My first reaction to this article is, Discretionary spending--what's that? I've had to cut my living expenses down to the bone due to right sizing, downsizing, laying off and deadbeat employers *not* paying me. There is nothing left to cut. I know that I'm not alone, but this is no consolation. There are currently 31 million under and unemployed Americans, but the corporately consolidated mainstream press doesn't bother to report these numbers, just the massaged, feel-good, heavily manipulated BLS UI rate. The economic situation in this country is worse and becoming increasingly desperate with each passing day, and, the problems the congressional aristocracy focus on are unions, organic farmers and teachers. Funny, but none of them crashed the economy. A second revolution is coming and it won't be pretty when it happens.
I think that you have a good strategy to make sure that someone can follow to make sure that they can sustain an illness, job loss or worse. I think that creating multiple streams of income is one of the best ways to make sure that one can thrive. No company has one customer and that is exactly what most people do with their employer. Your employer is your customer. You sell them your time and effort in turn for the sale (your paycheck). If there is a layoff, you have lost your one customer. Diversify your customer base!
I do for some things but not others. I refuse to pay extra for pre-cut produce, for example. But I definitely will pay for car repairs (which I don't know how to do - so maybe less convenience and more lack of knowledge on my part there), as well as some quick-prep meals like frozen stuff.
Big Box stores are not local: they purchase most items from countries that have no pollution or employment standards. The cost to human suffering and earth pollution is significant. They do very little to bolster a local economy as most items are mfg in other countries and most profits go off shore to hide out from taxes. They are the epitomy of short term thinking and unsustainability.
I try to avoid shopping in them but it is difficult because "freee trade" ha ha has off shored American jobs for this crap.
We are becoming America by and for the corporations and the hell with people. i cry for my grandkids.
Yes, my family pays for conveniences. After 16 years of marriage, I have finally started making room in the budget to have my hair cut and colored regularly, which is every six weeks. I have extremely long hair and I tried coloring it myself but it was too much of a hassle. I also tried waxing my own eyebrows and that was a disaster. Now I go to the salon to have my eyebrows done every two weeks.
My husband does all of our household repairs, car repairs, oil changes and yard maintenance. We're very lucky that he knows how to do a lot. It has saved us a lot of money.
My husband works a schedule that is difficult to keep up with, so I have been buying more convenience foods and frozen dinners that he can have for his meals, since he always takes his lunch to work.
One convenience I would love to be able to afford: Someone to come and organize my house and then someone to keep it clean for me! :-)
It's like the doctors telling folks an illness is in their genes.
When a doctor does not understand the nature of illness, she would ask about the parents. Nope! the parents don't have it. Then the doctor says what about your grandparents. The patient says OH Yap! my father said his father had this illness. So the doctor says your illness skips one generation.
I don't believe for a minute the truthfulness of the research whether it was reviewed by Time or someone else.
The problem I see is that in the name of science, so much of the data is corrupted by these scientists. The same goes for research in the name of religion.
the only reason I do pay for convenience is because I have very limited time to do it myself. although it would be cheaper to grow my own garden and have my own veggies and fruits I dont have the time.
Yes. I have a housekeeper who comes once a week. It was my therapist who recommended it. It is a fantastic service for me...I previously spent much of my life beating myself up about the state of my house (my mother is a fabulous housekeeper and neatnik). Now, as long as the house is picked up, I know the grungies will be taken care of. I can honestly say that I am mentally and emotionally healthier because of my housekeeper.
I am on the fence between convenience and saving money. Always buy convenience when it saves time and gives you opportunity to enjoy other things. To save money I use coupons, store circular and a grocery list. But I always go to my mechanic to get my oil change, instead of doing it myself. My husband works 2 job so it is convenient to pay extra for a dvr, so he does not miss his programs while he is making money. I try to shop more online to save money on gas. For years now we have been enjoying Staycations, picnic for lunch and eat out for dinner while enjoying my own city. This helped contribute to our emergency savings so that my husband could fly to be with his father during a serious illness. I pay cash for almost everything, to save money on the convenience of credit interest rates. I wash my car by hand instead of using the convenience of an automatic car wash, good exercise, and a little fun in the sun.
I think there are more things that I wish I did on my own but I don't have the time or the motivation to really learn to do it myself. I think it can really depend on the price too. For instance, I always have my oil changed even though I could probably do it more cheaply myself. But, when I had a rust spot form on my car and I took it in for quotes the price was outrageous. From $500 to $1000. So instead I went to autozone, bought sandpaper, primer, and paint (maybe $30 total) and did it myself. I'll cut my own fruit but I'll pay to have someone else paint my nails. I think it depends on the price, what I get for the money, what I consider to be difficult, etc.
In food, we pay for convenience only when the cost of the prepared is far less than the $ and time needed to make it ourselves. Unless homemade quality increases substantially.
