So spend an afternoon doing all that, after purchasing:

Air Filter
Spark/glow plugs
Oil
Sump plug spanner
Plug Wrench
Jack
Oil catch pan
tarp/bin bags for the driveway
Jack - possibly!

and spend time going down the tip with the oil (which, funnily enough is about 5 mins away - for most it wont be).

Id imagine after Ive bought all the toys and taken the time out it would have been easier and not much cheaper to pay the machanic.

Yeah the tools, etc are there for next time if you do all that, but I dont want to spend my free time toying with cars to save a few quid, so its not for me.

fair dos

Someone put up a useful comparison thread between men and women on this but I cant be bothered to find it ATM