Why not throw money at the problem?

Sometimes spending more is the right solution

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to consider whether some creative budgeting can
make a big irritation disappear. In other words, consider the

(00:23):
wisdom of just throwing money at the problem. So I'm
naturally a frugal person. Well, honestly, I think the correct
word here is cheap. I am forever trying to avoid
spending money. Some of this I just accept as my personality.
I am sitting on a desk chair right now that

(00:44):
has a giant hole in the upholstery. I could replace it,
but I'm probably not going to. It still works, and
anyone who gets invited into my home office already knows
my quirks. It will be okay. But other cheap decisions
have been more problematic. I've resisted investing money in my
business in the past, which is pretty shortsighted in any case.

(01:07):
I'm sure some people are naturally spending, but I'm addressing
this episode to people like me, people who do not
automatically think about using money as a tool. And we
all have irritations in our lives. It's possible that throwing
money at the problem could in fact make it go away.

(01:27):
Sometimes it even involves less money than we might think.
So here's how we can start thinking this way. At
some point during a break today, make a list of
the things that have irritated you over the past few days.
Maybe it's that your car seems constantly dirty. Maybe you
feel that making dinner falls on your plate too frequently,

(01:49):
so to speak. Maybe you get annoyed running errands. Or
maybe you keep telling yourself that you're going to paint
the bathroom at your house that's a really ugly shade
of gray, but you don't get as specific as possible.
Then ask yourself if by spending money you could reduce
this irritation or even make it go away. It's possible.

(02:12):
The answer is no. But maybe you start springing to
have your card detailed frequently enough that you no longer
fear finding French fries under the seats. Or maybe you
create a standing delivery order from your favorite relatively healthy
restaurant twice a week. Yes, dinner is now more expensive,
but you're cooking it much less frequently. You could abandon

(02:36):
the fantasy that the bathroom painting job will be a
do it yourself sort of thing. Just pay a pro
and get it over with. Sometimes even issues that seem
like they might be deeper and more contentious can be
solved by throwing money at the problem. I know a
lot of couples fight about housework, but maybe rather than

(02:57):
have a knockdown argument every weekend about why party A
doesn't vacuum and is it because party A has outdated
beliefs about domestic responsibilities, or doesn't value party bees time,
or however you argue this, you decide that neither of
you will do it, You pay a cleaning service to
come in once a week instead. Now, obviously none of

(03:20):
this works if money is really tight, and I get that,
but sometimes creative budgeting can make things possible. I've realized
in my life that I'd rather buy time and household
harmony than things like an office chair. On the other hand,
somebody who's really irritated by bad seating might make a
different choice and prioritize that. But the point is that

(03:43):
all of us can consciously choose to use what money
we have at our disposal to build lives that maximize
the good stuff and minimize the bad. This is very
much a work in progress. For me, but I do
like to think that I'm making progress. Have you ever
thrown money at a problem and actually how to go away?
Please let me know at Before Breakfast podcast at i

(04:06):
heeart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

(04:30):
Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast
p o D. You can also shoot me an email
at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

(04:53):
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Mmmmm