Oh, yes, I pay for conveniences at our house. I use Amazon Subscribe & Save for a lot of household and pantry items; I pay to have my oil changed; I'll buy precut vegetables and salad mixes. Sometimes I'll buy a roast chicken at the deli instead of cooking one myself. Stouffer's Lasagna instead of homemade? You bet! I shop for books online from the comfort of home. Guess I'm at that certain age and I'm now tired of having to do so many things myself.
Yes, I pay for convenience. I am fully capable of washing my own hair. However, it would take me about 4 hours. It takes my stylist 2.5 and she does a much better job! Same for pedicures.
When it comes to convenience, and doing it myself. I must weigh the opportunity cost of DIY or getting it serviced.
I used to do my own car washes, but realized it was a hassle, and took lots of time just to complete.
Taking out the house, getting towels, soap bucket, wheel cleaner, and brushes. I realized that for the cost of the wheel cleaner, I can get my whoel car cleaned. Much cleaner than I can get it myself, and quicker too. The wheels can be very diffult to clean if you’re doing them by yourself, unless you have a pressure washer.
If the job is dangerous like gutter cleaning. I would rather pay for the service.
If I can do the job myself, cheaper, faster, and better myself then I will. If not I am willing to pay for the service.
I think that some carefully chosen convenience items can improve overall health and productivity. I buy "baby" carrots because I know that if I buy the whole carrots, then they will most likely turn black in my fridge waiting to get peeled and eaten, but if I have baby carrots in the fridge, I will munch on those while I cook the rest of my meal. So I see buying baby carrots as a good investment: they improve my overall nutrition, and they take the edge off of my hunger so that I have enough time to cook the rest of my meal and I'm not tempted to rely on other convenience or restaurant foods to satisfy me.
Over the past 10 years as a stay-at-home mom, time has become more abundant and money much less so. So yes, I've learned to make many foods from scratch, and we very rarely eat out. I clean my own house and car. Our landlady takes care of house repairs and yard maintenance. My husband has started an orchard, vegetable garden, and chicken coop at our commercial farm, where we hope to build a small house.
I used to buy pre-cut, pre shredded, pre-made you name it and I bought it. Now I make my own salad dressing, cut and shred my every thing, and make household cleansers. I try to not buy anything pre-made that I can make myself. The housekeeper has been long gone.
I think your points are extremely valid, like a condensed version of Dave Ramsey. Thanks.
My first reaction to this article is, Discretionary spending--what's that? I've had to cut my living expenses down to the bone due to right sizing, downsizing, laying off and deadbeat employers *not* paying me. There is nothing left to cut. I know that I'm not alone, but this is no consolation. There are currently 31 million under and unemployed Americans, but the corporately consolidated mainstream press doesn't bother to report these numbers, just the massaged, feel-good, heavily manipulated BLS UI rate. The economic situation in this country is worse and becoming increasingly desperate with each passing day, and, the problems the congressional aristocracy focus on are unions, organic farmers and teachers. Funny, but none of them crashed the economy. A second revolution is coming and it won't be pretty when it happens.
Philip,
I think that you have a good strategy to make sure that someone can follow to make sure that they can sustain an illness, job loss or worse. I think that creating multiple streams of income is one of the best ways to make sure that one can thrive. No company has one customer and that is exactly what most people do with their employer. Your employer is your customer. You sell them your time and effort in turn for the sale (your paycheck). If there is a layoff, you have lost your one customer. Diversify your customer base!
Cheers,
Joe
I do for some things but not others. I refuse to pay extra for pre-cut produce, for example. But I definitely will pay for car repairs (which I don't know how to do - so maybe less convenience and more lack of knowledge on my part there), as well as some quick-prep meals like frozen stuff.
Big Box stores are not local: they purchase most items from countries that have no pollution or employment standards. The cost to human suffering and earth pollution is significant. They do very little to bolster a local economy as most items are mfg in other countries and most profits go off shore to hide out from taxes. They are the epitomy of short term thinking and unsustainability.
I try to avoid shopping in them but it is difficult because "freee trade" ha ha has off shored American jobs for this crap.
We are becoming America by and for the corporations and the hell with people. i cry for my grandkids.
depends on what it is. not precut veggies/fruits but definitely an oil change!
Yes, my family pays for conveniences. After 16 years of marriage, I have finally started making room in the budget to have my hair cut and colored regularly, which is every six weeks. I have extremely long hair and I tried coloring it myself but it was too much of a hassle. I also tried waxing my own eyebrows and that was a disaster. Now I go to the salon to have my eyebrows done every two weeks.
My husband does all of our household repairs, car repairs, oil changes and yard maintenance. We're very lucky that he knows how to do a lot. It has saved us a lot of money.
My husband works a schedule that is difficult to keep up with, so I have been buying more convenience foods and frozen dinners that he can have for his meals, since he always takes his lunch to work.
One convenience I would love to be able to afford: Someone to come and organize my house and then someone to keep it clean for me! :-)
It's like the doctors telling folks an illness is in their genes.
When a doctor does not understand the nature of illness, she would ask about the parents. Nope! the parents don't have it. Then the doctor says what about your grandparents. The patient says OH Yap! my father said his father had this illness. So the doctor says your illness skips one generation.
