I used my machines to fix a backflow prevention valve that failed inspection and was deemed "Beyond repair". I new one was something like $500 and the only problem with it was that the seats that seal the valve needed to be replaced. They have little ears on them that broke off (I assume when the inspector tried to replace them so he could pass the inspection) so they could not get them out. I said screw that, bought a maintenance kit (about $20), turned down a piece of aluminum to be a tight fit for the inside of the seat, super glued it to the seat and twisted it out. Easy peasy, took 10 minutes tops.
Well, then in order to install the new seat, the little wrench thing was over $200. Not gonna pay that for a little wrench thing. So I parted off the old seat, stuck it in the mill and cut openings for the little ears and boom, $200 wrench thing no longer needed.
It is now good as new and I only spent about 30 minutes and $20.
My dad also used my mill when he was installing hardwoods because he needed to make an odd cut that apparently would be very difficult with a saw (I don't recall what it was that he need to do), but he said it turned a very tough cut to very easy in about 5 minutes.
Also made a fan rod coupler to put together 2 fan rods and hang a fan from a 20 foot ceiling. Another project for my dad, but they did not have a long enough pole at the home depot and he couldn't find something that would work online. Made one on the lathe and it has been holding the fan up for a few years now.
Made a tool for a friend to help put something back together on a car he was restoring. That one was cool because he was only able to find an old picture of it in an old magazine. He measured it up and modeled the tool he needed and sent it to me, I was able to make at and get it to him within a week. As far as he can tell, he probably has one of only a few in the world.
I made a replacement key case for one of my superiors at work when the one for his sons car broke. It was one of the ones where you can get a new one cut for $8, but the dealer wants $300 to program the new chip. He could have ordered a replacement case and pulled the current key apart to relocate the chip, but I thought this would be a fun project.
I help another friend remove a broken bolt from his engine block. That one broke off at an angle so he was afraid to try to drill into it to remove it. I stuck it on my mill, used a small end mill to start a cut into it, switched to a drill to go a bit deeper, and extracted it with an extraction tool. His face when the broken bolt came out was priceless.
I have made a few other things that I am sure I am forgetting... One was a ring for my fiance (not the engagement ring though), titanium studs for my tuxedo, a few work things as well. I don't know if what we do (pharmaceutical research) counts as average person stuff, but I use a few things I have made almost every day.