That's not a typo in the subject line.
A few years ago, I needed to have a patch sewn onto one of my uniforms, and I was fed up paying $4 per patch to have someone else do it and waiting 3-5 days to get it back. My wife had a starter sewing machine that she's never used, and I was determined to do it myself. I figured if YouTube could teach me to fix my car, it could teach me to sew!
That first experiment was a little messy, but I got the hang of it. Feeling my head grow 3x too big, I immediately took on making an ultralight down sleeping bag, which I still have, use, and love to this day. Over the years, more outdoor gear has been constructed from my own two hands, and all of my name tapes, rank insignia, and miscellaneous patches have been sewn onto my uniforms by myself.
I just spent a couple of weeks in the field with my battalion, and during the op, I accidentally cut a giant hole in the crotch of my trousers (way too close for comfort). Not wanting to show off my junk to an entire battalion of Marines, and unable to find my field sewing kit, I stapled my pants together...which lasted all of five minutes. I finally found a corpsman with a sewing kit who was generous enough to let me borrow it, and I did the best hand-stitched job I could on a high-stress area of the pants. It mostly held up through the rest of the op - didn't look pretty by the end, but was better than giving the world a peep show.
Once I got home, I whipped out the sewing machine, and stitched a tight seam that will endure for many years to come. It's not noticeable unless someone just happens to be closely staring at and studying my crotch...which would be pretty awkward.
End result? I spent $0, and about 10 minutes of my time vs. spending $45 for new trousers, $4 for a nametape, and $4 to have it sewn on, plus the time to drive to the PX to buy the pants, then another time to pick them up after having the tape sewn on. That nets about $53, plus the cost of gas and inconvenience of two hours of driving. Bonus: my sons (6 and 3) watched me do it and asked questions the whole time, getting a head start on learning a new skill.