Why it’s OK to pay for things you could “technically” do yourself

Remember when I said in this post that people love dissecting others’ financial situations?

I still stand by that statement.

We just cannot stop being obsessed with how others earn and spend their money, often slipping into a way-too-judgmental territory. Case in point: paying for others to do things you could TECHNICALLY do yourself.

I was discussing some time management tips and issues with one of my friends, more precisely what are the things that take a huge amount of our time and what we would happily let go of if we could.

Her thing was ironing.

She hates ironing.

Some people may find joy in ironing, but for her, it’s a boring, time-consuming activity that she feels just takes time away from more important things, like family. So every two weeks, she uses a professional ironing service to take care of the family’s clothes.

But when she told this to some friends, all she got was some judgmental comments on why she’s spending money on tasks that she could perfectly do on her own as well (They clearly do not realize ironing services are nowhere near the extreme end of the outsourcing scale. You can even pay someone else to name your baby for you).

The case for an ironing service

Let’s put the obviously jealous, spiteful, and totally uncalled for opinions aside for a moment and really examine whether paying someone else for doing a chore like ironing is a normal and rational decision.

At first glance, paying for something so mundane as ironing (or cleaning/painting/repairing, the list could go on) might seem like a stretch. Or simple laziness. Or a total, unnecessary luxury.

As my friend was questioned: Why would you pay for something you can actually do yourself?

If we move beyond the everyday chores, we see even more momentum for the DIY movement. Why would you buy it when you can make it? Why would you pay someone else when it’s so simple? Why not save some money and just do it yourself?

This DIY trend is driven by many things: frugality, a wish to save money, a basic human need to create, a feeling of community, and the satisfaction we get from “I did that by myself”.

And it often makes a lot of sense, of course, to just do it yourself – whether it’s a fun DIY project or simple household chores.

But maybe not always.

Maybe it’s not such a far-fetched thing to pay for some things that we could, in theory, do ourselves as well.

If we have the right reasons.

I consider myself a fairly financially rational person. I usually don’t make haste money decisions, I track expenses, I often compare prices, I like budget options as much as the next person, but over the years, I realized that money is not the only factor that should be considered in the “shall I do this or shall I outsource” debate.

There are a lot of things that weigh in almost equally and that sometimes tip the scale towards actually paying someone else to do the seemingly easy, simple things.

5 essential questions to figure out whether it’s worth outsourcing everyday tasks

+ Is this really free?

It may seem like a no-brainer that doing things yourself is cheaper. But is it, really? I think there are two main things to consider in this case: The direct costs and the indirect ones.

Direct costs

Do I have to invest money in equipment/tools/whatever else is need to do that particular job? Is it a one-time cost (like a saw) or recurring (like cleaning supplies)? Can I use it repeatedly or is it just for this one occasion (like painting tools)? Does it really make more sense to buy as opposed to borrow/rent?

Indirect costs

I‘m not a big fan of looking at everything through the lens of “time is money”, but in this case, there is some truth to that statement. Even an hour of your time is worth a lot. It can even be translated into actual monetary value (your hourly rate), though I prefer to use this method when it comes to outsourcing business tasks, a choice some people are not comfortable with even though it makes a lot of sense.

Let’s say you’re a high-profile lawyer. Which one makes more business sense: If you spend your time researching precedents or working on a legal strategy and outsourcing the research work to paralegals or interns? This is just one example, but I’m sure almost anyone can pinpoint some areas that may be related to their jobs and careers that they can technically do themselves – it just wouldn’t be the wisest business decision.

 

+ Can I afford to hire someone else?

If the answer is a simple no, there’s no room for further arguments. If the answer is a yes, then you should probably start considering the below questions.

 

+ Is there someone else who could do it better?

Cost and money are important, for sure, but the quality of work is just as essential. Am I really the best person for this job? Will I be totally satisfied with the results? Or do I sacrifice quality for the sake of saving some money? These are all questions worth considering.

 

+ Is there something else I could use that time for?

That’s actually one of my most important factors to consider. We’re all so pressed for time nowadays that it has truly become one of the most valuable commodities. Going back to the ironing service example: my friend didn’t do the ironing during her workday or instead of making money. Thus the hourly rate argument frequently cited in these cases is not exactly applicable. However, she thought she sacrificed something way more valuable: time with her family in the evenings or at weekends. It simply wasn’t worth it for her.

Sometimes it’s OK to analyze whether we could use that invaluable thing that time is for something else that’s way more important to us.

 

+ Do I enjoy this specific task?

This might seem like the most controversial question, but it’s still worth considering. Sure, we all have to do some things from time to time that we’re not very passionate about, to say the least. But can we limit the scope of those things? I definitely think so. If you hate doing it, there’s someone else who could do a much better job at it, and on top of that, you can afford to delegate it – do not hesitate to do so.

 

If I’m paying, this is what I’m paying for

When I decide to outsource something, I tend to not look at it from the perspective of spending money. I prioritize what I’m gaining in that case:

• Expertise

Expertise is a combination of talent, skills, and experience. None of those come easy and some cannot even be gained over time. Expertise must be valued.

• Time

Difficult to quantify even though it can be one of the most important values gained by outsourcing. Sometimes, it’s definitely worth it for me, and it seems I’m not alone in this. A recent study confirmed that even though people are often reluctant to outsource everyday tasks and chores, those who spent money on time-saving services were a lot happier and less stressed than people who either didn’t or chose to spend their money on physical stuff.

