TIME = MONEY: Collection of PWF strategies to SAVE TIME (even if it cost money)
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This thread collects strategies that SAVE TIME, even if the strategies cost money.
This is the opposite of strategies that take lots of time to save a few bucks. Instead, spend a few bucks, and save lots of time.
These strategies that may not be the absolute cheapest in direct monetary cost/savings, but represent a good balance of money vs. time/hassle/aggravation for those who don’t mind spending a little more money to save time, get good efficient service, minimize hassle, or free up time in your life for family/hobbies etc.
From the FWF thread on this topic it is clear that some people have strong views re whether it is moral to hire a maid, do your own laundry, clean your own gutters etc. But please, lets keep this thread focused on sharing strategies that save time with an emphasis on strategies that at first may seem expensive, but because they save significant time, are in fact good efficient strategies for people who value their time to pursue other activities (whether that’s making more money, exercising, reading to your kids etc).
This thread is not a place to share general household tips, or general money-saving tips etc. It is for time-saving tips, especially ones that cost money but are well worth the cost.
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Gutter guards to keep all the crap out this time of year. Cost me a couple hundred bucks to have them installed a few years ago. Value of not spending a couple hours to clear them, rodding clogged downspouts in the rain, and risking my a$$ on the roof (potentially also damaging shingles) = priceless.
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An expensive one, but another I feel well worth the investment, was a whole-house generator with an automatic transfer switch. I can travel in winter without worry of power loss leading to frozen pipes/flooded house. In the heat of summer I don’t have to worry about pets or loved ones getting too warm in a heat wave due to lack of AC. If you work from home, paired with a UPS for computers, no worries about continuing to work.
Added bonus - while the neighbors are lighting candles and digging for flashlights, I’m still streaming Netflix and not afraid to open the fridge to get a cold beverage.
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We are surrounded by trees in our property. We consulted an arborist when we noticed rotting at the base of a huge oak tree in the front yard. Recommendation was to take it down because it cannot stand a strong gush of wind. As much as I wanted to preserve it, the consultant said it cannot be saved. It would’ve cost more if the tree fell towards the main road where vehicles pass that can possibly cause damage to life, limb and properties.
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This one may seem a little silly, but it has become a huge time saver for me - and no cost - if you wear buttoned shirts, don’t fully unbutton them prior to washing. I used to dread big loads of laundry because I’d spend tons of time fixing the ones that turned inside-out in the wash, then putting on hanger, doing all the buttons to get them to hang straight, then straightening collar. Now I just undo the top button or two and pull the shirt over my head - they don’t turn inside out as often and the hanging/re-buttoning is way faster and less frustrating. Wish I hadn’t spent years feeling like I had to undo all the buttons for them to get clean…
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A FAST/good document feeder/scanner where you can quickly store documents on your computer. Flatbed scanner won’t cut it.
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SSD hard drives.
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Autopay/direct debit credit cards: only have credit cards that can be set up to automatically withdraw full balance from bank acct on the payment due date. I still review the statements to see if any charges are inappropriate, but otherwise don’t bother with paying credit card bills.
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Autopay all utilities, other recurring charges: I try to have them charged to a credit card, rather than withdrawn from checking (to maximize cc points, minimize revealing bank account info, and to be able to dispute the cc charge if there is a problem).
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Pay all remaining bills by checkfree/bank online type programs. Sometimes these can be automated as well to automatically write and send the check (or wire equivalent). BOA & Citibank works well for this.
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Direct deposit of paycheck.
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Many trade jobs: If I can pay someone $X/hour to do that work, and I make $X Y/hour at my job or I otherwise value my leisure time at that much, and Y > any extra time/cost in dealing with the outsourcing, then it is simple math that it makes economic sense to outsource/delegate/hire out certain tasks. ** BUT, remember the money you earn is pre-tax. The money you spend is post-tax. With this in mind, it’s costing you ~30-40% more than what you’re earning.
- House cleaning - would take me 4-5 hours, get it done for $XX.00
- Oil changes - would take me about an hour in my garage and get it changed for $XX.00 in labor.
- Snow Removal
- Painting
- Car washing (I drop it off with the guy in the parking garage)
- Handyman jobs
- Lawn mowing
- Gutter cleaning ( see @mikk1 post above or let someone else be at risk to fall off the ladder)
- When outsourcing many trade jobs, the trick is finding a good person. That usually means not using a professional service that advertises and instead finding an individual who works on their own – usually recommended by a friend.
