The windshield on our 1995 Jeep Wrangler is cracked so it is time to get it replaced. For some reason our insurance isn’t covering this – note to self, check into this – so we are having to foot the bill.
I am ever the frugal queen and checked to see what a replacement would cost. $99.99. Plus the cost for the gaskets, which are around $89.00. After taxes, right about $200.00. Yay for flat windshields. But the catch would be that Denton and I would have to spend who knows how long installing this bad boy ourselves.
If you have ever DIYed anything, ever, you know that how long you believe a certain job will take you, you should double it. Seriously. Especially if it’s something that you have never tackled before. I would probably go so far to say you may want to triple or quadruple your time frame. It’s better to think this way, so when it does take you three hours to remove thirty square feet of carpeting, the tack strips, and 967,452,124 staples you won’t be surprised. Ahem.
Anyway, I had Denton order the windshield so we could get this taken care of. But, he called me back and said that he checked with a local glass dealer who installs windshields and the guy will order the windshield and gaskets, and install it for $232.00.
So. $32.00. Denton seriously didn’t want to tell me this. He knows how hard I will pinch a penny. Until it screams.
But, I have discovered something about myself these last few years. My time and sanity are precious. Don’t get me wrong. I love DIY. Hayden and I have had some serious quality time together laying the wood floors in our house. I would even go so far as to say that we are enjoying it. His words.
But you also have to do the math and be reasonable about things. $32.00. I would wager a guess and say that I think that Denton and I could get the old windshield out in about an hour. This is from watching random people on YouTube who know what they are doing. So using my fool-proof method, I will double that and say it will actually take us two hours to remove.
I believe that we are perfectly capable of installing the new windshield and gaskets, but would estimate with the doubling that it will actually take us around 3 – 4 hours to actually get it in. That’s if everything goes perfectly. Which it probably wouldn’t.
Six hours. $32.00 divided by six hours of manual labor equals $5.33 an hour. Divide that by 2 because it would take both of us, you get $2.66 an hour. For something that I already know isn’t going to bring me or Denton joy and happiness. No, thank you.
I think that he was surprised. He kept trying to give me reasons of why we should just have this guy do it. I agreed with him. Over and over. He knows me well after all of these years.
Here is the caveat, and there is almost always a caveat with me. If you had given me this scenario 15 years ago, we would definitely be doing this ourselves. Money is a big factor. Saving even just $32.00 would have been a big deal back then. So if you are in a place where spending the day with someone you love, even if it’s doing something that you know you are not going to enjoy and it saves you some moolah, go for it. You’ll learn something new and save some money at the same time.
Just try not to kill one another.