Aside from the completely absurd ones like "travel hacking" I have grief with the following: Because lets just discount the natural talent involved in this. Drawing isn't for everyone. Really this should be "do something creative" whether this be drawing, painting, writing or busting out in interpretive dance at random moments. While in general I agree with this. No one wants to be "that guy". But, the way they want you to learn this shit is to invite a lot of people to stay over your house so you can experience first hand what is disrespectful and respectful. Because that's what I want a string of people coming in and out of my house like it is a 19th century rooming house. Also, they fail to understand the fact that the concepts of being respectful and disrespect aren't universal. They are subjective to the person. One person might not care if you leave a dish unwashed in the sink, but it might cause someone else to lose their shit. What this one really boils down to is "don't be a dick." Don't be the guy couch crashing on vacation and on a Tuesday night go out, get plastered and stumble back at 4am and bang on the door to be let in knowing your friend has to be up early for work. There whole argument rests on "it makes you feel your car better and it helps the environment." I live in god damn New York City. Any idea how absurd it is drive a stick shift in NYC? You know why no one repairs their own cars anymore? Because it isn't the 1950's anymore and cars aren't built the same way. Open up any modern car and you can't even get to anything in the engine, plus half the stuff requires you use diagnostic computers now. Car companies did this for a reason, so you were forced to go to the garage. Focus: Learn and use proper Bar/Restaurant etiquette Nothing pisses me off more than going out with someone or a group of people and they have no fucking clue how to act at a bar/restaurant. You always get the one guy who doesn't know how to order, treats the server like a slave, and either doesn't know how to tip or outright refuses to tip. I can't describe how much this lowers my opinion of a person considering it is an extremely useful and vital skill these days since many people now don't cook every single day. This is even more important if you have a job where you are expected to schmooze clients or potential clients.
Fuck that you should be able to change your own fluids more than just windshield wiper fluid. Half of your repairs could be prevented with some basic maintenance.
Personally I'd just make this broad and logical and state that you should be able to perform basic preventative maintenance on anything you spend a decent amount of money on.
Good luck pulling yourself up in case you ever fall off a ledge. And defending yourself doesn't mean super duper ninja shit, it just means not dying. Running counts.
Your best defense against getting your ass kicked is always awareness and avoidance. Stay out of places where people get jumped and if you have to go there, keep your goddamn nose out of your fucking iphone and be alert of your surroundings so you don't get yourself into those situations. If there are shady characters coming toward you or following you, act accordingly to discourage them. I disagree with knowing how to lift your own weight. Just like self defence, it's not enough to know to do it in theory. You have to practice it to be able to do it.
Or be able to make friends with someone who can lift your weight and their weight combined. So . . .how've you been, pal?
Actually outside of oil changes, which I can get done cheaper in a shop than on my own, there really isn't much on a car that's easy to change or needs to be changed on a regular basis. Maybe things like oxygen sensors or spark plug wires, but really, name things on a car that you need to do for preventative maintenance that can be done without needing to buy a one time use tool set or you'd be able to handle with limited knowledge?
Anyone else see the thread title and keep thinking of Lil Jon-Snap Your Fingers "You can do it all by yo self! Let me see you do it! Ay!" Just me? Ok then...
Cook: I have mates who still can't cook, this is bullshit. I don't expect you to be able to make handmade wild rabbit ravioli with burnt butter & sage sauce but learn some basic skills. If you want the ravioli come to my place, bring much wine. Cars: Learn to drive manual, the end. And fuck car maintenance, I pay a guy to do that, they also detail it at the same time, good luck selling your car for a decent amount if you have been doing the servicing yourself, that money you thought you are saving is false economy. If you are driving a piece of shit this advice does not apply to you. House: Learn to fix your house and use tools, builders are fucking expensive and rarely do a good job on small maintenance jobs because they don’t give a fuck. Also by learning on the small jobs if and when you need a builder for a big job you don’t come off as a total pleb, and this WILL save you money.