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@mikk1 yes, the gutter guards at Lowe’s are not that expensive but for us who have a lot of trees, the benefits far outweigh the cost even if one has to pay someone to install them in case you can’t do it yourself. We have saved thousands of dollars because DH is an all around handyman.
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We have free supply of wood from a tree company that dumps the tree cuttings in our property. We invested in a wood burning heater and log splitter which were not cheap, but it has lowered our bills during the winter. I also managed to sell the excess wood we have when people stop by offering X amount for Y amount of wood; I take whatever offer knowing supply always gets replenished.
We’ve also maxed out our home insurance deductible to the point we’re “insuring” ourselves for catastrophic events. We came with this decision based on our emergency funds stash. Should there be any damages that need to be repaired that is less than our deductible, we know we can take care of it. Right now, DH does minor repairs here and there to prevent serious damages. It seems costly at times but we’re of the mindset that it’s going to be way more expensive if we don’t make the necessary repairs now.
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@ma-barker said in TIME = MONEY: Collection of PWF strategies to SAVE TIME (even if it cost money):
We have free supply of wood from a tree company that dumps the tree cuttings in our property. We invested in a wood burning heater and log splitter which were not cheap, but it has lowered our bills during the winter. I also managed to sell the excess wood we have when people stop by offering X amount for Y amount of wood; I take whatever offer knowing supply always gets replenished.
We’ve also maxed out our home insurance deductible to the point we’re “insuring” ourselves for catastrophic events. … … It seems costly at times but we’re of the mindset that it’s going to be way more expensive if we don’t make the necessary repairs now.
Same here. Deductibles as high as I can get them and accepted the fact that “small” things are on me years ago. Unless it’s something major, it’s not worth filing a claim and screwing my future rates/insurability.
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btw, talking of deductibles, I know of someone who chose the highest deductible to get lower premiums on their auto insurance. Then one day, she got involved in a minor accident that needed minor repairs to her car. When she filed a claim, she realized she has to come up with her deductible first before insurance takes the rest of the tab; she didn’t have an EF to cover for it so she can’t have her vehicle repaired.
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@ma-barker said in TIME = MONEY: Collection of PWF strategies to SAVE TIME (even if it cost money):
btw, talking of deductibles, I know of someone who chose the highest deductible to get lower premiums on their auto insurance. Then one day, she got involved in a minor accident that needed minor repairs to her car. When she filed a claim, she realized she has to come up with her deductible first before insurance takes the rest of the tab; she didn’t have an EF to cover for it so she can’t have her vehicle repaired.
Wonder why she filed a claim.
The whole idea behind this strategy is to pay OOP for minor repairs.
Also, the premium goes up if you use insurance claims.
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@marcopolomle said in TIME = MONEY: Collection of PWF strategies to SAVE TIME (even if it cost money):
@ma-barker said in TIME = MONEY: Collection of PWF strategies to SAVE TIME (even if it cost money):
btw, talking of deductibles, I know of someone who chose the highest deductible to get lower premiums on their auto insurance. Then one day, she got involved in a minor accident that needed minor repairs to her car. When she filed a claim, she realized she has to come up with her deductible first before insurance takes the rest of the tab; she didn’t have an EF to cover for it so she can’t have her vehicle repaired.
Wonder why she filed a claim.
The whole idea behind this strategy is to pay OOP for minor repairs.
Also, the premium goes up if you use insurance claims.Exactly. The savings achieved by having high deductible should go into the emergency fund to cover a minor occurrence. What I initially saved in premiums was enough to fund a 1MM umbrella policy I added to cover me if things really go South.
It’s all just a risk/reward game and everyone has to play it the way that works best for their individual circumstances.
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@marcopolomle the only reason I can think of is she wasn’t thinking ahead and just focused on getting a lower premium. the problem is, she wanted to pay less without knowing where she will get the deductible when an accident happens. IMO, as long as one has EF saved they can pull out in case of emergency, opting for high deductible is a smart way to save money.
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M1 Finance - allows one to own a portfolio of individual stocks or ETFs, based on my defined allocations. Now, if I want to add to my position in 15 stocks, I make a deposit and the computer divides it up to the penny so as to bring my holdings closer into balance. They charge .15% of assets under management for accounts >$100,000. It is very nifty.
