Doing It Yourself, and Enjoying it

Do it yourself, commonly known as DIY, is a phenomenon that has really gripped the country over the last few decades.The idea is that if something needs doing in the house or around the garden, why pay someone else to do it when you can fix it yourself? It's a theory that is sounder in some cases than it is in others. Get the job done successfully and you'll be wondering why you ever paid anyone to do anything. But get it wrong and you'll be ruing the day you ever thought it would be easy to install a kitchen.

The basic rule of DIY is: don't take on anything that you definitely can't handle. Smaller jobs you can do yourself are fine. And you can often learn lots through trial and error. But don't be too stubborn and never be afraid to admit defeat and ask for help. It could be much cheaper in the long run.

The idea of doing it yourself is also one that is taking off in the kitchen too. Why pay for bread when you can make it yourself? All you need are some baking mats and loaf tins. Baking cakes and cupcakes is another increasingly popular pastime. With home baking machines like Magimix and Kitchenaid, preparing your cake or bread dough has never been easier. Again, why pay for a birthday cake when making one yourself is within your capability?

There's another reason why home baking and DIY overlap. Not only do you save money by doing these things for yourself but also there's a sense of enormous pride and satisfaction to be had from finishing a job. Making your own wine racks or using a pasta maker to make tagliatelle is a thrill you just don't get when you buy them in the shops.

Years ago, people used to do all their own baking. And anything around the house they did themselves without question. But the 20th century became the age of convenience and many of us lost the skills our forefathers had taken for granted. Now the pendulum is swinging the other way and we're rediscovering these lost arts.

Sales of home appliances like food processors, ice cream machines and pizza makers have increased. So have sales of home bakeware, as more people discover the joy of baking at home. Baking supplies and utensils have never been more popular and it's truly great to see. Even the younger generations are taking an interest in baking, and cake decorating, with specialist kids baking sets available online.

Having the skills to do things ourselves is very important. For years it looked like most of us would completely lose the desire and knowledge of how to provide for ourselves, in the kitchen and around the home. But in the nick of time it seems we have realised that trading in these skills for a little more convenience isn't a good deal. Here's to the self-sufficient revolution and the preservation of doing it yourself.