What did you learn from Youtube & how much did you save?

[QuarterMillionMan]

-change car $15 serpentine belt (saved $350 in labor)
-sharpen knives ($1 an inch at knife shop)
-cook Hawaii ethnic foods (ie, Portuguese bean soup, hot & sour soup, lumpia, sushi, pinakbet, kalbi, kim chee, picked radishes, etc). Saved a lot home cooking.
-change watch battery ($20 at watch repair)
-shorten watch wrist band by removing 3 links ($20 at watch repair shop)
-hem pant leg w/$100 sewing machine from Walmart ($? saved)
-wash/polish/wax/vacuum ($150 at auto detail shop each visit), my neighbors ask me if I can do their's but when I mention my discount is $75 they shy away, lol.
-cut my own hair ($20 + tip maybe $5 = $25 saved) every 3 weeks but didn't need Youtube just attach #6 or #7 and buzz away
-upgrade RAM, MVMe drive, etc. (computer shops maybe labor $50 each component)
-restored car headlight w/multi grit wet sandpaper (ie, 100, grit, 250 grit, 500 grit, 1000 grit, 3000 grit, 5000 grit, etc), rubbing compound, polishing compound, etc (OEM $100 each headlight)
-turn off change oil indicator light (probably free w/oil change) but I don't change oil at every time the light comes on so I cancel it out
-print my own greeting cards w/card stock, glossy photo paper, etc (CVS $5 each greeting card)
-worked 10 years as a plumber so I can do plumbing in my sleep but sometimes need Youtube but I rent so only cheap things I'll do myself (ie, change Fluid Master, replace valve seals, unclog toilet or drain with an auger) so I don't have to wait for the maintanence man, but let's say to replace a faucet or toilet I'll request the landlord replace high cost items.
-used to change car brakes, water pump, alternator, etc (too old now but when younger I'd do it)
-welded truck racks for a Mitsubishi truck and a Ford Ranger buying two 20' one inch galvanized pipes, cutting & welding myself ($1000 maybe more)
-installed truck camper by drilling and bolting it down but ended up selling the camper instead (lost money buying the camper for $2000 then selling it for $1000)
-changed numerous plumbing fixtures at parent's house (kitchen faucet w/sprayer, bathroom faucets, complete toilets, etc. (saved $1000's)
-built my own computer in 2012 from scratch;

1) Intel mATX socket 1155 MOBO, BOXHD61SA (supports Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7), $58 from Newegg
2) CPU-Intel Sandy Bridge Celeron dual-core processor, $51 from Newegg (I went with this economical CPU in the event I would not be able to get my system to boot and possibly scrap my project. Later upgraded to Core i5 2500 K.
3) Kingston 4 GB RAM HyperX Blue, $20 from Frys, later upgraded to 8 GB RAM.
4) No video card, and used the integrated graphics installed on the MOBO.

Youtube saved me so much money.

[myrdale]

YouTube cost me money!!

Really though, any hobby I am interested in, I'll watch hours and hours of content. I like seeing what works, and even more I like seeing what doesn't work. It's the same with Amazon, I love negative reviews.

Some of the hobbies I've researched on YouTube before spending money include:

Backpacking
Beekeeping
Caving
Vertical Caving
Astronomy
Astrophotography
Lawn Care
PC / Tech

You do have to apply somewhat of a filter in your mind while you're watching these though. For the most part, people are upfront and truthful, but there are plenty of shady videos I've seen on most everything on that list.

Lots of Dave Ramsey. Homemade Home and Gram Stephan for money & real estate related topics.

[kork13]

I'm probably an oddity of my generation, but I really really hate YouTube. I detest video as a medium for learning, sharing information, or otherwise. I strongly prefer to read something, or if necessary listen to it. Frankly, I think maybe the video is too distracting for me, and my mind doesn't process the words effectively. I constantly have to stop, go back, and replay sections when my mind wanders & I stop paying attention.

I probably spend less than 5min/mo on YouTube.

[disneysteve]

So many things. I’ve posted about them before. The two that come to mind are having disassembled the dryer to troubleshoot and replace a belt and having disassembled the washer to replace the door switch assembly. Those jobs cost under $10 and under $25 respectively.

kork, I’m also not much of a YouTube watcher. I’d rather read or listen but when you’re talking about a physical process like a repair there’s no substitute for watching someone do it step by step. I’ve even used it occasionally in a professional setting to refresh my skills for doing a particular medical procedure. A textbook is nice but nothing beats watching it being done by several different people.

[james.hendrickson]

I've picked up some good sales management training from YouTube.

[ua_guy]

I use Youtube to help with lots of DIY things, but recently, it's also become my go-to for free streaming content. I regularly watch certain channels: Matt's Offroad Recovery, Trail Mater, Bleepin' Jeep, Detail Geek, Fab Rats, Motorweek, Motor Trend. It gets me gearhead content that cable and other streaming can't even begin to touch except for Motorweek and Motor Trend. And it's GOOD stuff. No foul language, no politics, no sex. It's real content, and more than just watching shop and mechanical content, I learn a lot and it gives me ideas. So I find it enriching in that way, and it's a welcome departure from tired old cable content.

I've mentioned some of the money saved by getting DIY tips from Youtube. Getting DIY content isn't new, though, it's existed as part of internet forums for decades. This site is a great example. I may not learn how to fix a heat pump here, but I learn other important mechanics of finance

Probably the biggest relief Youtube provided has been HVAC repair advice. First year we lived here, temps hit over 100 degrees in an unusually hot and dangerous heat wave, and our AC (heat pump) quit on day 1. Youtube helped with basic diagnosis and all signs pointed to a failed capacitor. Now, if you don't have basic electrical knowledge, this can be dangerous, but we do. The cost of failure was low (Heat Pump already broken) and effort was low, so we took a chance and ordered the $25 capacitor and had it shipped overnight. Next afternoon we had AC again, when temps hit a literal-scorching 112 degrees. 3 years later and the burned trees where the sun hit that day are still recovering.

Similarly, our furnace gave up this last winter on a nice, warm 30-degree day. Youtube helped us diagnose a failed inducer fan motor (and another capacitor!). Another low cost of failure and low effort DIY fix that had us back up and running in <2 days.

Youtube has helped with countless car projects and DIY repairs, diagnosis, maintenance. Lots of other home repair. If I had to put a price tag on savings, it's easily thousands, if not tens of thousands.

[disneysteve]

I also use YouTube for free music. I have a few favorite soundtracks that I’ll pull up when I want to listen to them.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

pretty much anything around the house. My DH built a shed with a lot of youtube videos

[myrdale]

The two that come to mind are having disassembled the dryer to troubleshoot and replace a belt and having disassembled the washer to replace the door switch assembly. Those jobs cost under $10 and under $25 respectively.

Similarly for me, I troubleshot an issue with my washing machine that was either a bad speed sensor OR a bad wiring harness. For $10 each, ordered and replaced both! A lot cheaper than $750 washing machine.

[bjl584]

I use it for lots around the house. Mostly DIY stuff.
I don't have an itemized list, but I'm sure I've saved thousands of dollars.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Learned this today from Youtube. Preface to this story I used to buy a brand new $10 Oral B battery toothbrush everytime it got worn out because I could not figure out how to replace the heads (2 pack for $10). The odd thing in the pic is a tool that comes with the 2-pack replacement heads. Before learning from Youtube today that the heads needs that special tool to remove the heads I always discarded the entire toothbrush and bought new ones because I could not figure out how to remove the heads. With the tool it is so easy, lol.