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No doubt, technology can help save you time and money. Remember when you used to have to wait until after 7 p.m. to call long-distance because it was cheaper? Now, though, we can talk to our loved ones anytime we like!
But technology can’t do everything as cheaply or as quickly as we would like to think.
Here are five ways you can save time and money by doing things the old-fashioned way:
1. Turn off your phone.
My mother was quite a talkative person, but she would sometimes take the receiver off the hook. That’s good advice, even in the days of smartphones and cell phones. If you allow the phone to dominate your life, you literally could spend 24 hours of every day answering emails, sending texts, and chatting on Facebook. Whenever you really need to get something done and you find that you are constantly interrupted by your phone, turn it off.
2. Organize your life.
Spending a few minutes to make out lists, organize your closet into business and casual clothing, and write down important reminders (and put them on the fridge) will save you more time and money than you can imagine!
3. Know the difference between needs and wants.
Warren Buffett once said that if you buy things you don’t need, you will soon find yourself selling the things you do need. Be certain that you are buying (or paying for) what you need first.
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Do you have a gym membership that you pay for each month, but that you only use a half dozen times a year? Do you really NEED a rice cooker when a pot with a lid works just as well? Yes, “wants” are nice to have, but if you find that you are short on cash every month, perhaps it’s time to prioritize your needs and wants. Our ancestors were great at this, weren’t they?
4. Put your kids to work.
Many parents make the mistake of thinking that when they do everything for their child, they are showing them that they are loved. “They will have to work their whole lives, let them be kids now,” we hear.
Unfortunately, this will end up costing parents tons of time and money. Children might feel more loved, but they also will spend their entire lives feeling entitled to this sort of treatment. Show your children real love by teaching them that everyone needs to work and pull their weight. No, you don’t have to send them out to the fields to hoe weeds, but when I was only five, I made my own bed, dressed myself, put my dirty clothes in the hamper, got my own breakfast (cereal and milk), and did simple chores after school such as feeding the dog and putting the mail on the kitchen table.
5. Keep it simple.
I have a confession to make: I don’t own a food processor. Amazing, but true — although I did buy a used one once. At least in my case, I found that the effort and time it took to take it apart and clean it was far more time-intensive than if I used a simple knife to cut food. A blender and a knife does almost everything a food processor does for far less money and effort. This isn’t to say that I don’t love kitchen gadgets, but many of them cost a lot of money and are time-intensive.
What would you add to our list? Share your thoughts in the section below:
