I never really thought about myself as a DIYer (Do It Yourself). But looking back, I guess I was. I hated spending money on ANYTHING. I still hate it. Why spend the money when you can do it yourself?
Making things yourself is better overall. It results in more healthy meals, keeping projects environmentally friendly by reusing what you have, more thoughtful gifts and more money in your bank account.
Of course, there are a lot of things you shouldn’t do on your own. Unless you have the skills to do so, fixing your own plumbing, giving yourself stitches and making your own shoes should probably be avoided. But, there are many fun things you can do yourself that will make benefit you.
Making Things Yourself
I’m going to give you some ideas by showing you some things that I make myself. These things have saved me money, have improved my health and has required me to learn some useful skills.
Hygiene Products
I am slowly coming off commercial, personal hygiene products. I stopped using deodorant, washing my face with alcohol and toothpaste. The next things to go? Shampoo, conditioner and body wash, but that’s another post for another day.
Let’s talk about how I make my own face wash. I dedicated a post and video to this a while ago. I do the oil cleansing method by putting oils directly on my face. Sounds weird? Yes, but it works. Olive oil and castor oil is cheap and the bottles last a really long time.
And, I mentioned toothpaste. I know I’m weird on this one, but I’ve been using the recipe I got off of here. I still have the ingredients that I bought over a year ago. Talk about cheap.
Gifts
Making your own gifts to give out is much more thoughtful than buying an item someone doesn’t need or won’t use. I love making my own gifts because not only does it save me a ton of money, but I can put my creativity into it. I can learn new skills. I can learn how to make things.
Making photo albums or scrapbooks for loved ones is a super treat. Not only are you reliving fun memories by making the gift, the receiver will also relive the fun memories. It’s a great thing to share.
Last Christmas, I took an old planner that I had and made gifts out of it. For every month in the planner, there was a beautiful quote. So, I trimmed the pages, framed them and handed them out.
Food
It can be fun making your own food. A lot of people don’t prioritize food. They don’t make time for it. Instead, they opt for pre-made meals and fast food. I know our lives can be busy, but if you have time to sit down, relax and watch Netflix for hours, you have time to make your own food.
Smoothies are fun things to make because there is an endless stream of possible combinations. Fruit, some greens and some chia seeds is a super yummy, nutritional meal that you can whip up in a flash.
I’ve also talked about in my blog how I make my own trail mix. A healthy trail mix, mind you. I took nuts, coconuts, and dried fruit and turned it into a yummy treat.
Those were some of the things I love making for myself. What do you DIY?