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I'm 35 with a wife and two kids under the age of 5. I've realized in the last 5 years how valuable my time is.

I used to DIY everything: plumbing, electrical, auto maintenance, yard work, etc.

Now I have started to hire out auto stuff and some other things. Last year I hired out lawn care and that was really smart. I didn't have the 2 to 4 hours a week, mostly on the weekend. Or I'd rather use my time elsewhere.
 
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throwittoblythe said:
Depends on each person's wants, needs, and financial situation. My wife is 2 weeks from her due date and we have a 3 y.o. daughter. We just paid $200 to have someone clean our house last weekend. 5 years ago, I would have flipped out if my wife had spent that kind of money on something that we can do. Now, it needed to be done; I wasn't going to do it and my wife doens't have the energy. Well worth the money.
Click to expand...

House cleaner = marriage counselor.
 
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These kind of things drive me nuts (not accounting for the "time" factor). My wife will do this all the time when it comes to filling up with gas. Just put $20 in as it is cheaper at x,y,z and we will be there (insert time here). Or another.....I have a coupon at (the other store you are not at for $.50 off) which, oh by the way, is across town. Pay the little extra and move on.

Being frugal is not about being cheap.

I have noticed that the boomers and to a greater extent, the greatest generation, had this over reaching need to be self reliant (greatest generation will get a pass....Great Depression and all..more of a necessity than anything). Perhaps the boomers was a "working it out of their system generation". For me, my time is my most precious resource. I can handle an awful lot of dumb things........just.... don't.... waste.... my.... time.


Kind of in the same vein as:
"Why did you get xyz?"
"Because it was 50% off."
"Do you realize it cost $200."
"It was a really good deal!"
 
I used to do all my own plumbing. Last year I hired a plumber to unplug a drain, hook up a new faucet in the kitchen, and fix the bathroom faucet. He also put two shutoff valves on the cold/hot water lines in the kitchen. $200. Would've taken me two or three hours and maybe a few chiropractor visits to get that done. Well worth it.
 
thatguy said:
The house cleaner is the best thing to happen to my marriage since, well, her fake boobs.
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mtowncyclone13 said:
how does one convince another to surgically enhance themselves?

if i could make my lil'smokey into a jumbo brat i would but others in my house don't agree with such "superficial" endeavors.
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My lady wanted to get back to where she was "before the god damn kids took my body from me."
 
Cy$ said:
I had a situation where my check engine light came on. I asked the shop how much to get it checked and he said $100...I said **** that and did some research.

I bought a code reader for $20-$25 from Walmart. Used that on my car. The codes matched up with the issue. My gas cap would not stay tight and my car thought there was a leak. I went to O’Reilleys, bought a cap for $20, put it on my car, then used the code reader to remove the codes.

Having a mechanic do it, $100+.
Me - $40

My main point is to do some research on things. Sometimes you’ll save a bunch of money if you can do it yourself.
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Or just go to Auto Zone and they'll check it for free.
 
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Did father in law pay for it? If not tell him to mind his own damn business.

We just started getting a house cleaner, so I guess that answers where we land on the time vs money debate. The funny thing is I swear the preclean we do before the house keeper comes is still a lot of work, and with 4 children in the house it looks like an F5 tornado went through the living room 3 days later. Oh well.
 
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So OP wasn't going to tip the deliver crew?

Cost is $75 plus tip.

Not that it changes anything. Just an apples to apples kind of thought process.

Also sometimes delivery times "vary slightly" from what you're told. Kind of like waiting for the cable guy who will arrive "sometime between noon and 4 PM." If you don't have stuff to do at home while you're waiting or have to take time off to meet them, that needs to roll into the thought process as well.
 
mtowncyclone13 said:
My wife says that all the time, too. When I say there are ways to deal with that she says "Are you not happy with me". It's like, holy **** psychological mindgames. That's when I go out and mow the lawn.
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I hear ya. She asked if I was OK with it, which my brain went full Admiral Ackbar on, but fortunately she wasn't playing games and we were in a doctors office the following week.
 
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Cy$ said:
I had a situation where my check engine light came on. I asked the shop how much to get it checked and he said $100...I said **** that and did some research.

I bought a code reader for $20-$25 from Walmart. Used that on my car. The codes matched up with the issue. My gas cap would not stay tight and my car thought there was a leak. I went to O’Reilleys, bought a cap for $20, put it on my car, then used the code reader to remove the codes.

Having a mechanic do it, $100+.
Me - $40

My main point is to do some research on things. Sometimes you’ll save a bunch of money if you can do it yourself.
Click to expand...

Probably a smart decision. Also you can take it to an auto shop (such as AutoZone) and they'll test codes for no cost.

You mention the gas-cap issue. I've a large number of Check Engine signals that were related to gas-cap, either bad cap or not turned until it clicks after you get gas. Always make sure it clicks at least once.

I hope the vague "check engine soon" altert is being phased out on most newer models. I want to get a more precise alert for system issues. Obviously, it's unrealistic to cover every aspect.
 
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I buy from a local place that delivers for free. I also have pickups, trucks, trailers and kids if I wanted to. If they charged, I would just drive a pickup down grab it and throw it in. We are just 45 minutes though and I usually get at least half way there on a regular basis so it’d only be an hour of time.
 
Sparkplug said:
Used to hate paying for things that I can do myself. Realizing that my time has value has changed my attitude
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Two guys are just now finishing up gutters on our house and the garagemahal. They started at 9am today. That was a HUGE win for me...I have finally convinced my husband that it is okay to pay someone else to climb around on a freaking tall roof, and lift those single section gutters up the ladders. It's not just time - we have plenty of that. It's the fact that he's not 25 any more...or even 45!
 
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