I'm a big believer in DIY (do it yourself), in spite of the fact that I'm not terribly tech savvy or mechanically inclined. I've even been accused of making things harder than they really are when I've tried to figure something out for myself. 

It's just that I don't like the idea of paying someone else for things I can do myself. Like pedicures or altering clothes or cleaning my home. I knew a woman once who was a particularly talented handiwoman. Marlene could change her own car's oil as well as the belts on her washing machine. While these things may not be all that complicated, I was impressed and have since longed to foster my own inner handiwoman whenever possible. So imagine my excitement when I saw  an entire DIY section in the August issue of Real Simple magazine. Instructions for everything I need right now: changing a burned out headlight, replacing a worn shoe heel tip, even replacing a doorknob. Complete with diagrams! You too can motivate your inner handiwoman with these how-tos from www.realsimple.com.

Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Do you have any favorite repair tricks to share? Or are you inclined to save yourself the hassle and pay for an expert?