I don't believe for a minute the truthfulness of the research whether it was reviewed by Time or someone else.
The problem I see is that in the name of science, so much of the data is corrupted by these scientists. The same goes for research in the name of religion.
the only reason I do pay for convenience is because I have very limited time to do it myself. although it would be cheaper to grow my own garden and have my own veggies and fruits I dont have the time.
Pressed flowers are always good. Put them in a book with a pic of you or your kids.
I get the pre-cut apples at the store so I can eat them easily. It costs more but saves time in cutting!
Very good post. Even though some of the questions seem obvious or common sense, it's easy to forget to think about these.
I have started paying for convenience with a new baby! Grocery delivery has been a big one!
Yes. I have a housekeeper who comes once a week. It was my therapist who recommended it. It is a fantastic service for me...I previously spent much of my life beating myself up about the state of my house (my mother is a fabulous housekeeper and neatnik). Now, as long as the house is picked up, I know the grungies will be taken care of. I can honestly say that I am mentally and emotionally healthier because of my housekeeper.
I was just about to pimp http://gordonandthewhale.com myself and was excited to see them at the top of the comments!
I am on the fence between convenience and saving money. Always buy convenience when it saves time and gives you opportunity to enjoy other things. To save money I use coupons, store circular and a grocery list. But I always go to my mechanic to get my oil change, instead of doing it myself. My husband works 2 job so it is convenient to pay extra for a dvr, so he does not miss his programs while he is making money. I try to shop more online to save money on gas. For years now we have been enjoying Staycations, picnic for lunch and eat out for dinner while enjoying my own city. This helped contribute to our emergency savings so that my husband could fly to be with his father during a serious illness. I pay cash for almost everything, to save money on the convenience of credit interest rates. I wash my car by hand instead of using the convenience of an automatic car wash, good exercise, and a little fun in the sun.
I think there are more things that I wish I did on my own but I don't have the time or the motivation to really learn to do it myself. I think it can really depend on the price too. For instance, I always have my oil changed even though I could probably do it more cheaply myself. But, when I had a rust spot form on my car and I took it in for quotes the price was outrageous. From $500 to $1000. So instead I went to autozone, bought sandpaper, primer, and paint (maybe $30 total) and did it myself. I'll cut my own fruit but I'll pay to have someone else paint my nails. I think it depends on the price, what I get for the money, what I consider to be difficult, etc.
In food, we pay for convenience only when the cost of the prepared is far less than the $ and time needed to make it ourselves. Unless homemade quality increases substantially.
I will usually try to determine the cost/benefit of paying for convenience. If there is a great financial benefit either way, the choice is easy.
Oh, yes, I pay for conveniences at our house. I use Amazon Subscribe & Save for a lot of household and pantry items; I pay to have my oil changed; I'll buy precut vegetables and salad mixes. Sometimes I'll buy a roast chicken at the deli instead of cooking one myself. Stouffer's Lasagna instead of homemade? You bet! I shop for books online from the comfort of home. Guess I'm at that certain age and I'm now tired of having to do so many things myself.
Yes, I pay for convenience. I am fully capable of washing my own hair. However, it would take me about 4 hours. It takes my stylist 2.5 and she does a much better job! Same for pedicures.
When it comes to convenience, and doing it myself. I must weigh the opportunity cost of DIY or getting it serviced.
I used to do my own car washes, but realized it was a hassle, and took lots of time just to complete.
Taking out the house, getting towels, soap bucket, wheel cleaner, and brushes. I realized that for the cost of the wheel cleaner, I can get my whoel car cleaned. Much cleaner than I can get it myself, and quicker too. The wheels can be very diffult to clean if you’re doing them by yourself, unless you have a pressure washer.
If the job is dangerous like gutter cleaning. I would rather pay for the service.
If I can do the job myself, cheaper, faster, and better myself then I will. If not I am willing to pay for the service.
I think that some carefully chosen convenience items can improve overall health and productivity. I buy "baby" carrots because I know that if I buy the whole carrots, then they will most likely turn black in my fridge waiting to get peeled and eaten, but if I have baby carrots in the fridge, I will munch on those while I cook the rest of my meal. So I see buying baby carrots as a good investment: they improve my overall nutrition, and they take the edge off of my hunger so that I have enough time to cook the rest of my meal and I'm not tempted to rely on other convenience or restaurant foods to satisfy me.
Over the past 10 years as a stay-at-home mom, time has become more abundant and money much less so. So yes, I've learned to make many foods from scratch, and we very rarely eat out. I clean my own house and car. Our landlady takes care of house repairs and yard maintenance. My husband has started an orchard, vegetable garden, and chicken coop at our commercial farm, where we hope to build a small house.
I used to buy pre-cut, pre shredded, pre-made you name it and I bought it. Now I make my own salad dressing, cut and shred my every thing, and make household cleansers. I try to not buy anything pre-made that I can make myself. The housekeeper has been long gone.