WHEN TO HIRE HELP

I don't know about you, but I'm not rolling in time or money.  So this means that not only can I not do everything I want to, but I cannot pay everyone to get r done either.

I also don't like paying people to do stuff I know how to, or can do myself. So that means that I recently took my PT Cruiser apart to fix a broken door lock and even went to the junk yard to buy the part instead of the dealer to save me another $100.  Made for good times with Tyler as we went junk yard bonding, but it also took a lot of time to save me a little money.

Then on last Saturday morning, I had a full day planned with a birthday party for Billy and a party in my backyard on Sunday for some adult leaders, so I called and hired a couple of students to help me do yard work for 3 hours.

Yup, I hired help. That's like a rare experience in my world.  But I was SO THANKFUL that I did.

So it got me thinking... when would it be wise for me to buy some time and spend some money on stuff I know how to do myself?   Here's my conclusions.

WHEN HIRING PEOPLE MEANS I CAN MULTIPLY MY EFFORTS.  

• Had I not hired help last Saturday, the same yard work tasks that took me 3 hours would have taken me 9 hours. When my time multiplies, my investment compounds and the money is worth it.   This means I'm more likely to hire someone to help me than I am to replace me.  

WHEN HIRING PEOPLE MEANS I'M BUYING TIME.

• At some point, I have to put a wage on my time.  If the cost of the job is low enough and the value on my time high enough, at some point doing it myself is actually not a wise investment. I'm actually wasting time that could be better spent making money or on things at a higher priority level.

WHEN HIRING PEOPLE MEANS I'M HELPING OTHERS.

• This is the what goes around comes around concept.  Like I could make my own coffee, but buying it from the local java shop also supports my community.  When I hire a babysitter or give a job to a college student I'm investing in them as much as they are helping me. When I help them make money and they help me get a job done, it's a win-win.  Spending that money feels like an investment more than an expense. 

WHEN HIRING PEOPLE MEANS I CAN MOVE ONTO OTHER THINGS.

• If I can hire help and get a monkey off my back, then sometimes it's worth it. Like if the project is going to be left undone for 4 weeks before I can get to it, but it can be solved in 3 days with hiring help, then I might seriously need to consider it.  Stress relief sometimes is worth a big dollar amount.  If I have to live in the mess of a project for too long, paying someone to move the project along is not only healthy for the project, but it is an investment in avoiding depression and angst too.