Do you pay for convenience (letting someone else do what you can do yourself)?

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We live in a time and world where people would just pay for the convenience to not have to do something. When I was growing up my dad made me get out and cut the grass ever weekend or every other weekend and I still do it to the day. I have no problem getting out and pushing a lawnmower. Now people pay a lawn service to come and cut a small patch of grass. This past weekend I was at my parent's house and my mom gave me the money to take her car to Auto Bell and have them wash it. I did because that's what she asked. Me, I'll spend several hours on a Sat morning in my driveway cleaning my ride. The lawn and car washing are personal satisfactions to me when I finish I can take a step back and look at the work I've done. I work with a girl who pays the extra fee to have a grocery store do her shopping for her and all she has to do is drive up, park, text them she's there, and they bring her groceries out to her car.

A mile and a half from our house we have a street that has every fast food place just about known to man, McDonald's, Hardee's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Captain D's, and KFC. My wife is one of those who will pay extra to have Postmates, Grubhub, Ubereats, or one of those food delivery services deliver a burger and fries to the house. I love cooking so it's nothing for me to buy an onion, bell pepper, or some celery and chop it for dinner. My wife, on the other hand will spend the extra money to buy a carton of pre-chopped veggies. She'll spend $3 for a small carton of pre-chopped onions compared to buying an onion for $0.70 and chopping it herself. And typically she only uses a small portion of the onions and sticks the rest in the fridge to go bad after a week which are thrown away.

Am I the only one who doesn't pay for the convenience to not have to do something. If I have to drive to the grocery store to get my items then I might as well do my own shopping. I have a lawnmower so why would I pay someone to come dot it for me? Then on top of that, these places and services expect a tip once they're done. You've already paid them to cut your grass or shop for you but now they expect a tip for doing what the store is already paying them or what you agreed upon when hiring them.

Are we becoming a society of lazy people and just expect others to do what we don't want to do?

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I think it is more a matter of how you want to use your money and time. I have plenty of money, not so much time, so I have no problem converting money into time by selectively paying for someone to do something for me, especially if they have the equipment or skills to do it better. Growing up, it was the opposite so I would spend my time to save money.

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@Barry2021,

I was brought up this way too (from an old Yankee family with "self-reliance" and all that). But if you think about it it doesn't make sense.

You don't sew your own clothes. You probably didn't build your own house. You probably buy milk from a store (rather than getting it from your own cow). I don't see why having someone fix your car, or mow your lawn, or cook food for you is any different.

Modern life is about specialization. Cooking lots of food is more efficient than cooking a little bit of food. Paying a electrician (who has experience and training) is safer and often cheaper than doing it yourself.

Grocery delivery services can be better for the environment. You have one truck making lots of stops on one trip rather than 20 individual cars going back and forth in single trips.

Once you think about it, this "do it all yourself" attitude isn't really that logical.

1 Reply

@engineer,

I fully agree with you on that. We are more busier these days. But taking my wife for example, how long does it honestly take to chop an onion or some bell peppers? And with the food delivery thing as well. The time she took to log into an app, select what she wanted, submitted the order, then waited on the driver to bring the food she could have driven down the street and gotten the food herself. Because all she's doing is just sitting there waiting on the food to arrive.

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@Barry2021,

I used to think this way, but as I've gotten older not so much. I'm with Farmerman - have money, willing to pay. For me, some of it has to do with a bad back (when I do certain chores), and some of it is that I'm sick of doing something for so many years. Like floors. I just don't want to do them any more and it does give me pain, so yes, I hire a cleaning lady. Likewise in the garden, digging about, weeding, etc. It's worth the money to not have the backaches. A good consequence is I'm putting money back into the economy.

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@maxdancona,

Honestly, I do a lot of work on our cars myself so again, I rarely pay anyone to do that either. I get where you're coming from though. I also do plumbing and electrical here at my house. Rarely do I pay anyone to do what I can do for myself. Thank you YouTube.

