MANAGING THE COST OF CONVENIENCE

CONVENIENCE

Convenience is something that we all look for at times. Life is busy and anything that can helps us get through our day with a little more ease is often welcomed. But, things that are convenient often come at a cost. Part of being responsible and disciplined with our money is weighing how the costs of those conveniences compare to other things that might be more important to us. So, we often tend to eliminate certain conveniences in our lives so that we can use that money towards the things that we value more. It’s important to think about the conveniences that we lean on make sure we are comfortable with what we are giving up in order to have that convenience. But, it is also important to take advantage of conveniences when they are needed.

LET YOURSELF TAKE ADVANTAGE

Frugality is about spending your money in a way that is most important to you. It’s not about saving money at all cost and being cheap with the things that you purchase. Being a frugal person can sometimes cause you to think of convenient purchases as being wasteful. When we know we can do something ourselves for less cost, we may tend to stay away from those things that include a cost related to the convenience of them. But, we have to also allow ourselves to take advantage of conveniences when it makes sense and when we really need the help.

USE CONVENIENCE WHEN NEEDED

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, taking the pressure off of yourself can be necessary. So, while certain conveniences may not be part of your normal spending habits or daily life, it does not mean that they cannot be used occasionally. Sometimes we can get ourselves into a mindset that we just don’t do certain things. And even though those things may be able to really help us out with minimal cost we may not even consider them.

One thing that comes to mind is pre-chopped vegetables. One night after coming home after a long road trip home on our last day of vacation, I had to convince myself that it was ok to purchase the pre-chopped vegetables from the grocery store so that I could throw together a really quick meal. I was exhausted and had the money available to pay the several dollars of extra cost. But, because purchasing those pre-chopped vegetables is not something that I would normally do, it was something that initially I would not even consider. That small purchase made my evening a lot less exhausting when I was able to throw together some quick food when we got home that night.

COMMON CONVENIENCES TO CONSIDER

Food delivery is a convenience that many people are using even more today with door dash and other delivery services making food that could not be delivered before easily available. This might be something that you choose not to spend money on a regular basis. But, if you are having a hectic day and need to just get something to eat, it may be an option that isn’t a huge cost and is still going to be less expensive than going out to a restaurant.

ATM fees are something that I really just can’t stand to pay ever.  My regular habits do not include going to an ATM for money when I know I will incur fees. However, there has been a time here or there when we were on vacation and the time and effort it would have taken us to find an ATM that was not going to cost us money would have not been worth it.  So, I have just had to say, oh well, and pay a few extra dollars.  Because I always avoid these fees when I am able to, I could give myself permission to spend the extra couple of dollars on the rare occasion when we needed to.

MORE CONVENIENT

Convenience stores are usually more expensive than going to your regular grocery store.  But sometimes if you really just need one ingredient to complete a meal, it’s not going to cost you that much more for just one or two items.  If you make it a habit to get the vast majority of your groceries at the grocery store, don’t feel bad about having to make the occasional purchase at a convenience store at a higher cost.

The cost of single-use products like paper plates and plastic utensils can really add up.  But, if you need to save yourself some time on clean-up, keep some of those items on hand to help you out once in a while! Generally, the more pre-prepared a food is, the more expensive it becomes. However, as I mentioned earlier in my example of purchasing pre-cut vegetables, it can be really helpful if you are too exhausted or just very short on time.  And, it is usually much less expensive to purchase some prepared foods rather than order in or go out to dinner.

CONVENIENCES CAN HELP CUT COST

Regardless of how many conveniences you rely on, it’s a good idea to be aware of them. These are usually areas that we are able to cut back on with minimal impact to our lives if we need to. So, if you are going through a financial setback it can be a great idea to take a look at the conveniences you are spending money on. Those can often be cut out temporarily or permanently depending on the situation to help you get back on track.

FINDING A BALANCE

We need to find a balance between convenience and the other important aspects of our lives. It is important to be mindful of our choices when it comes to conveniences. We need to ask ourselves if the convenience is worth the cost. Sometimes, it is. Sometimes, it isn’t. We also need to make time for the things that matter most. That may be spending more time with family, getting rest, getting some work done, or any other variety of priorities you have at the time. If that means relying on a convenience to help with those things, then give yourself permission to go ahead and do it. It’s more about being aware and making the choice to spend your money in that way so that you can have something else that you value.

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

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