Binding a huge washing load may seem almost impossible at the end of a long week of work. When the list of things to do is growing-a new episode of your favorite program is ringing-thinking about paying someone else for picking up dirty clothes and returning them freshly complex may seem to sleep.
But with about USD 2 per pound of laundry, i.e. about USD 20 to 30 for washing the average load, it can be difficult to determine whether the convenience is really worth the continuous cost, says Ben Smith, a certified financial planner at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“As a financial planner, I always encourage people to consider long-term benefits and influence (paying for convenience), not only thinking about a week or two or just a few months,” he says.
Smith recommends financial treatment, such as running a company. If you can afford it, the outsourcing of tasks you throw can help you focus on what you value the most – regardless of whether it is family time or an exciting new hull.
Here are some questions that, together with other financial professionals, tell themselves to ask whether to deal with the burden in the closet or pay someone else.
Does it cost less than your personal hourly rate?
One of Smith's first steps with his clients is to determine their personal hourly rate, usually using online tools, such as salary to hourly calculators Actually Or Calculator pagesays.
When calculating, you should include several factors: basic salary, bonuses, repetitive labor costs, benefits and holiday time.
To get a quick estimate, add annual income and a typical bonus together, and then subtract the estimated taxes and expenses related to work, such as gas to and work. Divide this number by the total number of working hours a year, i.e. usually about 2080 hours for full -time employees.
Smith claims that after work to work, you can determine more precisely whether delegation has financial sense. He says that if your hourly rate is 75 USD, you can from time to time pay someone 50 USD per hour to help in the tedious task of home maintenance.
When weighing, if it is worth ordering outside activities such as laundry, you should consider not only costs, but how much time usually takes a week, says Jovan Johnson, CFP based in Atlanta, Georgia.
If you have a washing machine and a dryer at home, there may be a relatively easy task to manage during the day. But if you have to pull your loads to the laundry and wait when they wash and dry, it's worth buying back some time, he says.
Will outsourcing increase your emotional well -being?
If the laundry is really a duty that you are most afraid of – to the extent that running it in other areas of life – it can be a wise financial decision about his order, according to Smith's council.
Your income is the “engine” of your financial health and in addition to mental benefits of establishing the priorities of happiness, reducing the risk of burnout is necessary to maintain this engine as long as possible, says Smith.
“If I can help the client order one or two things in their personal life, which do not bring them joy, but help them remain motivated to work hard, create and increase income, in the long run they will be better for him many kilometers for him,” says Smith.
Do you feel comfortable at the premium price?
Even if the service is in the budget and below the hourly rate, it may still not be “worth” for you. Johnson says you should always think about if you are legally comfortable with a premium price.
He says that many people often do not realize how much they spend on services of convenience from month to month. Johnson adds that part of the assessment of how comfortable you feel is to look back at earlier purchases and weighing if these costs seem worth time in a time.
Although $ 20 or $ 30 for the laundry load may not seem much, you can look back at your budget and realize that you pay about $ 100 a month for washing clothes, when the tide bottle and some patience would lead you much less.
Do you still prioritize long -term goals?
If the laundry outsourcing means limiting how much you put on retirement savings or emergency funds, the service may not be as worth as possible, says Johnson.
“You want to prioritize happiness in life, not sacrificing the future,” says Johnson. “I always have a way of thinking about savings.”
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