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My buddy's kid asked me why I fix old stuff instead of just selling new ones

He's 12, and he was watching me solder a 2013 laptop board in my garage. He said, 'Wouldn't it be faster to tell them to buy a new one?' It made me think about how we explain the value of repair to people who just see it as slow. How do you talk about this job without sounding like you're just making extra work?
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the_elliot
the_elliot20d ago
Hot take: New isn't always better. That kid's coming from a world where everything's disposable. It's not about being slow, it's about being smart. Fixing things saves people a ton of money and keeps good stuff out of the trash. It's a skill that actually matters, unlike just telling someone to go buy more junk. Sometimes the right way takes a little longer.
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schmidt.amy
Totally agree with @the_elliot on this. My old blender motor gave out last year and everyone said to just get a new one. Found a repair video online, ordered a ten dollar part, and it's still going. That's a few hundred bucks saved and one less thing in a landfill. The push to just replace everything feels lazy and expensive.
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