The Cheapskate's Guide to DIYing Everything!

So, you want to DIY stuff, but don't know where to start. Or perhaps you don't know if you want to. Well, let me convince you.

What do I mean by 'DIY Everything?'

I mean, do as many things as you can on your own. I don't just mean sewing your own clothes, making patches or stickers, but living a life in which you make and repair things on your own. Where you own your own music instead of streaming, where you cut your own hair instead of paying a 'professional' that always makes it too goddamn short every single FUCKING time (I am not projecting), where you cook your own food instead of ordering it. A life that belongs to you. This is not a self sufficiency or survival guide, it's more about taking back control.

Without further ado.. let's get into the guide!

I'll be dividing this guide into sections based on topics, so feel free to skip to whatever interests you or is more important to you based on your current situation.

SECTION ONE - BASIC NEEDS

- STOP FUNDING CORPORATIONS!!!

- Thrifting

- Finding a Community of Likeminded DIYers

- Cooking & Gardening

SECTION TWO - CREATIVE NEEDS

SECTION ONE - BASIC NEEDS

STOP FUNDING CORPORATIONS!!!

Seriously, stop. Nothing is destroying our planet more than large corporations. Nothing commits more slavery and child labour than large corporations. Amazon, Hershey's, Nestlé, they all rely on slave and child labour in poor places like Africa and South Asia. Things like coffee, tea, and chocolate are almost exclusively harvested and produced through forced labour. Not only that, but they do not give a single fuck about the environment and are actively destroying it. Brands like Starbucks are donating to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Fight with your money, don't pay these companies. Research alternatives if you can. If you live in a very rural area, Amazon might be your only option for some items, but try looking into alternatives. Some include: Thriftbooks for books. If you can't avoid bad sources, perhaps you really like coffee, tea, chocolate, or something else, then don't beat yourself up. I drink tea every day, so I would be a hypocrite. But I suggest researching and perhaps finding brands that are known to have better practices. You can also make coffee out of dandelion roots and tea out of local plants like mint if you like the taste and don't care about the caffeine.

Thrifting

Did you know that the average article of clothing is worn five times before it is thrown out? Clothing and fast fasion are some of the worst contributors to pollutin and climate change. Not to mention the abysmal conditions that many clothing workers in poor countries like Vietnam and Myanmar have to put up with. Lucky for us, thrifting has become a trend as of late. Thrifting is buying clothing and other items second-hand at dedicated thrift shops. Avoid Goodwill if you can since it's recently become a lot more commercialised, go instead for non-chain stores if you can. Though, Goodwill is still better than buying new clothes. If you have old clothes, don't throw them out! Donate them to thrift stores or sell them online. Or you can upsycle the fabric to create new patters on clothing if that's something you're into (I will touch more on that practice in sectikon two). And wear your clothes for as long as you can! Get a sewing kit and teach yourself how to sew if you don't know already, repair your clothing! You'll also save a lot of money, since thrifting is usually cheaper, and repairing and using clothes for longer delays your trips to the stores.

Finding a Community of Likeminded DIYers

If you live in an area without access to the materials or tools needed to create, or even if you don't, find a community of people who also care about DIYing. It's best if this is an in-person group, but if you have some online friends that you trust enough to share PO boxes with, then that's good too! (Just be VERY with online friends.) You and your community can share materials, crafts, creative works, tools, information, etc. For example, you don't have a printer, and you want to print stickers. Well, you can ask a friend (or go to your local library, but that costs money) and they might do it for free or cheap! Or if you want to sew something, make pins, or buy craft supplies. You can also exchange things like pins and zines with eachother, it's really fun! Having a community of people all working for a cause is also a really great way to make friends and have a sense of purpouse. Talk to your friends or find some that are interested in any of this stuff. Maybe even share this guide with some people if you think they could benefit from it!

Cooking & Gardening

This is much more in the territory of self-sufficiency than it is DIY, but I think that most people can really benefit from this. A lot of people don't know how to cook, and that's okay! But it's a really important skill to have. I suggest learning how and start with easy meals like pasta, eggs, or rice. Growing some edible plants is possible for most people, even those in urban environments! All you need is a pot, some soil, and a plant. Start with something like basil and pay attention to how the leaves look. If the basil starts to droop and wilt, don't fret! Basil is super dramatic. Just give it some water and it'll be fine. Research the plants you want to grow. If you have some outdoor space, good beginner plants are onions, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, and beans. Though for the last two, you need something they can climb. Get a ceramic pot with a drainage hole, as those have the best air flow and allow for water to escape, mitigating the risk of overwatering. If you keep plants outside, you only need to water if it hasn't rained for some time. Also, compost your vegetable scraps!!! If you live in a rural or suburban environment, you can keep a pile of scraps that worms will eat into. You can also keep these in a bin for more control. Add some of the soil from outside, and the bacteria and worms will break down the scraps, putting nutrients into the soil, which is really good for plants! And you can save so much money on buying soil that way. Also, it's great for the environment!

Background photo by Marcus Lewis