Making your own repairs to save money in tight times?

Making home repairs can be fun and rewarding but think twice about complicated projects.

Having skills to do your own repairs or carry out construction projects at home can save you a bundle on costs these days. This is especially helpful if funds are limited or you are worried about losing your job. If you aren't careful doing the work and things do go wrong, costs can go up significantly when things don't go as expected or something fails shortly after carrying out a project. 

Sometimes it makes sense to do things yourself but be careful with the work and do the job right! Check out the troubles that came to do-it-yourselfers in this story from the new York Times...

Even to save cash, don't try this stuff at home

The New York Times

By Susan Saulny

Published: May 16, 2009 

CHICAGO — Saving money never cost quite so much.

When the toilet in Carol Taddei’s master bathroom began to break down a few months ago, she decided it would be cheaper to buy a new one than pay for repairs. Ever frugal in this dismal economy, Ms. Taddei, a retired paralegal, then took her economizing a step further, figuring she could save even more by installing the new toilet herself.

Initially, things looked good with the flushing and the swishing. That is, until the ceiling collapsed in the room below the new (leaky) toilet. Read the whole article...