Why We Trade Our Valuable Time for Useless Stuff

Time is the one thing we can’t get back.

That’s a pretty heavy statement, but so true. You can’t bottle time, store time, or save it for a rainy day. Once its gone, its gone forever.

Every single one of us is born with a finite amount of time – the minute we’re out the womb the clock starts ticking.  In essence, time is our most valuable possession.

Yet we trade our precious time for trivial stuff every single day!

Let’s be clear. When you purchase that cute pair of red pumps, you’re not really paying cash.  Instead, you’re trading the time spent at work for another pair of shoes. Time you’ll never get back.

When we hand over several hundred dollars for the newest and greatest ipod we’re actually trading the hours upon hours spent working for that little electronic device.

Think about this – Cash is only a representation of our time spent – a visible placeholder for the time we spent earning it.

Every dollar we spend is a trade of our precious time for some object. Time we spent stuck in an intolerable commute to work. Time spent dealing with impossible bosses and petty co-workers. Time spent enduring long meetings or dealing with the stress of impossible deadlines.

Understanding this concept puts a whole new perspective on our spending. Instead of dolling out cash for our purchases we’re really dolling out our time!

Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a bad thing. We have to buy things. Many of them like food, clothing, and rent are absolutely necessary for survival.

Yet, I believe once we understand that we’re trading our valuable time for the things we purchase, we make better financial decisions.

All of a sudden that beautiful designer handbag may not look so attractive when you realize that you’re trading away 50 hours of your life.

When you realize that your deluxe gym membership is costing you 10 extra hours at work each month (one whole work day), you just might start using it more or find a cheaper exercise alternative.

Perhaps the Honda Accord is the better option for you when you realize the more glamorous Lexus will cost you an extra 1200 hours of your time!

The next time you’re about to turn over your hard earned cash, take a second to think about the time that went into earning in it – time you’re about to trade for the purchase sitting in front of you.

So what do you think? Do you have tricks that help you control spending? I’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment below.