true value

February 25, 2010

time, money, or both?
i came across this article recently, and found it interesting. in it, writer laura rowley comments on a poll of 1,000 adults, 25% of which said that they would work every day for a year in return for double their current incomes.

that is a powerful statistic! to me, it says a couple of things:

1. people really don’t know what it feels like to work day after day after day after day after day without any sort of break. if they did, i have to believe the figure would be lower.

2. a lot of people are really stressed out about money. (and probably for good reason.)

i mean, obviously, right? the economy is in the toilet, jobs are hard to come by. but this fact illustrates that this weighs heavily on many, severely impacting quality of life to the point that they would rather work daily (for a year) than continue to be stressed by struggling to make ends meet.

the writer goes on to illustrate why — even in financially tough situations — in reality, a neverending work week is not such a great option. for one, taxes will get you. second, your life will fall apart, which is bad (duh) and can also ultimately be expensive! in the comments, one person wrote in about how working continuously he completely lost control of his home life, to the point where his fridge broke and he didn’t have time to get it fixed and just kept it shut and left the food to rot inside. a vivid (and gross) picture of a life fail, i think.

all this is why i stand firmly on the time side when i think about which commodity i value more. i realize that this is probably due to the fact that i am not in dire straits financially, but know first-hand the horrors of a (nearly) continuous work week.

i am not very frugal (understatement). i think i am pretty generous, and i like to save a bit, but spend too, rather than delay gratification to some time in the future. i tend to value experiences over cash, and even over material goods (unless they’re from anthro — their clothes come with the fun experiences of shopping for and wearing them!).

but even i have my limits, which is why i am giving up my friday night and saturday AM for 19 hours in the NICU, which will buy me:

■ a new camera (the S90 i’ve been coveting)

■ tickets to wicked for me, josh + my sister

■ a massage (booked for march 6!)

cherry juice heels


in this case? 100% worth it.

what are your feelings about time vs. money? have they changed as your financial situation has evolved? and what would you do for an extra $1000?

interesting thoughts to ponder, no? share in the comments!

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2.23.10

workout: 6 miles, with 3 at tempo
i couldn’t do 3 in a row at 7:53/mi like i did a couple of weeks ago before my little break, but i came close, just sticking in a 1/2 mile rest interval and then eking them out. again, all on the TM @ 0.5% incline
miles 0-1.5: 8:57/mi (warmup)
miles 1.5-3.5: 7:53/mi
miles 3.5-4: 0.25 mi recovery jog, then 8:57/mi
mile 4-5: 7:53/mi
mile 5-6: 8:57/mi (cooldown)

real simple: i used this recipe from real simple for sweet potato risotto, and it was as easy as promised! lots of stirring, but otherwise mindless. and i liked the excuse to crack open a bottle of white . . .

served with a simple spinach salad with annie’s italian dressing

8 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I wouldn&#39t work every single day for a year for any amount of money. That sounds horrible.

    Wicked is great!

  • Reply Susannah March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    We are on a tight budget because both of us wanted me to be able to stay home with our son. However, we did a lot of planning and saving before he was born, so we live very frugally day to day but have a "we have money for the important things" big picture philosophy. For us, the important things are travel (especially to see family and friends) and good food. I wouldn&#39t enjoy life nearly as much without the occasional $25/lb wedge of cheese from Whole Foods:)

  • Reply Heather @ Side of Sneakers March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Great post! I hate feeling like I go to work for money, but it&#39s true. I would definitely work extra hours for $1000, but I wouldn&#39t want to do it every day. I think time is necessary in many ways, including being able to enjoy the money you worked to earn. Otherwise, what&#39s the point!? And I&#39d take a pay cut if it meant I could have more free time too 🙂

  • Reply Siobhan Brady March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    i realized yesterday that i have only taken about 3 days off since december 15. i am a mess. i agree – i would not work extra for the money. although i guess i can say that because we are also comfortable financially. but i also think i was happier when i was uncomfortable financially 🙂 (what a positive post, eh?)

  • Reply Claire March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    No WAY would I work every day for a year for double my salary…or any amount for that matter! Just two weeks without a day off is tiring enough. 🙂

    I like being able to give gifts to people and spend time with friends. If that involves money, I&#39ll try to do it. I love clothes from the Loft, but rarely buy anything NOT on sale! I wait! 🙂 We don&#39t have moonlighting opps in our program, but it sure would be nice!

  • Reply Denise March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Loved this post and all of the comments! I think it&#39s all about balance. I would not work every day for a year nor anything approaching residency hours for any amount of money but there is something to be said for a good, honest work day. I&#39ve had plenty of jobs I hated and I guess I&#39m just really appreciative to have a job I like. I work a few more hours than I would like many days but I think working makes me appreciate the time I do get to spend with my family even more. Of course, we are comfortable financially, so I might change my mind if I NEEDED the money.

  • Reply Jenny March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Hmm, time or money?
    For me it is very different now since I have a small child. Before that I could work for many days in a row and could possibly have done a full year simply because the time I had left in my day after work was *mine*. I would still have time to run, cuddle my husband and cook. But since I had my baby things are different. First of all I don&#39t want to miss out on her early years. She misses me when I am gone all day and she needs my time between work and her bedtime. So I have a lot less time for myself. To stay sane I need to have time for some intrests and projects of my own – cooking, running and reading. And to fit that in and still give my daughter the time and attention she deserves I need my weekends, more now than ever!

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    People want what they don&#39t have, time, if they have money and money, if they don&#39t have money. Its a tough call. I work nearly every day in some capacity–university based researcher. That said, its sw my discretion. Wish I had more money though. College expenses for my eldest are looming ever closer.

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