Columnists > Kelly Ann ButterbaughJuly 06, 2009

By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

There are some things that money cannot buy, and time is one of them. No matter how much money we save, we struggle to save time. But then, what's more valuable; time or money? Take a break from saving money and save time instead. It might cost you, but it's worth it.

Spend Less to Work Less

Think about your daily routines. You work 8-10 hours a day to earn the money that supports your lifestyle. What if you cut back on that lifestyle a bit? Are you spending more time working to pay for your possessions than you're spending enjoying them? Spend less and you can work a bit less.

Sure, a person could live in an expensive home with fine furnishings, but when twelve hour shifts all week support this lifestyle, it makes one wonder. Is it worth it? The choice of a smaller house and a shorter work day seems to allow more time to enjoy that which we've been working for.

Ask yourself a few questions. Could you live without your cell phone (or at least with less of it) if it meant coming home in time for dinner each night? If you said no to weekend overtime, could you say no to something costly each month? If you answer "yes" to either question you need to shift your priorities to saving time by saving money.

Cut Time Costs

So many activities cost us time. They're addictive, they're popular, and they're time consuming. Avoid the "in" activities that quickly become obligations. Managing social webpages takes too much time without efficient reward. Video games are fun, but set a limit even for adults.

Plan ahead to save time later. So much time is wasted because of poor planning. Try to group errands together and strategically plan your route to save driving time. Likewise, avoid the grocery store during the most crowded time of day because you need dinner supplies. Instead, plan the weekly meals ahead of time and make one well-planned trip.

If necessary, schedule free time into your week. It sounds rash and a bit over-controlling, but like any type of savings, it needs to become a habit. Mark Sundays as "booked" and spend them at home doing something enjoyable. Build in an hour of "cool down" time after work. It's revitalizing and fulfilling to have this time each day.

Sacrifice Some Money for Time

Sometimes it's worth the extra money to save some time. Think of it this way: you can earn more money but you can't make more time. I'm not afraid of hard work, and if I can save some money by assembling something myself I'll do it. However, some things are worth the money to pay to have other people do it for me. My husband and I learned long ago that while we may be able to tackle many home improvement projects, we're not gifted in the art of tiling. When it came time to retile a bathroom floor, it wasn't worth an entire weekend of frustration to save installation money.

Spend Less Time Driving and Pay for Postage

We were in search of a particular item the other week, and we spent most of an afternoon driving from one store to another looking for it. I could have searched the Internet, found the item, comparison shopped, and then had it shipped to me in a fraction of the time. Yes, we would have had to wait for the item to appear at our door, but it would have been worth the money to save the time. In fact, how much money did I spend driving around shopping? Was it really worth it? No, because time is the most valuable asset we have.

About The Author: Kelly Ann Butterbaugh is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to a variety of magazines and has written a history book for middle readers. Visit her website for writing help, lesson plans, history fun, or work for hire at http://www.kellybutterbaugh.com

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