DIY - not an economy expander.
I love DIY and come from a long line of people with high mechanical aptitudes. However, I make a living as scientist/problem solver. Most problems can be reduced to economics and late in life I now wished I had taken more economics courses in my education. DIY only saves expenses and it assumes that you already have a satisfactory base income that supports DIY project materials. While DIY may up sales at HD and Lowes it doesn't really do anything for the general economy - after all you're only replacing another product/service and substituting some of your spare time to augment your income. Essentially DIY is another form of a second job and an indication that the economy can't support you with one job.