Again, I get your point. No, I don't sew my own clothes but I can replace a button or stitch up a hole in some socks if need be. Yes, I do have an alteration shop that does specialized work for me but again, tailors and alteration shops have been around for years and are typically the norm these days. And again, I get you on other things too. No, I don't have a cow out back for fresh milk and I'm not buying land and building my own house. But I'm sure that during those days when production facilities came along those farmers scoffed at the idea or having a machine do the work for them.

And I love my "do it myself" attitude. Do you know the amount of money I've saved "doing things myself"? I tend to be a hands on guy. I would never pay anyone to pick out my groceries or touch the produce I'm buying. Yeah, others have touched it before I get there but the idea that I know X person picked out my onions or tomatoes seems to be a turn off for me. And what if they have a sale on another item in the store that may not be listed on the app? Do those apps usually tell you that if you buy 2 you get one free? If I put one in my shopping cart on the app I'm missing out on that sale compared to being in the store and seeing that sign on the product shelf.

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@Mame,

I feel you Mame, I understand those physical limitations. Trust me I do. I have bad knees myself. But the more I walk the better they feel. When my step-sons were younger they cut the grass. Now that they're out I do not have a problem pushing a lawnmower again. I'm more so talking about things you can do yourself, set aside those physical limitations, that you just choose to pay someone else to do. Again, there's nothing too strenuous about chopping an onion. My wife would just rather spend 3 or 4 times the money to buy it already chopped. Or paying a delivery charge and waiting 30 minutes to an hour to get a burger and fries compared to driving a mile down the street and being back home in 20 minutes eating. Maybe in 5 or 10 years I may change my tune. But now I'm just not ready to do these things.

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@Barry2021,

Barry2021 wrote:

But taking my wife for example, how long does it honestly take to chop an onion or some bell peppers?

Food preparation is a lot more than that. You have to plan the meal, buy the food, prepare the food and clean up afterward. Part of appreciating something is respecting the true cost of it. Perhaps your wife doesn't feel you appreciate her cooking efforts so it's not worth the cost to her.

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

Well, in this house we refuse to use UberEats or FoodtoGo or any of those because they rip of the restaurant owners to the tune of 30%, plus the prices are higher on the delivery menu. And... we enjoy going out, so we do. Or my husband will pick it up.

I am with you on the pre-chopped veggies and grated cheeses, though. My daughter buys those all the time. I know she's busy working full-time and raising two kids, but I've never understood why her teenaged daughters can't chop their own celery and carrot sticks. Plus I really dislike like all the extra packaging.

And I'd rather pick out my own food, too. I'm pretty fussy about the condition of the food I use and there's no guarantee the person choosing it for me would be the same. Plus, I like shopping. I get dinner ideas from looking around.

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@engineer,

No, honestly, it's not. Food prep is food prep. It has to be done in order to cook/eat. I do it all the time. No one is talking about a 5 star meal every night. Tonight is my night to cook so I've been prepping since yesterday. I marinated my meat last night and threw it in the fridge. Took all of 20 minutes to do that. Got up this morning and floured the meat and put it back in the fridge to rest. Again, another 30 minutes. so when I get off work I can go straight to cooking. Granted, I could have done all this once I got off but I like to do bits and pieces of things gradually to lessen the time I'm actually cooking. But I may be a rare person. I like the prep work when it comes to cooking. I like the chopping, seasoning, stirring, the tasting along the way to make sure it's seasoned right. Now when dinner is ready, I'll probably only eat a bite or two of it. I'm sure none of us have the funds to hire a personal chef to come in and cook for us so it's not as much about the convenience as it is about doing what you need to do to eat. Granted, my wife is not that big on cooking but chopping an onion or celery doesn't take 30 minutes. My wife has even professed to not even knowing how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. And planning a meal is as simple as thinking about what you want to cook. Deciding what you have compared to what you need, and putting everything together. Again, no one is talking about cooking a 5 star meal, just something hearty to feed your family that night. It could be something as simple as tacos or tuna fish sandwiches, but that still has to be prepped.

