos glacierman. I never, ever had a problem, but I count myself as lucky.

I wonder how much I would get if I sued myself?

I am an accountant. I have done personal income tax returns for many people who we in the profession call T4 slaves; their income is from employment which issues a T4, maybe a bit of T5 bank interest, a RRSP contribution and some charitable donations. Their tax retun takes me 20 minutes (5 for keying in the personal information, 5 for the actual tax data, 5 for printing the return and 5 minutes for collating the documents). They are not stupid people and could easily do it themselves but they pay me $75 to do it. Why? They would spend three hours doing it and still worry they did something wrong. As far as they are concerned, I'm getting $75/3 or $25/hour. That is less then they are paid per hour so they are happy.

It's call comparative advantage. I used to do my own automobile maintenance when it was a carburated push rod Detroit V8. Now, I'll still change the air filtre but everything else is too hard to reach in the shoehorned engine compartment, you need special tools for everything and the tolerences are so tight, I will spend hours trying to get the spark plus back in. I take it to a mechanic.

BTW there is an interesting party game where one pretends they have been time travelled back to 14th century England and, given good health (e.g. no need for medications or eyeglasses)and the players must determine how they will earn a living. As most of us have no idea how to hitch a team of horses (or even ride a horse)or farm with 14th century tools, one ends up making a living as a scribe as reading and writing is the only real 14th century skill we have.

Momar - I resent being called "useless"; does hanging a picture count? The fact that I've lost my email provider and had to go to another doesn't mean I'm useless technically; does it?

Norm said "I take it to a mechanic."

Find a mechanic who needs an accountant and you'll never pay for car repairs again.

I do virtually all my own renovation work plus for others in the grapevine for pay.

I just put a huge double paned window almost 10 feet across and over 5 feet high. musta weighed 300 +/- pounds.

I also smashed a big pile of brick on friday which I will put under some cobblestones at my curbside in hopes of keeping the weeds down this time.

I find oftentimes buying the tools to do the job costs as much as paying someone else BUT next time I ever do the same thing
- I have the experience and can do it faster.
- I have the tools and can save a bundle
- if done for pay the tools pay for themselves

etc etc

way too many 'all thumbs' wusses out there pathologically afraid of taking so much as the baby steps fixing things. but then again some just dont have the instinct for it.

also, Ive thought about the liability angle.

my sol'n is to do everything on a cash only basis.

NO documentation ergo NO proof you did a blessed thing. if the insurance co. attempts to finger me for something I didn't do, I just deny it all and demand proof that the screw up was my doing.

where does it go from there? civil court? good!!! then I get them to pay my costs as well when the suit fails miserably for lack of PROOF.

also if I am suspicious about something I wont go near it. I have a brother in the plumbing business who has done that, turned down jobs because they didnt feel right. and the sheisters he's had to deal with. one dude tried to 'renegotiate' the price of a job based on the fact the apprentice used a wee bit more solder on the joints than required. his sol'n? since the customer wouldn't pay for the job he proceeded to CUT ALL THE PIPE OUT that was just installed. under pressure no less. cops and all kinds of fussing about but he made his point. the customer wound up paying MORE for the job elsewhere than my brother was charging him. no word if said customer ever tried again to 'renegotiate' a fee after the fact.

Hahahaha

good laff in here,as I see many who do their own repairs. And yes I also do my own, and others, as I started working as a handiman several years ago because I got "sick" of having to deal with used car sales idiots, got sick of paying a mechanic to do questionable work (most are butchers), got sick of paying trades people rightious bucks for doing things that just about anyone can learn, and I was more than sick of "bosses" who knew sweetf**k all telling you what to do, now I just work as I please and never have to advertise or look for work, it comes to me at a rate greater than I can deal with:-)))))

Why I took early retirement. I do my own taxes so I know how much tax I pay. I felt I was earning other people's cheques and getting the aggro though they had to deal with their own self respect problems. I get less than half of what I used to earn and can still pay my daughter's tuition and room and board although it is a lot tougher. I always led a simple life and what I have is paid for. Some things I can do for myself and other things I know my limits and hire people with insurance. I still pay taxes but not as much and my mind is a lot quieter. I thought I would always work, I would go nuts if I didn't. Now I feel no need and read a book until the feeling passes. The ironic thing is occasionally I had to repair instruments that cost more than what I would have earned in ten years but my car is over my head.

Norm;

Maybe go back to a "carburated push-rod Detroit V8"

Mine pushes 300hp, and gets 24 mpg if I drive nice. It was cheap to buy, I fix everything myself, and that makes up for the fuel economy and then some!
Further, the independence from computerized mechanic shops is great!
If I wreck it, the insurance lets me build another one, usually at a profit.

I was poor yes but i was also humble and being humble is also what helped me be happy to be galt like .

I learned alot about myself and the thing's i was fixing and repairing ,I personally think that self reliance is the only way to go i learned it out of necessity. I am kinda on the fence about people who bring there own car's in and all of that , alot of it has to do with convienience .

Not alot of people have the tool's required to replace a cpu chip in a 2006 corrolla ,witch requires a totally different tool than repalcing the cpu in a 1994 ford explorer.

I support both but unfortunatley we don't all have the tools,or the space,or patience or all three ,but in replacment of those most who don't have either of those have the money to pay someone to do it for them . That deosn't make you lazy,or a govornment slave.

There are some, actually most thing's we can do ourselves and i am all for it if you can save a buck by doing it yourself great.I support that just as much as i support someone comming over to my place and paying me in cash or beer and pizza to fix there car /boat or what ever it deson't mean that that person is lazy or stupid or anyof that .

Some people don't have the patience to fix there own cars but they can and will go and dig and pour there own foundations ,cribbing and all .

This is what makes us all different but humannon thel ess,being able to recognize our stregth's and weakensses and calling on our brothers and sisters to help us where required is not dumb ,stupid or qualify you as a tax paying govornment slave .

This personal opinion is directly and only related to the galt thing ,not socialised medicine ,or socilaism or any of that crap .

I like learning and anytime i can learn something i become richer in some way.

My children will learn the same way i did with humbleness ,and eagerness.

Self reliance is alway's key , i think it is great if people are self sufficicient , but those of us who livei n downtown calgary making 400k a year are compensated for the lack of space and tools right ,they don't have a garden or a machine shop at the ready. Myself i will take the farm and machine shop anyday over a 400k a year salary living in a high rise apartment lol.

Anyway the d,i,y people will alway's be ahead of the people who pay for services simply because they gain knowlwdge but that deosn't mean that people who higher others to do the owrk are dumb ,usless or ,lazy. they just may not want the "burden" ,or they may not have the time .

I find most people that pay for stuff ,be it land scaping or auto repair are either very busy and make alot of money, or just lack the patience or knowledge of that specific thing ,as well maybe THEY don't trust themsleves ,witch is admirable.

I would love to see any of you guy's fix and or repair your own airplane by reading about it online and then fly in that plane ...lol. I am an aircraft structural engineer and i have flown all over the world to fix other peoples problem's and Everyone is happy to see me come repair there aircraft as doing it yourself 90% of the time result's in either a crash or death that is a risk most do not want to take .

knowledge is power .
but knowledge ,with some self reliance is even better.

i could go on for day's about this buti will end it here .

Paul in calgary.

MAD MIKE

Tell me more about this rebuilding a v8 and insurance and all of that i never herd of that . i am interested i would like to do my own diesel and makei t get around 800hp. is thta possible and if i blow it up will it be insured.

I am reallyi nterested in this and i will only buy old vehicles pre 75 now for that exact reason so easy to work on .

KevinB at 4:49 p.m.

There is no more flying under the radar with bovines in this country since mad cow happened.
They know the happenings of every bovine as it has to have a radio tag in its ear to move off the farm property. The cute little leftist term they use to describe it is "traceability"...all for the public safety don't-ya-know...more like the mad tax man if you ask me.

Are we calling it "going Galt" now? Around here we used to just call it "being poor".

Two things I don't service myself, anything to do with gas/propane, and anything really expensive I've never seen the insides of before. If it can blow up, burn down or otherwise destroy the house, I let the licensed, insured repair dude do it. Its cheaper.

Always use the right tool for the job. The right tool to repair a potentially explosive appliance is a gas technician.

For everything else, I have air tools, welder and gas wrench. Also a really nice table saw :)

Precisely who owned the land on which the Captain foraged for "free" wood and why did the Captain think it was "free" if someone else owned the land?

And yes, this is part of the reason why a lot of conservatives have problems with Randians.

For the record. Most certified, licensed and insured repair guys work for cash when possible. You are completely safe when it comes to insurance claims etc. Just don't hire unqualified people.

Small businesses are taxed to death so I have no problem dealing in cash with them. Say I want a tuneup. I pay the guy $80. I have to pay the government $15 for the honour of paying this guy. Because of overhead this guy keeps $60. The government takes $25 in business tax off him. He pays himself the remaining $35 and the government takes of $17 in income taxes off him. I'd rather give him $60 cash. We both save money.

'do what thou wilt shall be the only law...'

John: "Precisely who owned the land on which the Captain foraged for "free" wood ... "

What makes you think he stole it? I think he's from the twin cities:

http://tinyurl.com/ykyswb7

http://tinyurl.com/yjsuxtp

Doing things yourself isn't merely frugal, but it helps keep you in touch with the "things" you buy for yourself.

But as technology progresses, it becomes progressively difficult to DITY. I used to do most of my own car repairs. Aside from oil changes and brake jobs, I changed a thermostat, rewired the tail lights, did a tune-up, and changed a fuel injector. (BTW, the tail lights didn't need to be re-wired. A fuse had blown. The fuse was the first thing I checked, but I didn't see a hairline fissure)

I wouldn't think of trying much of that on my current car. There are too many electronically controlled components to be tinkering around in there.

