Comments on: Frivolous or frugal to outsource tasks?

By: Tuesday afternoon ’snack break’ linkup | Sense to Save

Tuesday afternoon ’snack break’ linkup | Sense to Save — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:20:04 +0000

[...] freezer cookingFestival of Frugality No. 139: The Michael Phelps Edition | Our Fourpence Worth on Frivolous or frugal to outsource tasks?hank on Weekly roundup: Getting rid of stuff editionWhat’s In Your Freezer? My Attempt At [...]

By: Festival of Frugality No. 139: The Michael Phelps Edition | Our Fourpence Worth

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:03:18 +0000

[...] Kacie presents Frivolous or frugal to outsource tasks? [...]

By: Mid-month progress report & TGIF link round up « Living Well on Less

Mid-month progress report & TGIF link round up « Living Well on Less — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:50:55 +0000

[...] at Sense to Save explored whether it’s frivolous or frugal to outsource tasks. She also shared which tasks she chooses to outsource to maximize her time. I agree with her that [...]

By: bouncing back

bouncing back — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:39:21 +0000

Excellent post. There are certain things that people may not enjoy doing or have the skill to do and is completely worth spending money on to have done by others. The oil change is a prime example, I have an oil change place near me and for $35, I get a full service oil change and get a mini service car wash. Takes about 45 minutes of my time and it's worth the money spent. In another life, I used a monthly cleaning service to come in and clean my house. I just did not have the time (but had the money) to really clean my house. I could have spent all day Saturday cleaning my house, but it was much easier to hire a company to come in and do it in 4 hours. As others have said, it's how you balance your money, time and life. bouncing back's last blog post..Girls Gone Wild

By: Miranda

Miranda — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:48:30 +0000

Great post! We take the oil in for regular changes, and we have a service come and spray our home for spiders twice a year. I agree with the comments that balance is important, and evaluating what you can do -- and what is practical -- is important. Everyone has different priorities. As long as you are living within your means, outsourcing some of your tasks can be something that helps enrich your life so that you have time for things you might think are more important. Miranda's last blog post..Credit Market Squeeze: Is It Actually Better for Your Personal Finances?

By: tiffanie

tiffanie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:43:08 +0000

i always take my car to get the oil changed because it's hard to get to in our car, so it's more of a hassle if my husband does it. plus, we have a family friend that does it for rather cheap :) tiffanie's last blog post..splurging for great deals!

By: Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:23:57 +0000

I think it depends on your budget, and what gives you pleasure. If you're completely broke, you'll probably be a DIYer more out of necessity than anything else. I know we were. If you have a more flexible budget, then you can look at how much you're saving by doing it yourself, and how much you enjoy it. I love cleaning my son's diapers. Sounds strange, but it gives me a lot of pleasure to see his little diapers on the drying rack in the back yard. So I would never hire a diaper service, because it wouldn't be worth it to me. On the other hand, I do have someone change my oil. I only drive my car about 2500 miles a year, and I use synthetic oil, so I only change it once a year. The $10 that I'd save doing it myself isn't worth it to me, since it's not a task I enjoy. So I pay someone else to do it. Frugal Babe's last blog post..Moving On And Letting Go

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:40:35 +0000

I agree that pest extermination is not for amateurs. We had a flea infestation once (our animals were indoor-only AND on Frontline!) and tried to handle it ourselves. It just got worse and worse, and after wasting about $50 and hours of our time we made the call. Now we have a quarterly service and it’s somewhat expensive but we love it. If there’s ever a bug they come take care of it, no questions asked and no extra charge.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:39:10 +0000

This is an interesting balance. We want to be able to grow our own produce for the summer and beyond, are looking for car ramps so we can change our own oil, try to cook rather than eat out, and build some of our furniture rather than buying it… but there are times and places where none of that is practical or possible. As much as I admire those who grind their own flour and make all their own bread and clothes, those are things I have to outsource, for now. In the future, may even ::gasp:: outsource the education of my children to qualified teachers! Different levels of outsourcing make sense for different people. I get annoyed when DIY-ers look down on outsourcers. We’re all in different places, and that’s OK. Good thoughts.