I realized there are 3 wholly separate reasons I do my own repairs

I'm not sure who this post is for, and maybe everyone has already had these thoughts before. It seemed like a good thought to me but if others disagree then maybe we can just delete this and move on...



First, because it's cheaper. I live on fixed income that could disappear without warning in a given year, so I keep repair skills as a backstop for one day being unable to afford paying for repairs and replacements for some time.  If you can't do your own repairs you are forced to maintain a steady income to pay for maintenance. For a long time I thought this was the only reason for me to know how to repair things.

Second, I just want to. I think it's the right thing to do to keep stuff out of the trash that would be there for the next 1500 years, even if it's cheaper not to.

Third, and maybe most weirdly, I have this idea about "economic freedom."  If political freedom is your ability to support what ideas you want without coersion, then economic freedom is your ability to pay for things because you want to not because you have to.  If you have some part of your life that you depend on to live (it's part of supplying your food/shelter/income) and if you *cant repair it* then you are obligated to pay whatever it costs to whoever will repair it. So the last repair person in your local area can charge any price they want, and do any poor quality work they want, and you are forced to pay them. I want as many of my economic transactions as possible to be things I choose to pay for rather than things I am forced to pay for.  So being able to repair your own things gives economic freedom where otherwise you would be forced to spend any amount.

I think I would put your three reasons in a different order:

1) It's the right thing to do to use fewer resources overall if at all possible

2) It should be cheaper, in the first place to repair rather than replace, particularly for more complex items.

3) Mechanisms ought to be in place to facilitate #2 and that where the 'right to repair' comes in.

My husband spends a fair amount of time looking at repair videos, and it repairability is high on the list of criteria if and when we make a substantial purchase. So we have bookmared ebac for our next washing machine perhaps (discussed here) although hopefully our Bosche will do a good few years yet! When I buy clothes I am choosing natural materials, and woven ones that will be easier to adjust or patch. Usually I go for longevity over cheapness.

I have a fourth reason. I want to project an ethos of capability into the universe. Most directly, I have (grown) kids and it was always important for them to be involved in fixing the broken lamp and building the family's new PC and planting seeds upcycling clothes from Goodwill. I felt responsible, not to teach them every single skill, but to teach them that in general, they're capable people who can learn whatever they need to. And more broadly, I want that notion to percolate out into the world. I intentionally patch my clothing in loud, obvious style as a performative act -- maybe it's "virtue signaling" but it's also virtue reminding.

But I'm also steeped in consumer culture. I have a long, heavy outdoor extension cable for tools that has a goofed up female end that's been giving me trouble for a couple years. My daughter complained about it and I hopped on Amazon and ordered a replacement. I live a lifestyle that allows that as long as it isn't every little thing. Only when the replacement cable arrived, did it occur to me that I could just replace the end for a lot less money. Duh! Luckily, you can never have too many extension cords!

I like the original three reasons. I have some more!

There's also the satisfaction of accomplishment, something I find highly addictive.

And, similar to Christopher Weeks' projecting an ethos of capability into the universe, especially so one's kids will see, I also want to project an ethos of capability inward to myself.

Another: there is a real connection between the healthy development of neural pathways and doing stuff with your hands. In other words, physical activity makes you smarter and will keep your mind sharp longer into old age. Problem-solving does too. Solving physical problems with your hands is another way to say "fixing stuff". It's good for you!

Like you/and others, we do our own repairs because it is cheaper.

We also want to make sure the repair is done right.

Our third reason is because we live in the boondocks no one will come out this far and there are no repair shops that I know of unless the repair is automotive.