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What’s something you own that has truly paid for itself?
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this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2025
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My power tools. I'm not a professional but doing all the diy home repairs myself with the right tools for the job has probably saved me tens of thousands of dollars in contractors. And believe me when I say get the right tools for the job, it's worth it. You can fight with the wrong tool for hours trying to get a job done poorly or do it right in minutes with the right tools for the job. Not only is your time valuable but having the project done correctly the first time means you don't have to pay to fix it a second time. Even if you're the one doing it the second time, you still have to spend the time ripping out the garbage you put in and pay for the materials to do it right the second time.
Agreed. People might balk at the cost of some tools, but generally, if you are doing a project that's within your comfort zone, you might only need 1 or 2 more tools.
Oftentimes, tools will pay for themselves in 1 job when compared to the cost of hiring someone. An example job I was thinking of is installing crown molding. It looks like based on a rough estimate of the measurements of a normal house, materials might $1000 for cheap wood. You could get a nailer and miter saw for less than $500. Compare that to an online calculator that estimates $4,000-$6000 to pay someone to do it.
Renting tools is occasionally the way to go, but renting for a week often costs more than just buying the tool. A rental tool might be a better brand, but unless you are using it every day, you don't need that level of durability.
This 100%
I do my own renovations and build some simple furniture etc.; my drill and miter saw in particular have been invaluable.
I have a pretty good amount of tools. I think I've made every single one back by now. I've done multiple renovations, lots of repair work, build some furniture, did a lot of flooring and also did my front and back yard including fences with it.
I think if I hired a contractor to do what I did myself it would have been faster, but at least three times the cost. There are still some things I cannot do myself or am legally not allowed to work on, but the rest I will definitely do by myself.