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Thread: How Much (or Little) Do You Value Your Time?

  1. #1
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    Default How Much (or Little) Do You Value Your Time?

    A theme in a bunch of threads lately that seems to be cropping up is what qualifies as a waste of time for people. I'm interested, how do you draw the line for what activities are worth spending time on? Can be recreational (I've read that my interest in golf is a huge waste of time), or daily tasks (like waiting in a 30min lineup to save $3 at the Costco gas station, or perhaps you hire out your yardwork). Do you look at it quantitatively? i.e., you net $150/hr for work, if something costs less than that, hire it out; if it costs more, DIY? Or perhaps make more arbitrary decisions on a case-by-case basis?

    I typically prioritize efficiency/time over saving money (you'll never catch me in line for gas at Costco). I skew more towards the hire-it-out end; the exceptions I make are for doing things that I kind of enjoy (I mow my own lawn), or things that take less time to do myself (changing my own tires takes less time than driving to a shop have them do it).

    As for my explanation for why I choose an expensive and time consuming recreation activity like golf... I just like it. That being said, I do it much less than I used to (was 50 rounds/yr before kids and when I only worked <50hrs/week). Today it looks a little different.. I play 9 holes after supper more often than I do 18 on a weekend.


    So, on the scale of @happy hopping to @Buster , where do you land?

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    I think leisure activities get a pass - or at least it's individual how you would assess them. Golf is for sure a waste of time, but not any more so than any other leisure activities. When people don't understand why I don't golf, I tell them that I prefer to waste my time in other ways.

    In terms of "productive" type activities, I only do the ones that I like to do. And even those are shrinking. I had the bike shop do some repairs on my mountain bike recently because I didn't want to spare the hour and I like working on bikes.

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    I only hire out if there is a chance that I'll fuck it up and it will cost me even more. That is my threshold.

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    Not sure how much anyone values their time if we spend so much of it here debating with internet strangers about our epeen sizes...

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    Depends on the activity and how much I hate it. Cleaning up the yard and improving it each year I'm proud of that so I don't mind doing it even though I could hire a kid to do it for cheap. Mudding drywall and trying to lay tile? Fuck that I don't want to sit and do that either way. And certain reno activities I accept I'd rather done right than done DIY.

    As for stuff like daily tasks, I don't mind wasting time to save a bit but I also am mindful of doing things at more optimal time. I wouldn't go to costco on a weekend but Tuesday at 5pm? Nearly 0 lineup for gas and sparse inside so I'll go then. Life is about enjoying it but not avoiding life. Even with 7.2 mill in the bank and living in aspen it'd be a sad day if you hire out someone to do all your cooking, cleaning, maintenance, yard, etc and you just exist without responsibility / small accomplishments. Sounds boring tbh.

    (Not to be confused with saying eating out isn't fun, it is. But if it was every meal it'd be boring and remind me of work trips.)

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    I only do Costco gas if I'm already going that way and I need gas. If I'm sitting for half an hour, I'm not doing it because like you said, my time is worth more than the $15 I'll save.

    I used to do everything myself because I'm cheap. Now, for example, I had guys come in and do carpet at my house and I got to spend those 2 days with my family doing fun stuff, that's worth it to me to save alot of headaches and me fucking things up and being able to not stress about it.

    I feel like if it's going to save me time/stress and I get to spend more time with my family, then it's worth it to not do it myself.

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    How many people hire out something and do nothing important/productive with the time they just freed up?

    That's more of a indicator of how much you value your time.

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    An analogy I can give is when I had my Z out of commission for a few years (engine pull etc.), but during that time I paid a bike repair company to restore my old mountain bike. A buddy of mine who was nagging me to get my car done said well why don't hire a mechanic to finish your car. A valid question on some level. But the way i looked at it is I spent maybe a couple hundred bucks on the bike repair, and the guy did everything. I basically got back a brand new bike. I didn't need to buy a bunch of specialized tools or racks, I didn't need to spend time researching how to pull and refresh a bottom bracket etc. $200 and boom done (included new tires, new seat, among other things).

    Whereas my car, which was in pieces in my garage, would've cost me thousands and thousands of dollars to pay someone to do that work for me. And in that case I already had the knowledge and tools, it was only free time that held me up. I eventually got my car back together, with the help a couple other local Z owners, and saved a shit tonne of money and gained knowledge and experience in the process.

    Maybe some day I'll look into DIY bike maintenance, but in the short term it just wasn't worth the hassle to me. But cars, I continue to do my own maintenance on all our vehicles as long as its within my capacity.

