Whilst walking along the sea front this morning I contemplated the true cost of spending and the unconscious investments we make every time we make a purchase.
My mind wanderings were inspired by Jillian Johnsrud’s interview with David Cain on her Everyday Courage podcast.
The minute I heard David’s comment that many of us have more books on our bookshelves than we’ll ever read, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit.
In the interview, David talked about the concept of going deeper and not wider, meaning we should focus on what we already have rather than bringing more into our lives.
I really like this idea of going deeper and went on to read his blog post about the concept of having a Depth Year. It reminded me of Cait Flander’s Year of Less and how living with less can open our lives up to so much more.
One thing that David spoke about that I hadn’t considered were the time costs associated with our new purchases.
Whether it’s time to read the book or learn a new skill, or the ongoing time involved in pursuing a new hobby or keeping a new pet. Everything we bring into our lives will require an allocation of time.
Even seemingly non-commital purchases such as decorative items will require a certain amount of cleaning and upkeep.
The true cost of spending
If we consider this alongside Vicki Robin’s analogy that money is something we trade our life energy for, then we’re being hit by a double whammy of time-tax with every purchase we make. The time spent earning the money and the ongoing time investment required following our purchase.
I wonder if this is part of the reason why so many of us, myself included, end up feeling so fatigued on a day-to-day basis. We make a purchase, and we try to cram it into our already full days.
Or we put it away until we have time for it, and at the back of our mind there’s a sense of dis-ease because we haven’t got around to it yet. To put it simply, we overcommit.
I know I’ve seriously overcommitted with my book purchases and now that I’m starting to read the ones I own, it feels as if the weight is starting to shift.
I’ve even started to declutter my bookshelves and let go of the ones I know that I wont read again… Which is yet another time-tax resulting from spending, but one that I will be mindful not to repeat.
Do I have time for this?
So the next time you consider buying something, instead of asking “Do I want this?” perhaps you should also ask “Do I have time for this?”
If the answer is “Yes,” then go ahead and make the purchase. But if your days are already full and you feel overwhelmed, then perhaps adding yet another time-tax to your schedule isn’t the way to go.
Yes, the instant gratification we get from a purchase may feel good. But that’s only a temporary fix. Instead, use your time to figure out what you can let go of to free up some space and live a happier, more stress-free life.
Now that I’m more aware of the true cost of spending, I’ll be more mindful of the things I allow into my life. And I’ll also be prepared to let go of those things that no longer serve me.
Image courtesy of Sanah Suvarna on Unsplash