Frugal Tip: Learn To Do It Yourself
Whether it’s being a handyman around your house or changing the oil in your car, learning to do things for yourself and actually doing them for yourself is the quickest way to save yourself a few dollars (and learn more about the things you care about). While it’s tempting to drive into a Jiffy Lube, pay your thirty bucks (or whatever it costs now, I’ve never actually gone to a Jiffy Lube), and drive away in 20 minutes… you can save by doing it yourself and it’s honestly not very hard.
Another side benefit of doing it yourself is that you know that you’ll be using high quality “stuff.” (or, you could be using low quality stuff, the point is that you know) When you got Jiffy Lube, you get oil out of a huge drum. It might be good stuff but you have no idea. When you pour it in yourself, you know exactly what’s going inside.
Finally, the best part about doing it yourself is that you know it’s been done right. I had a friend that got her oil changed at Wal-Mart and they forgot to put the oil cap back on after changing her oil. Miraculously, they had left it in some nook and it stayed there until she started seeing oil spray out from underneath the hood. She lost a half quart of oil in driving around without that cap! Luckily nothing happened (other than an oil covered engine) but that’s a case of where doing the work yourself could’ve saved you half a quart and the risk of a bad job.
The downside to doing it yourself is that you could always screw it up! 
February 8th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
are you kidding me? yes, you could probably drain the oil and refill it, but 90% of cars today you are never going to get to the oil filter. your advice to change your own oil has to be the most moronic advice ive ever heard. no warranty, possible damage due to inexperience, and possible injury to yourself are just a few reasons to go to a lube shop such as jiffy lube. besides, the cost of the filter ($5) and the oil ($12-15) plus the lost time it takes you to jack up your car to get underneath, and finally having to find a place to recycle the used oil. it just doesnt make any cents (pun) to me.