Difference between revisions of "3233: Make It Myself"

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| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!
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| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!
 
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
 
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
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There are many people who complain about rising prices with the recent trend of high inflation rates. People sometimes claim that they could make something themselves, thinking it will be quick and easy. Instead, Cueball reflects real life by listing the actual effort he would expend on such a project. In total, Cueball spends $60 (and 5-6 hours of "labor") creating his replacement, and then ends up just buying the one in the store because his {{w|do it yourself|do-it-yourself}} replacement breaks sooner than the engineered product. This means that Cueball actually lost $60 on this venture, as well as at least a few hours and several trips to the store.
 
  
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The title text has Cueball compensating for his losses by deluding himself into believing that the leftover supplies will help him with a future project. This could be the case depending on the supplies. When deciding whether to do work personally versus paying for a product or service, a common dilemma is that the DIY approach requires specialized tools and/or buying a larger amount of material than one will need. There may not be a future personal project requiring a specialized drill bit or 46 leftover screws, in which case the leftovers will gather dust until they are thrown out or sold off at a steep discount. If Cueball was determined enough to put the leftovers to use, he might offer to create improved versions of his solution for other people, gradually amortizing the up-front costs and ultimately creating a competing product years later. Barring major cost-saving innovations, that new product might end up costing a similar amount to the original. If the original's price was inflated, the two products might drive down each other's prices through competition.
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This strip lampoons people (commonly {{w|do it yourself|Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts}}) who scoff at the the price of manufactured goods, insisting that they build them for cheaper, only to end up spending more time and money than the product would cost in the first place.
 +
 
 +
In this case, [[Cueball]] appears to play the cliche straight, insisting that he could make an $80 product himself, using $10 worth of parts and an hour of work (which, for most people, would be financially advantageous). But he subverts this by immediately adding on additional costs and time commitments, before ultimately admitting that he'd ''also'' have to actually buy the product when his homemade one breaks. The joke comes from the fact that, rather than finishing the project and realizing he'd overextended himself, Cueball is predicting ways the project will go wrong, and seems determined to do it anyway.
 +
 
 +
When building something yourself, there may be only a relatively small amount of raw materials that are needed, and some people assume they can assemble them into a finished project in short order. However, once the project begins, additional expenses often pile up. More supplies might be needed, sometimes in small quantities, but you still have to purchase larger packages. Specific tools and equipment that you don't already have may be needed, and this may not be obvious at first, explaining the multiple trips to the hardware store. If errors are made during the assembly process, material may be ruined, requiring additional purchases. And projects often become more involved and take more time than originally expected. All together, Cueball calculates that he'll spend $60 and multiple hours trying to avoid paying $80 for the item, and that his homemade version will then break, requiring him to spend another $80 in addition to all that.
 +
 
 +
The title text justifies the money he spent, by pointing out that he has leftover supplies. If only part of the purchased supplies were needed, or of the supplies included tools, then he might not assign all the cost to one project, because they can be reused. However, his prediction about "start[ing] over with a new project" sounds ominous in light of the comic. If his DIY projects don't ultimately save money, than being encouraged to start another may not be beneficial.
 +
 
 +
This is a common source of tension in DIY projects. While the cost of manufactured projects are generally significantly higher than the cost of materials and labor to make them (due to costs of storage, overhead, transport, and profits for all the businesses involved), they also have the advantage of economies of scale, mass-manufacturing techniques and low-cost labor. For an individual to attempt to replicate that manufacturing process for a single item often involves additional costs, may not be worth the time that was spent, and may not be up to the quality standards of manufactured goods.
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Of course, there are various reason why people might choose to do home projects, so such an analysis doesn't make those irrelevant, but if the primary purpose is financial, there may be other factors that need to be considered.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
 
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
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:[Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.]
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:[Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Each box has labels saying "Sale" and "$80" on one of the visible sides of the box, and illegible text on the other visible side of the box. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.]
  
 
:Cueball: They want $80 for this?
 
:Cueball: They want $80 for this?
−
:Cueball: I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.
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:Cueball: I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.
 
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
 
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
 
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
 
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
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[[Category: Comics edited after their publication]]<!--The title text had a typo that was later corrected-->

Latest revision as of 22:28, 16 April 2026

Make It Myself
It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!
Title text: It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!

    Explanation[edit]

    Ambox warning blue construction.png This is one of 66 incomplete explanations:
    This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

    This strip lampoons people (commonly Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts) who scoff at the the price of manufactured goods, insisting that they build them for cheaper, only to end up spending more time and money than the product would cost in the first place.

    In this case, Cueball appears to play the cliche straight, insisting that he could make an $80 product himself, using $10 worth of parts and an hour of work (which, for most people, would be financially advantageous). But he subverts this by immediately adding on additional costs and time commitments, before ultimately admitting that he'd also have to actually buy the product when his homemade one breaks. The joke comes from the fact that, rather than finishing the project and realizing he'd overextended himself, Cueball is predicting ways the project will go wrong, and seems determined to do it anyway.

    When building something yourself, there may be only a relatively small amount of raw materials that are needed, and some people assume they can assemble them into a finished project in short order. However, once the project begins, additional expenses often pile up. More supplies might be needed, sometimes in small quantities, but you still have to purchase larger packages. Specific tools and equipment that you don't already have may be needed, and this may not be obvious at first, explaining the multiple trips to the hardware store. If errors are made during the assembly process, material may be ruined, requiring additional purchases. And projects often become more involved and take more time than originally expected. All together, Cueball calculates that he'll spend $60 and multiple hours trying to avoid paying $80 for the item, and that his homemade version will then break, requiring him to spend another $80 in addition to all that.

