I guess I'm just with Heinlein on this one: Specialization is for insects. Interdependence is great if you can [currently] afford it. I sometimes pay someone to do something that I know I can do myself. I consider it a guilty luxury. But what's the plan if you run into hard times? When money stops magically appearing? Stop driving because you don't know how to keep your car functioning? Wear dirty, wrinkled clothing because you can't do laundry? Stop eating because you can't cook?

Being able to transform money into convenience is a great benefit of living in a modern inter-connected society. But it's only great while it lasts, and relying on always having this ability is a risky move. When my parents ran into hard times they raised and slaughtered hogs. When things got better we stopped. I don't think I'd be alive today if they didn't have that know how.

If I am running into hard times I’m probably unemployed, the little money I save by pressing my own clothes isn’t going to make a dent in my inability to pay our bills - and if I am not working, I won’t be wearing clothes that need pressing.

If the hard time is temporary, that’s what credit is for. If it is systemic, I’ve got bigger fish to fry - downsizing our house, getting job training, moving near a bus line to save money on car insurance, etc.

It’s just like the BS “Latte Factor”. People are not unable to save for retirement because of $6/day Latte. It’s usually because they have high fixed costs relative to their income.

80-90% of people earn less

The average car is almost 12 years old (https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/average-vehicle-age-incre...) and most people aren’t fixing their own car. That means most people can afford the maintenance needed to keep a car on the road.

As many dry cleaners that I see even in the less affluent parts of the city, people are able to afford to do that too.

Most less affluent people who do own their own home (as well as many who could afford it) do cut their own grass.