The simple fix really gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. It feels great to extend the use of something that I already have rather than need to consume more.

Also sometimes it feels like cheating the system. A new purchase will be postponed.

Back when I had a printer I have bought ink refill kits off of ebay and refilled the empty ink cardridge with a syringe. It worked well and I could extend the lifespan up to three time for each cartridge. After the third refill cycle I had to buy new cardridges. Meanwhile the manufacturer re-designed the label and switched the colors on that label - imagine it like this: when looking from above the compartment of the cartridge, the colors were: cyan - yellow - magenta. After the re-design of the label the colors were: cyan - magenta - yellow, indicating that the locations of said colors were different. When refilling with a syringe it happened that now the wrong ink was applied (magenta got mixed with yellow and vice versa), rendering the cartridge unusable. I was forced to buy the expensive original ink. Anyway, the printer later became unrepairable when a tiny piece of plastic broke inside the printer because I was moving it into a different place. I don’t own a printer anymore.

Another time I replaced the battery of my 2010 macbook pro, along with a RAM upgrade an a cleaning of the fans. I used the tutorial on ifixedit. I also bought their tool set - which I can strongly recommend when working with delicate hardware.

And then there was this super cheap bluetooth mouse which came without a power switch. As long the two batteries were inserted, it was ON! I managed to place an old switch from an old computer tower case at the underside of the mouse so the mouse could be shut off without losing battery charge. I still have that mouse as an emergency backup. Given its price the left click switch has been worn off after just one year of usage - it somtimes double-clicks.

Repairing things can be good for the budget and also good for the enviroment - but it makes you a bad customer ;-)

I keep having better salaries in time. I noticed, I still manage to not save any money from one year to the next. Why? Objects require maintenance/repair/cosmetic care a lot faster than I can afford to keep replacing them. Buying something new feels profoundly shallow and ungrateful based on what good objects I have. Example: i had a xiaomi robot vacuum. Almost replaced it when I realised I’m better off replacing the battery (that’s what I assumed was broken). For 20$ i extended its life for another 2-5 years. Respect for the object, respect for the time I spent earning how much it cost, and by extent, respect for myself and my life.

I was able to replace a light in the bathroom with an energy saving led version and although the result isn’t perfect it gave me a lot of satisfaction knowing I had succeeded doing that for the first time and saved a few hundred to the electrician.

That’s amazing, well done, it’s such a feeling of pride when you fix something yourself, & you learn more about your own applience, & also save yourself a lot of money!

I agree, I’m also a fan of the right to repair movement!

I’m terrible at repairs, but I do get that same sense of accomplishment from lawn work. I’m initially annoyed if I have to do a big project like pruning bushing and clearing shit out. But when it’s over there is a very zen, “I did that and it was good” feeling.

What a great story, and such a cheap fix too.

The best repair story I have is replacing my top case and battery for my MacBook. I had to replace the top case (As my keyboard was broken) and figured out a new battery would be good too, given that I had to remove it anyway to install the top case. It took me a couple hours (so many screws!) but I did it, and now my 9 year old MacBook is still running rather smoothly.

I relate. I like working on my car for similar reasons. As others have touched on, you feel like you’re cheating the system when you do it yourself and save money. Very satisfying.

Congrats, I hope it stays fixed! I can’t repair anything, but I support the movement in principle. I usually try to take good care of the things I own and buy things which with replaceable parts (think headphones) or things which are more ecological (think traditional wet shaving with a DE razor). Actually, come to think of it, I might try to repair my headphones. Something that can’t be replaced broke – part of the headband near the ear cups but I think I can fix it with tape.

As an autistic person I like to minimise change. I’m also good at learning how different appliances/equipment works and how to repair it. So I always try to repair things first before replacing them. I get the double satisfaction of not wasting an otherwise perfectly good appliance and also getting to keep the appliance that I am familiar with and like instead of having to try to find a different one.

Even the fixes that aren’t successes can be a good learning experience. If the item is totally screwed i give it to my child with a screwdriver and let him have fun before the inevitable dumpster.

All the time. That and maintenance. I got so much joy from finally having the supplies to change my car oil at home.

Last week, I unhooked the toilet in our summer home and dragged it outside. (If you ever unhook your toilet from sewage, stick a plastic bag into the drain, to block the stink.) - it was dripping near the intake hose, and the button mechanism didn’t work. Oh, and every now and then there was a mysterious puddle on the floor under it… Cleaned out the accumulated rust/mud/junk from its tank with a garden hose, dishwashing sponge and vinegar (not sure if the vinegar actually dissolved anything or not). Removed the tank, and removed all the old and deteriorating plumbing stuff from inside. Replaced the leaky gasket between tank and bowl (ha! found the reason for the occasional puddle around the toilet) and reassembled the tank. Installed a new flush valve (30€) and a new filling valve (15€) (tho on the second look, the intake valve was actually still serviceable). Replaced the gasket between intake hose and filling valve (1€ for a package of 10) and hooked up the whole mess.

Result:

1. The intake hose is not dripping into a bucket anymore.
2. I now have a button to press, when I want to flush, instead of manually lifting the whole flush valve :D
3. I saved the cost of a new toilet (that’s somewhere around 160€ for a cheap one, less 46€ for the replacement kit I bought)
4. The work took an hour or a couple. Shopping for a new toilet and installing it would also have taken an hour or a couple

My knowledge of some things is quite limited, but I love a repair when I can do one. The dishwasher fix sounds quite complex to me, so kudos for being able to sort that!

Usually for me they’re quite little, like fixing a button on the dryer (a plastic dobber snapped and became lose, not having the rigidity to press). A bit of superglue and it works fine.

Similarly, things like u-bend replacements, light pendants being changed, dowels put into loose cupboard screw holes and re-drilled.

All quite low level stuff, but it is satisfying to do it all for a fraction of the cost of professional repair or replacement.