My new favorite quote came from watching “Johnny and the Sprites” on Disney several months ago with Penny. The one episode revolved around the phrase - “you never know what you can do, until you try out something new.” And I must say, you may be completely surprised at the things YOU can fix/accomplish BY YOURSELF, I know I am…

A disclaimer: growing up, my dad may have been a handyman, but until I was 25, I did very little fixing or building by myself.

With that in mind, it may astonish you to know that in the past two years, I have: installed a dishwasher, fixed our dryer, designed and built a bed frame, installed new locks on all the doors, changed the oil in my car, installed three cable jacks into our walls, and, the biggest accomplishment of them all, built a deck from scratch!

So, am I telling you this to brag about my handyman skills? Not at all (well, maybe a little). I’m trying to show you that you may be amazed at some of things you can accomplish BY YOURSELF. In several cases, however, I did have help:

The dryer had a metal scratching sound a few months back. So, I did a search for the make and model # on the Internet, found a person who posted the problem and solution, tore apart the dryer and fixed it within a few hours!

Fortunately, my father-in-law is a former electrician. This came in handy for installing cable jacks into three separate rooms of our house and he walked me through the entire process.

And, I had the help of my handy Dad and a few books to not only design a deck, but also build one, from scratch, outside the back of our house in seven short afternoons!

Even without the help of family or friends, in this day in age with so much information available not only from the Internet, but also stores like Lowes and Home Depot where thousands of products are readily available for you, it’s not only CHEAPER, but also more convenient for you to go it alone!

By installing the dishwasher in our house, I saved $125. I’m not sure I would call it easy, but I took it slow and followed the directions step by step and had no problems at all!

When my wife and I couldn’t find a bed frame that we liked, I designed one and built it out of 2 by 8’s. After all the supplies (lumber, stain, drawer hinges), it was about $150 to build a king-sized bed frame. Granted, it’s not as stunning as the ones you find the store, but it’s a WHOLE lot cheaper!

And, between the tools and over 1000 lbs. of lumber, it cost about $1400 to build a 20 foot by 30 foot deck in seven days with my Dad. Most carpenters would easily charge $2000-$3000 for such a job.

OK, so maybe you’re not building a deck anytime soon. But how often do things break around your house? How many of those things do you fix and how many does a professional fix? Have you even tried or considering researching the problem and trying it yourself first? Or do you have family or a friend that could help you fix it?

Now, don’t get me wrong - some projects or fixes are a bit risky and there are some things that you should probably never attempt. For example, I’d never try to rip my car’s engine apart to repair a broken fan belt. While I may be able to replace the belt, I’d be afraid of the safety of the car and its passengers.

So, as the recession intensifies, and it’s all the more important to save a few bucks, do some research and see if you can build it or fix it with your family or friends. If you can’t, then call a professional.