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My wife wanted a $900 closet system, I built one from scrap plywood for $60, and now I feel weird about it
Two weeks ago my wife showed me a closet organizer at the Container Store in Nashville with a $900 price tag, and I said give me the weekend. I built it out of scrap plywood and a $60 sheet from the hardware store, and it fits better than the display model did. Here is the part people push back on: everyone tells me I saved $840, but I spent 14 hours on it, and if I billed those hours at shop rate I lost money. Goodwill donation pile is now a real closet, but does anyone else count their own labor when they brag about a DIY win, or am I the only one doing bad math?
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keith9002d ago
Count me in on the bad math club. I built a mudroom bench and cubbies last spring from a pile of old shelving a neighbor was tossing, and I ran the numbers at my hourly rate and realized I basically paid myself four bucks an hour. But here is the thing, my wife loves it, my kids actually hang up their coats now, and I got to spend a Saturday in the garage with a podcast instead of at a store. Your closet fits better than the display model, that part matters more than the ledger. The money saved is the story you tell at cookouts, the real win is the thing is done and it is exactly what you wanted.
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