The latter issue applies to so many areas, like buying a new appliances, or buying a car (which is also on our list of things to do) or even getting work done on the car. In this case, I'm not certain what the best type of gravel for my driveway is (two inch minus?) or how deep it should be (2 inches? 4?). I know that in many cases, the answer is "it depends." Thus I'm not sure if $190 per 10 yard truck is a good deal and whether 4 of those will be enough or too much for our driveway.
As for the fence, I researched a bit about pricing for the amount of chain link fencing that I need installed before making my calls. The only place that returned my call gave an estimate that was below the figures that I had researched. Sure, I could save money by doing this myself, but it would also be a job full of frustration and probably not done as well considering how little experience I have with it. Considering that the purpose of the fence is to keep my dogs, I would rather it was done well.
On a side note, I am glad that the state of Michigan finally paid back some of the money they took from me for wanting a pension as a teacher; otherwise, these projects might be waiting a bit longer.