• Efficiency

The combination of time and expertise.

• Safety

Whether it’s my own physical safety (I should probably not try to repair my electric network), legal/financial safety, or simply the mental reassurance of the thing being “in the right hands”.

• Equipment and materials

As I said, DIY projects often have a lot of hidden costs. Also, my minimalist self is very strict about not buying things I would not use regularly.

• Supporting other jobs

Might not be the deciding argument, but still, it’s a fact.

My kind of ironing services aka things I paid for in the past or seriously contemplate paying for in the future

These are my personal ironing services – things that I’m actually perfectly fine outsourcing – even though I could technically do them myself.

 

+ Washing my car

Washing your car is often at the top of the just do it yourself lists. For me, it’s a firm NO. First of all, from an environmental perspective, it’s a terrible idea (and also often illegal) to wash your car on the street or even in your garden (because of the harsh detergents, gas etc. getting into the soil and storm drain) There is the option of going to a gas station and paying a couple of dollars to use the equipment there, but then there’s still the issue of expertise, efficiency, and time. I take my car to a proper car washing service every month. I leave it there for 25 minutes, I pay 2 guys who are way more skilled and efficient than me, and I do my grocery shopping (which is close to the cleaning service) in the meantime.

+ Tailwind Pinterest automation

The key to Pinterest success is consistency. Yes, in theory, I could do my pinning manually. In reality, it would require me to be on Pinterest nonstop all day long to be effective. And there’s no way, I’m doing that. I paid $120 for an annual Tailwind membership and considering that my Pinterest monthly unique views, as well as referral traffic, have increased significantly, I can already say that it was worth every dollar. Time saved, money potentially gained in the future.

+ Repair tasks

If there’s one thing that has been left out from my 18 years of education, it’s homemaking skills. I couldn’t sew back a button, alter a dress, or repair a rip even if my life depended on it. So I take everything to a nice lady to get them done – an expertise- and efficiency-based outsourcing.

+ Home delivery

9 out of 10 times, I choose home delivery instead of pick and collect. Yes, the second version could be cheaper, but these pickup points are usually farther away from me, it requires time and logistics to get there, so I choose to pay for home delivery.

+ Painting my flat

I know this is a big trend nowadays, but to be honest, I’ve never considered it even for a minute. If you’ve ever seen paint streaks on a wall, you know it requires expertise. It also takes a lot of time. And third, it requires special equipment and considering that most people only repaint their flats every couple of years, I’m not sure it’s worth the money. I always ask a professional painter to do my home.

+ Any kind of electrical/serious home improvement work

A classic safety issue. There’s no way I’m going near the electric network or installing a gigantic wardrobe by myself (and I don’t even let my fiancé do this). Small things – perfectly fine, I do get an immense satisfaction from putting together an Ikea chair. Anything more serious, I call the experts.

+ Dry cleaning

There are clothes that should be dry cleaned according to the instructions. And there are those I choose to dry clean because I feel it’s safer for me that way. I’m not a great laundry expert and I simply don’t dare to risk some of my finer items by attempting to hand wash them. It’s better to be done by professionals.

+ Haircuts

My hair is long, not dyed, and doesn’t require any kind of fancy hair treatment, but it still has never occurred to me to cut my own hair. I like the nice styling/cutting touches my hair stylist puts in, and yes, I do love the scalp massage I get every single time I go there. I pay for the expertise, comfort, and the experience.

+ Redesigning my website

My current website is based on a template and has been spruced up by a couple of custom features. I enjoyed the process (well, most of the time, at least) and had great satisfaction from changing even the simplest code ever.

However, I feel like I’ve reached my limit. I also have a quite specific vision for my next website and I’m pretty sure I cannot do it on my own. Or even if I could, right now, it would take an enormous amount of time, a lot of stress and swearing, and the risk of still not being the way I want it at the end. For this reason, I very much consider getting professional help for the design and coding.

+ Home cleaning

There are some house chores I actually enjoy, like doing basic laundry, ironing, or decluttering. Cleaning is not my favorite, but at this point in my life, I cannot justify the cost of a professional home cleaner. Our apartment is not that big, we are both working from home, so we divide the tasks and do them ourselves. However, if circumstances change (bigger apartment, children, other work conditions), I’d be totally open to using professional cleaning services just to save time.

+ Business/assistant tasks

My business is currently a one-woman show. I haven’t reached the scale yet when it would make financial and business sense to hire someone else or outsource some tasks. But the moment it does, I promised myself not to save on this. Whatever will be the best business decision, I’ll go with it in an instant.

Of course, this is only my list. There are things that other people gladly outsource, but I don’t, simply because I find them enjoyable or I don’t feel like I sacrifice time or quality for doing them. Doing my nails instead of going to the nail salon or cooking from scratch instead of ordering or buying premade food are just a couple of examples.

 

The bottom line is you have to know yourself, your skills, your preferences, your values, and prioritize your time accordingly. Weigh the pros and cons of DIY vs. outsourcing carefully, make a choice, and then drop the guilt.

It’s your time and you must have the final say in how you would like to spend it.

What do you think about outsourcing everyday tasks and chores? Is it worth the money to you?