Several comments:
- Several people have commented "We didn't learn this stuff in school." Unless you've opted into an elective course, I don't think it's ever been the school's job to teach you how to change light bulbs or sew on buttons. These things should be learned at home.
- Two things that I'm shocked my students don't know how to do: Mail a letter (yes, multiple students have asked me just how one goes about mailing in recommendations, etc. for college -- and, yes, they're asking for help with the logistics: where does one get a stamp, how does one address an envelope?). Make a xerox copy -- they want to take pictures of things, which isn't always the right option.
- If you don't know how to do something, it's easier today than it ever has been in the past. We have YouTube now. When my dryer broke, my husband sat down on the floor and watched a video, stopped it frequently, and bit by bit, he fixed the dryer.
- I understand the concept of "I work hard and have little time to do chores, so I choose to outsource some". Sometimes this makes sense; for example, some mending /tailoring chores are relatively complicated (for example, replacing a zipper), and it might make sense to pay someone rather than risk messing up a nice piece of clothing. We each get to decide where to draw the line between "worth it" and "not worth it". Still, when it comes to things like putting up your Christmas lights, picking up dog poop, etc., we all CAN do those those things, and (assuming you're able bodied) it's pretty hard to justify paying someone to take your trash to the curb.
- In conclusion, the one thing that shocks me most when people say "I can't do this" is ... cooking. Okay, I can see that everyone might not have the wherewithall to bake a fancy cake or something else that takes real skill ... but, really, who can't scramble an egg or fry a pork chop? Plus, because cooking is an everyday task, the potential reward for learning some basic skills is huge.