Yeah, not paying some dickhead $40 to change my oil and filters when I'm fully qualified to do it myself is really knocking down the resale value. Anyone who buys my vehicle is going to know fuck-all about what I've done to it anyway.
Dude, if I was helping a friend buy a used car and rather than a professional service history some monkey said "I do all my own fluid changes when it needs it" yeah, we are moving on. During regular services the car should also be checked for all manner of other shit in addition to fluid changes, if this hasn’t been done I would view the car as being neglected so wouldn’t buy the thing, I don’t want to talk to you while you spin unsupportable shit to me, no sale. So like I said, false economy. But like I said, this doesn’t apply to pieces of shit worth a couple of grand.
I think you're forgetting that a lot of those places who do repairs make a living on ripping people off. A lot of the money you might gain from the resell value you already pissed down the drain. That and any necessary work that needs to be done on your car is still way, way cheaper to do yourself so you're really just losing money one way or another. Besides that, most people don't hold on to all the receipts from their servicing so it's pretty damn easy to lie about who did the work. Just by simply using the internet I really don't think it's that hard to do the majority of car work on your own, and granted you have some mechanical aptitude you can do most of it just as well as a professional. Even if you can't figure out how to diagnose the problem there's computers that will find most of the issues. It's really more an issue of having all the tools at your disposal rather than absolutely needing a professional. Still, I'll say again I don't really think it's necessary unless you're broke or feel like going out of your way.
I certainly know how to change the oil on my car, but take it to the dealership to get changed anyway. The up front cost is more expensive, but when I add in the time I save it's a good deal. I buy packs of five oil changes for around $110 from my local dealership, so end up paying around ~$9 more for materials than if I went out and bought them myself. For that extra overhead I don't have to worry about disposing my old oil, don't have to buy ramps or a creeper, and only have to make one trip instead of two. On the other hand most places absolutely rip you off for air filter replacement, so you better believe I do that one on my own. It all comes down to figuring out what's a good value and what isn't.
There's a nice, Mexican fellow with just under 8 total fingers who owns a shop down the road. He changes the oil in my truck for $26. That's less than what I would pay for the 7 quarts of oil and the filter to do it myself. I'm fully capable of doing it myself and have done it for many years, but this deal is too good to pass up.
It takes me about 15 minutes to change my oil. I mean taking it to a place would be more hassle than it's worth. The only thing that is different is your typical Valvoline or exxon oil will cost you more than the generic shit a jiffy lube will put in. Im not sure if the quality is that big a difference or not. My dad was an absolute maniac about car maintenance. Not because of resell value but elongating the life of the car. He kept detailed records and receipts with the work he'd do or have done. He also kept the cars immaculately clean. There are very few times I remember him selling something and it not going to the first or second buyer. I really wish I had learned more growing up than I did. With the internet there are forums dedicated to every single car made and youtube videos to match.
I presume most of the vitriol on this thread is based purely on incompetence. I can do most of the things on the list competently and I agree with a lot of it. It makes life easier. And knowing how to drive a manual and how to maintain a car ARE important, even if you choose to pay someone else to do it. Know why? You keep yourself from getting fucked by a mechanic or the stealership. When I take my car to a mechanic, I know roughly what's wrong with it. If some dude tells me that I need a new transmixer because a wheel bearing is bad, I know he's a thief. And it's cute when a masculine dude gets in my truck and gets back out because he can't drive a manual.
What are the odds that I'm going to actually need to drive a manual transmission, though? The proportion of all cars sold in the US that have manual transmissions is in single digits and dwindling towards zero. What are the odds of me being in a situation where there is only one available car to drive, that car is not mine or a car that I have rented, and I am the only person who can drive it? At some point, it ceases to be a "need-to" trait and becomes merely a handy talent.
The odds that you're ever going to have to perform CPR or the Heimlich maneuver on someone are very small, as well. It doesn't mean you should completely neglect knowing how to do them. In fact, I'd venture a guess that the chance that you'll have to drive a manual sometime in your life are a lot higher than having to perform CPR or the Heimlich.