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    For me its not always about time/value/money, but doing things that I get satisfaction from. As my regular job has me sitting at a desk for 95% of the day, I enjoy getting my hands dirty around the house/car. (of course assuming I have the time) Also add it has to be something I can do myself without a huge ramification if I screw it up! I enjoy learning new things and trying it myself regardless if it takes me twice as long as a hiring it out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    Not sure how much anyone values their time if we spend so much of it here debating with internet strangers about our epeen sizes...
    Shitposting on Beyond is a leisure activity, which apparently gets a pass
    Originally posted by max_boost
    Hey baller, any problem money can solve is no problem at all. Don't sweat it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    Not sure how much anyone values their time if we spend so much of it here debating with internet strangers about our epeen sizes...
    im all for some epeen show and tell but some of yall practically live here lol
    Quote Originally Posted by Mitsu3000gt View Post
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    and I did not have the only say in the matter (most people just want it done ASAP and don't care about quality).
    Quote Originally Posted by Mitsu3000gt View Post
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    If anything we made a better decision because we had a consensus and were all on the same page.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Strider View Post
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    Shitposting on Beyond is a leisure activity, which apparently gets a pass
    obviously.

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    Quote Originally Posted by phreezee View Post
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    I only hire out if there is a chance that I'll fuck it up and it will cost me even more. That is my threshold.
    Basically this.

    However, I usually use the OT yard stick. If I'm using my time off to do "work", it needs to save me 2x multiplier of my calculated hourly wage.

    I do enjoy my freetime a lot. I know a lot of people that are workaholics and this extends to doing things on their time off.

    I prefer to use my free time to do things that truly interest me. In fairness to the workaholics, I do not doubt they "enjoy" that extra work. Different strokes.
    Quote Originally Posted by rage2 View Post
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    If I had known you guys would end up being such bitches, I would’ve opened the parenting forum.

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    I've taken to scooting around at 15.5mph for six months of the year. Time well spent?
    0.5 gram microsd delivered by 12,000 pound combustion vehicle and driver.

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    If I'm working, my time is worth quite a bit. But once I'm clocked out for the day or week or season my time is worthless and a dollar spent to hire something out is a dollar out of my pocket. You're only saving money if you were going to earn money with that time otherwise.

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    For me, it's changing with age. That's for two reasons:

    First, all the stuff I used to HAVE to do myself because I had no money is no longer really a problem since I make pretty OK coin.
    Second, as I age my energy level is REduced and sore muscles INTROduced. Regrettably, physical ailments play a factor now. No longer do I desire to be on my back under my vehicle cranking breaker bars. Even a simple oil change which I used to always do myself, I now usually take somewhere.

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    Not sure this thread is worth my time
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
    Originally posted by Toma
    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    Not sure this thread is worth my time
    Too late.

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    Quote Originally Posted by pheoxs View Post
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    Depends on the activity and how much I hate it. Cleaning up the yard and improving it each year I'm proud of that so I don't mind doing it even though I could hire a kid to do it for cheap. Mudding drywall and trying to lay tile? Fuck that I don't want to sit and do that either way. And certain reno activities I accept I'd rather done right than done DIY.

    As for stuff like daily tasks, I don't mind wasting time to save a bit but I also am mindful of doing things at more optimal time. I wouldn't go to costco on a weekend but Tuesday at 5pm? Nearly 0 lineup for gas and sparse inside so I'll go then. Life is about enjoying it but not avoiding life. Even with 7.2 mill in the bank and living in aspen it'd be a sad day if you hire out someone to do all your cooking, cleaning, maintenance, yard, etc and you just exist without responsibility / small accomplishments. Sounds boring tbh.

    (Not to be confused with saying eating out isn't fun, it is. But if it was every meal it'd be boring and remind me of work trips.)
    This is pretty much me to a tee...

    If I enjoy (or at least don't mind) a certain job or activity, I do not mind spending my time doing it, even if it is cheaper having someone else do it compared to my personal time value, especially if that time is not taking away from actual paying work.

    Now if I absolutely loathe the type of work or activity involved, I almost don't care if there are legit savings to consider. I would rather pay some other person to do it for me.

    All leisure activities get a pass for me.

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    If my time isn't earning me money and it doesn't overstep on family time, i do every i can to spend that time saving money. This would include reno's, cooking, yard work, maintenance, literally anything. I am currently doing a glass/gel coat repair on my 5th where i hit a pole (also because it sucks and i should be punished for being an idiot). The only limit is my skill.

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