Besides, many plumbers and electricians will tell you they make the most money off of people who tried to do it themselves first. The latter often results in death. Some things are best left to experts.

That said, the layman is at the mercy of the professional. I've heard many "experts" try to talk me into work I really didn't need.

Kudos to the Captain for DITY denial of government taxes!

Yep...cash deals....get a deposit...and then regular payments BEFORE the job is done....if they balk...tell them---"I can't trust my brother---why you".
Then there is that twerp with the camera and a lawyer.....
You really have to know your client....above or below the counter.
My most recent coup occurred after the motor on a shared log splitter blew up. My bud acquired/provided a used engine off a derelict snow blower and I modified it (tapped some holes) and extended/modified the drive (the output shaft was 1" shorter). I spent the time on a lathe to do it right...it's cherry.
Heating with wood is much cheaper and very satisfying....surprising how many are fearful and inept with a chain saw----perhaps the fearful have seen the results........
But then I've seen saws that seem to have been used as roto-tillers. "It just won't cut"..."hit dirt?" "NO."....topsoil in the chain shield by the sprocket.......

Cash deals are great if you can afford the risk involved in getting caught.

My suppliers are no longer allowing the customer to buy "product" direct. The problem is that the "feds" came back at the supplier and said they were doing a yearly audit of all their accounts and sales(which they did not want the hassle of). After the customer had purchased the product, they would hire the people in my trade to do the labour, most of the time for cash. All we would do was buy the supplies needed to do the job.

The "feds" came back and said that if the suppliers were to continue to sell direct, they would audit them, and then go through every transaction and pick out the trades either buying for cash or those with numbers that were irregular with "purchases to income ratios". If what I bought through my suppliers did not match up with the "feds" formula, I would be audited as a company and they would red flag my business for the next 10 years.

I for one cannot deal with them breathing down my neck and trying to hide money and worrying about the feds raiding my bank account. Been there, bought the T.

Going above board is how I like to do the business, that way I can sleep at night.

But, I still do as much work on my house by myself, as that is truly how to save and make money for the long haul.

POW is right about the electrical stuff.

the place Im in now, EVERY time without exception, that I opened an electrical box there was *something* amiss. in fact in one room there *was no box* for the wall switch.

skill testing Q:
what does it mean to 'switch the hot' when wiring lite fixtures?

-change the bulb when it gets hot?
-trade in the hot lookin dame in the room for a frump?
-?

what it means is there are 2 wires going to the fixture, one supplies the voltage and the other provides the return portion of the circuit.

the exposed ends of these wires are the metal thread inside the lite socket and the little brass tab thing in the bottom of the socket.

you want to cut power to the fixture when you turn the wall switch off, so you put the wall switch in series with the wire carrying the voltage to the fixture.

if you put the switch on the return wire the on/off action will still happen but there is still voltage going to (but not out of) the socket. furthermore, some DIYers have the hot side of the supply going to the threaded part of the socket. oyph.

see? there are lots of ways of screwing things up and this is just regarding lite fixtures. what is the code regarding aluminum wire? what about induction that can occur when electric wires are clumped together inside the walls? can you run 220V baseboard heaters on a 110V supply? (yes, they work @ 50% efficiency) what special considerations are there?

and finally, how many lieberals does it take to screw in a lite bulb?

curious george.... not sure it will work that way for you.

Not to code... is relatively easy to prove. No inspection (which would have caught the not to code part) is relatively easy to prove (since your house/car etc would have been inspected and proved up when it was built/sold).

If the fire or whatever happens because of something involved in that. Then your paying those insurance premiums is a waste of your money. I think you need a better solution.

Always follow the building code. We are not smarter than the Code. Its code for a reason, usually the reason is some guy's house burnt down.

Have to say have seen more people get burnt by themselves trying to 'save' money and doing it themselves.
When it comes to electric, gas and wood burning, we have the experts, certified, qualified installers do those job.

We just had a new effecient wood stove installed in our basement, Pacific Energy, our cost was half of Gaults though...our motivation was after hydro 1 installed their *smart* meters and told us our winter months comsumption average, based on last winter, was about $500 per month, for a 1000 sq. ft. bungalow. !! yeah...

Propery done by someone 28 yrs in the buss. ( had to book him well in advance ) , paperwork all in order should the insurance company ask.
They did a great job too.
To date not one electic rad has had to come on in the house.

Hubby's been a do-it-yourselfer for years (self-employed photographer/web designer) -- complete home rewire (with permit & inspection), drywall, complete bathroom installation, hardwood & ceramic tile, central vac installation, etc.

The money/tax savings is part; also a quality-control issue. More than once we've paid "professionals" for inferior quality work. Plus, hubby says life is about experiences, and he loves knowing he can do all these things and do a great job at it. Plus he also does all our vacuuming! There's nothing sexier than a self-reliant man who vacuums too. ;)

John Galt - the compressed version http://www.working-minds.com/galtmini.htm