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While this is true, it assumes that you not only have enough disposable income to waste on tools, but also that you are free enough from stress and have enough time to be able to do these things.



"waste" seems a bit dismissive. When I was a poor student the only way I could keep my old cheap things working was to fix them myself.

Often a tool can cost less than getting it repaired, paying for itself in one go. And there's many things that are straightforward to fix (bikes for example).

It also takes time to arrange a repair, go there, drop it off, pick it up, realize they didn't fix the problem, do it again, etc. I often find doing this stuff myself can actually save time, and if things break on a weekend/holiday you can still salvage your plans.


Plus you can resell the tools when you're done. When I finished my basement, I bought a drywall lift that was around $100. Doing any sort of drywall without a lift is not easy, especially if you don't have a helper. When I was done with drywall, I was able to sell it on Craigslist for the original purchase price. I could have rented one, but that would have put time constraints on its use.




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