Save some money: How to be an instant handy man around your house (thanks to MensHealth magazine)

I've always been lucky and had my father and some friends to help me out with house repairs. I say lucky, because as you all know, a plumber can be very expensive (as are his colleagues in other fields). Maybe though it's time that I switch my keyboard for a hammer! Where do I start? I found this interesting article in MensHealth describing 16 quick tips to fix many things in a house. They're not all good tips (why did they throw one about wireless routers?) but they're worth a look ...

My favorite tip from the list:

Fix a hole in drywall
1 Cut a square or rectangle at an easy-to-measure size—like 5 by 5 inches—around the hole with a utility knife, says former Sex Pistols front man John Lydon, who knows a few things about punching (and fixing) walls. Be sure to expose half the width of the closest stud.

2 Cut a new square of drywall to fit. Screw the patch onto the stud, and cover the cracks with a piece of joint tape. Coat the entire work area with a thin sheet of joint compound.

3 When dry, sand the area with a fine-grit sandpaper and apply paint primer over the patch. If you still see seams, coat with more compound and sand again.