DIY tasks can save you a good deal of money, especially for many trade tasks like plumbing, carpentry, or basic handiwork. Previously we’ve discussed several DIY tasks for your car:
Some of you doctors out there will argue that you have better use of your time than to repair your car, or that “it’s too risky for my career to be fixing a car”. Yes, the previous articles discuss low-risk tasks that are high-yield. How about something even easier, like washing your own car?
Better yet, what do you think of washing AND waxing your car?
The technical and hardware requirement to wash a car is incredibly low. You’d need an outdoor faucet, which I’d imagine more homeowners or even renters probably have access to. A water hose would cost maybe $15 new (or less used), a $1 water bucket, a fancy $3 spray handle, a $1 sponge, a $5 bottle of super fancy car wash solution (should last 100 washes), and maybe a microfiber towel ($5) for drying the car. If you want to wax your car (you should), spend an extra $10 for nice TurtleWax. That adds up to less than $40 for all the equipment you’d need to wash and wax your car.
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If you take your car to the carwash, you will spend at least $5 for each wash (maybe closer to $8+ for nicer washes). The last time I checked out the cost of hand waxing a car was $50!
This means that after ONE car wash/wax job, you’d recoup the cost of your supplies!
Wait a second, buddy! As a general surgeon, I’m making $150 an hour! Washing and waxing my car would take an hour of my time! I’m actually losing money by washing my own car.
That’s absolutely true if you’d rather be doing an emergency appendectomy on a weekend rather than washing your car. It’s also true if there is an emergency for you to perform. This doesn’t even take into account the stress and liability that you incur in your profession.
Aside from the financial benefits of washing your car, there are health benefits. Hand waxing a car is not easy. Forearm muscles are used, and I burned at least 200 calories for an hour of work (use your favorite calorie tracking device to confirm). This free exercise that not only saves you money but also makes you healthier!
Questions? Sound out below!