How Much Is Your Time Worth?

One of my best friends is married to her career. She adores what she does and makes pretty decent money doing it. As she has has paid her dues and advanced over the years, her working hours have gotten longer and her lunch hour has gotten shorter. Her free time is extremely valuable to her. She determined that her few off hours were worth time and a half as if she were getting paid hourly. Using that as her criteria, she decided that there were several things in her personal life that she would rather hire someone to do than to do herself. She found a local concierge and a local virtual assistant that she could call.

I was really surprised at how reasonable their fees were. It was a very wise choice for her lifestyle.

Most of us will not need services like these on a regular basis as she does. But being able to call on them occasionally could be very worthwhile. Taking the time to find out which ones are available with the approximate fees charged will give you another option for those times when life gets more crazy than normal. You may be as surprised as I was at the price ranges.

There are many types of services available to lend a helping hand to individuals as well as to businesses. Even if only on occasion. (The closer you are to a bigger city, the more options you will find.)

• Maid Services
• Drop In Day Care Centers
• Drop Off Laundry Services
• Grocery/Personal Shopping Services
• Personal Concierge
• Virtual Assistant

These are just a few common examples. For some of them the expense could compare to hiring someone at minimum wage for a few hours.  Then there are those times when paying even the more expensive fees are worthwhile for the relief or convenience.

I found out that one of the grocery stores on the far side of town offers a service where you can submit your shopping list online and they will have your bags ready for you at a time you designate. You just stop in at the register, hand over a transaction number, and then pay the bill plus a very small handling charge. How much time could you save if one of your local stores offered a similar service? Would you use it?

See how many things you can find locally.

A Few Extra Thoughts

In addition to these formal services, you may know someone who is down on their luck. Someone that would never take a handout. You may be able to help them a little by offering to pay for their time while they do you a favor.

If you are the one down on your luck, maybe offering to do some of these services for others would bring you a little income to help tide you over or even start a new career.

If you know someone that is home bound or disabled, could some of these services enrich their lives? Maybe you could look up the information and pass it along to them or their loved ones.

More Resources Out on the Net

• National Concierge Directory – Certified Personal Concierge providers.
• The International Virtual Assistants Association – Certified Virtual Assistants Directory.
• PeaPod – (aff.) Grocery shopping and delivery service that may be available in your area.
• Care.com (aff.) offers several service listings including:
  • Local Babysitter Listings
  • “Find Local Senior Caregivers”
  • “Find Local Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters”
  • Local Nanny Listings
  • “Find Local Housekeepers”