As prices and building costs keep rising, the "do-it-yourself" (DIY) trend in the U. S. continues to grow.
"We needed furniture for our living room," says John Ross, "and we just didn`t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs." John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a two-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. "1 was deeply upset about it. Now I`ve finished a car repair course, and I should be able to fix the car by myself.`
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a "do-it-yourselfer`, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don`t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
自己动手
随着物价和房价的上涨，在美国“自己动手”(DIY)的趋势也在继续增长。“那时候，我们的起居室正需要一些家具，”约翰·罗斯说，“不过我们买不起。所以我们就决定试着自己动手做一些桌椅。”六个月前，约翰结婚了。在生活费很高的今天，像很多年轻人一样，他们为置办一个家而努力着。 罗斯夫妇交了280美元参加了一个为期两周的夜校学习。现在他们不光自己制作了全部的家具，还亲自动手进行家中所有的维修工作。
吉姆·海特菲尔德的妻子去世后，给他留下三个儿子。吉姆是个全职父亲，并在一家制鞋厂打工。上个月，他收到了一份420美元的汽车维修单。“那时，我对它特别心烦。不过，现在我学完了一门汽车维修的课程，这样我就能自己动手修车了。”
像约翰和吉姆这样的人并不是少数。在美国，大部分家庭都会自己动手做一些力所能及的事情来节约开支，以应付高额的生活开销。如果你想成为一个“自己动手的人”，你可以参加一些DIY课程。对于那些没有时间听课的人来说，还有一些书会告诉你如何自己动手。