    The title text justifies the money he spent, by pointing out that he has leftover supplies. If only part of the purchased supplies were needed, or of the supplies included tools, then he might not assign all the cost to one project, because they can be reused. However, his prediction about "start[ing] over with a new project" sounds ominous in light of the comic. If his DIY projects don't ultimately save money, than being encouraged to start another may not be beneficial.

    This is a common source of tension in DIY projects. While the cost of manufactured projects are generally significantly higher than the cost of materials and labor to make them (due to costs of storage, overhead, transport, and profits for all the businesses involved), they also have the advantage of economies of scale, mass-manufacturing techniques and low-cost labor. For an individual to attempt to replicate that manufacturing process for a single item often involves additional costs, may not be worth the time that was spent, and may not be up to the quality standards of manufactured goods.

    Of course, there are various reason why people might choose to do home projects, so such an analysis doesn't make those irrelevant, but if the primary purpose is financial, there may be other factors that need to be considered.

    Transcript[edit]

    Ambox warning green construction.png This is one of 43 incomplete transcripts:
    Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!
    [Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Each box has labels saying "Sale" and "$80" on one of the visible sides of the box, and illegible text on the other visible side of the box. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.]
    Cueball: They want $80 for this?
    Cueball: I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.

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    Discussion

    Almost did the same thing, but satisfied with results. Wanted to build a very shallow wide drawer for Ikea Ivar shelf that I use as computer station. Only one I saw that came close was $190. I probably spent $50-60, three hours planning and assembling, three trips to hardware stores and two reworked designs before I made what I wanted. Used a Cambro serving tray form Amazon, couple oak "project boards", couple DIY dowels and screws. Fungible (talk) 22:23, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

    ...and a small aubergine. Jgharston (talk) 23:03, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

    Goodness gracious me! 81.179.199.253 00:24, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Where did Dark Mode go??? I used to get it for free, and now I have to get an extension? King Pando (talk) 04:02, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    It's still available on https://xkcd.com/3227/ Maofgf (talk) 07:52, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Seems like today xkcd's website went back to normal, or as normal as can be when you don't have Dark Mode. SectorCorruptor (talk) 04:23, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Bill Sutton's song "Do it Yourself" is the large-scale version of this. 2603:8081:9700:1224:0:0:0:2 04:36, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    I suspect "weather building" is a typo. Homophone problem.--2A00:23CC:D248:8901:801E:C71:4D35:EEB4 07:50, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    "They want $20k for this cloud seeding operation?!? I could do it myself with $5k worth of silver iodide, 45 hours of pilot training, plane hire, time to develop a dispersal system... 82.13.184.33 08:48, 16 April 2026 (UTC)
    There is a sort of typo in the alt-text too: “have have”. I hope it’s not intentional, ‘cause if it is I don’t get it. Jacobus-nl (talk) 11:27, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Given gas prices at the moment, depending on the mileage and distance to the hardware store - that remaining $20 is probably only like 100 miles. Not to mention how much time you'd spend - if Cueball's hardware store is 4 miles away and his time is worth $25/h then he is $110 in the red before even buying the second unit. He could do 1 trip to the store, $50 in parts and an hour of labor for less than $80 (or if it was only $10 in parts, 2.5 hours). Sameldacamel34 (talk) 09:20, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Well, actually I dood it. I needed a new 6-fold outlet for my PC and the whole smeg that hangs on it. 6-fold WITH a main breaker+lamp indicator: double the price of a 6-fold without. So I bought the latter...plus a one-in, one-out breaker+lamp, in sum I saved 10€ or so, the effect is the same - I know it still works and can flip one switch to take everything off. 2a02:2455:1960:4000:8d1:cdfb:dad3:5cbc (talk) 10:09, 16 April 2026 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

    I've been told that $500 for providing ponies for a birthday party is "way out of line". Well then, do it yourself, but remember the instructions for making a small fortune with horses: Start with a large fortune. PS: Folks, hire your local pony ride for all sorts of events. 98.22.184.160 12:04, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Well, yeah - a pony ought to be £25. 82.13.184.33 12:57, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Not factored in is the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes of doing something yourself, the way the homemade version has a special place in your heart where the storebought version is just seen as a generic and replaceable commodity, plus possibly the technical skills learned in the process of doing it yourself and newfound appreciation for the labor that goes into the things you find in the world around you. There are still plenty of good reasons to DIY, if you have the time and resources. MeZimm (talk) 15:36, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    "...if you have the time and resources." <-- that's a key statement. Cueball is spending at least 5-6 hours on this project to save $80 (minus the cost of supplies). The question is, how valuable is a person's time? Yes, you can say that self-improvement and learning is valuable, that the sense of accomplishment is valuable. But everyone is going to assign value to those things differently. Would you spend 6 hours learning to do something that will save you $80 tomorrow? What if it takes 6 years to learn? What if it saves you $80 on a weekly basis? What if it's a skill that you value or can build a career out of? What if paying for the product instead of doing it yourself allows you to spend more time with your friends or family? There's so much more to the equation than just dollar amounts. There are certain things I will happily spend money on rather than do myself because I would rather spend my time on things that matter to me. I don't grind my own flour, but I cook my own bread. I don't change my car's oil, but I change my own brake pads. The cut-off point where we value convenience over money will change person to person, task to task, and day to day.

    This is too true to be funny. 96.61.125.76 15:41, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

    Do-it-yourself cost generally more than buying the off-the-shelf version in materials alone. It's only interesting for custom stuff you can't find off-the-shelf, kits requiring only simple assembly, or as a pass-time. Shirluban 194.9.103.97 15:45, 16 April 2026 (UTC)
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