When is DIY no longer a money-saver?

bethr5 · January 2010

I've been looking at invitations online for what feels like forever over the last few months, and I'm having a hard time finding something I love. I'm game for trying DIY invites, but my fiance's family is huge - we're sending out about 110 invitations. Is that just too much to do yourself? Is DIY still a less expensive option with that number?

Thanks for the help!

MyNameIsNot · January 2010

Well, the more you DIY, the more you can save. But if it is too big of a project for you, then it isn't going to be worth it, no matter how much money you save. Try assembling a sample and seeing how long it takes, and be honest with yourself about how long it will take to do 110 of them, and whether you have that kind of time.

FWIW, we DIYed 150 pocketfolds. It was a project, but it wasn't unmanagable. But I had a helpful sister, a free Saturday, and a couple of bottles of wine.

sgylling · January 2010

I am DIYing mine. We will do 110 Pocketfolds, we made the pocketfolds. I designed and laid out the invite. My invites and escort cards together will cost about 1.50. To buy what I am doing, would probably be about $8 or so an invite I would guess? For me it is worth it, but I enjoy it. I also am picky when it comes to fonts, design, etc and was like you and couldn't find anything I liked already done. My mom is very crafty and has a lot of the "equipment". So that really helps, but I without the help, it would be a lot of work! Just give yourself enough time:)

SarahPLiz · January 2010

I think it all depends on how much you value your time and sanity, and how much talent you have for design and detail work. I have none of those talents, but we only need 35 (40 to account for errors), so I'll probably end up printing and assembling them at home. I'll get FI to design them.. he's good at that stuff. If I had to do 110, they'd be getting a postcard...

squirrly · January 2010

It depends. If you enjoy doing it (I do), it's a very worthwhile project and can save quite a bit of money, assuming the time you spend doing it isn't time you could be spending elsewhere making actual income.

My invites will run around $3 each when all is said and done, I think. If I included the value of my time, they'd be more like $20 each. But, it's something I really enjoy doing, and I've done the work in my actual free time, so all it's cost me is couch/tv time.

Then again, I have a ton of crazy DIY projects, so I might not be the best person to ask.

bethr5 · January 2010

Thanks, everyone! I feel a lot better about this prospect now.

When is DIY no longer a money-saver?

Re: When is DIY no longer a money-saver?

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