Lament over the Costs of DIY!

I’ve always been someone who believed in the saying “whoever learns a trade, puts something aside,” that is, whoever learns to do things himself saves a lot of money. Lately I find myself saying: not so much! I’m truly stunned, for example, by the cost of wood in Italy. It’s outrageous! It costs more to build yourself a little cabinet with softwood than to buy one already made, perhaps even with hardwood! It’s hard to believe… I’d like to do more craft work, but the costs really discourage me. My great-grandfather had a bit of the craftsman in him, and my father did too, to some extent. My older brother was able to work for a craft workshop and learned all sorts of things. It’s in my blood, I like doing it, but the costs in Italy make it unthinkable! Masonry already costs much less, but working with wood is not very feasible. But this is how a society loses its art! Who works with wood anymore in Italy? There are hardly any craftsmen left. Things are made in series, industrially, but there is no artistic touch. Let us preserve human creativity! Let us preserve and encourage craftsmanship! Let us encourage it also from an economic point of view!