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@Mame,

Me too, when I'm walking the aisles of a grocery store I may see a cut of meat or an ingredient and that will trigger something in the back of my head, "hey, I haven't had that in a while" or "I have most of those ingredients at home to make this, I just need a few more things to round out the meal." And you never know with those grocery shopping services. How long has my cut of meat been out of the fridge before they put it in my car? OR with the Grubhub delivery services. You see all the time where those drivers go in your bag to eat some of your fries. Now the bags are sealed but there's ways to peal off the sticker and put it back so no one can tell they've been in it. No, I'm not paying for those services because you already know they are jacking up the price because of the service then charge you and exorbitant amount just to deliver it. And yeah, some things are worth buying already pre-prepped. Buying a bag of shredded cheese is a lot cheaper than going to a deli counter and asking for a block of cheddar then having to go home and shred it yourself. That I understand. But spending $4 for some pre-chopped onions compared to buying an onion for $0.70 and chopping it yourself is beyond me. I don't mind walking the aisles of a grocery store. That way I can pick the cut of meat I want or get the store brand paper towels because they are on sale compared to the name brand ones.

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@Barry2021,

So... Let me see if I have this correctly.

You are now complaining that your wife orders food.

Is there not ONE THING she can do that would alleviate your bitching?

I mean, come on dude. This is beyond comprehension with you.

You don't love her. Hell, at this point, you don't even LIKE her. WHy do you continue to make her and yourself miserable??

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

We definitely pay for some stuff. Bagged salad isn't just more convenient. It's a variety of lettuces that we wouldn't be able to finish before they went bad (there are just 2 of us at home). Peeled and bagged carrots are similar, and easier to take for a snack so we eat something better than chips. Most other veggies we prepare. We started buying precut pineapple this year and we've eaten a lot more pineapple than we had in years.

We will also buy packaged chicken breast as it's a faster meal. We'll buy a whole chicken or turkey if there's time to cook.

We also pay to get the car serviced, as neither of us are terribly mechanically inclined. Home stuff varies. We do some small stuff, but if I never have to paint a room again, hallelujah.

1 Reply

@neptuneblue,

No, I'm not complaining about her ordering food so let's get that straight. My question was about people paying for the convenience of letting someone else do what they can do for themselves. I mentioned my wife because she is one of a lot of folks these days who will order food from a restaurant a mile down the street and pay the high delivery fee when she could have just gone and gotten it herself. This is not a rant about her. This is about people paying for things they are more than capable of doing themselves. Paying someone to cut your grass. Paying a grocery store to shop for you. Having Amazon delivery a case of water or toilet tissue because you just don't want to go to the store. Like I said in my OP, my wife will spend more for pre chopped veggies and only use a portion then they are thrown away a week or so later. People are trying to watch every penny these days but have no problem paying surcharges or premiums to let someone else do things for them they can do for themselves.

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@jespah,

Yeah, there are some things you do have to buy pre-prepped or some things you do have to pay someone else to do. I don't buy a whole chicken and cut it up into the individual pieces primarily because I rarely eat every cut from the chicken. Drumsticks, thighs, or breasts. Those are easier to buy prepackaged. To me it's not worth it to buy a whole chicken and cut up. And as far as car maintenance, I can understand that too. I have no idea how to tear down or rebuild a transmission or engine. But I do know how to replace a bulb, change the oil, replace a starter, alternator, or O2 sensor, etc. We have roadside assistance through our insurance carrier but I'm not going to sit on the side of the road waiting on a guy to come change my tire when I can do it myself and be on my way. That's just me. Yes, sometimes we buy specialty lettuce for a salad and rarely eat all of it. Most of the time once you open the bag it's wilted in a matter of days. But I would also never buy a carton of chopped onions or bell peppers. A bag of onions sitting on the counter will last weeks before they really start to turn. And I'm not buying more bell peppers than I need for any given recipe.

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

So this is all about you letting us know how much better you are than these people.

What do these people think they're doing ordering a hamburger when they're on an average wage, the scumbags.

Something should be done about it.

Have you thought about hacking into the delivery system's computer? That way instead of them getting a pizza, they'd get you telling them how fiscally irresponsible they are, and how fantastic you are.

I bet they'd love that.

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

You're a very industrious hard working person,you're incredibly well organised and sound like an excellent provider.

So why do you spend all your time complaining about other people?

I think I know, the qualities I just mentioned are all very admirable qualities, but they're not qualities that make one likable.

One wouldn't go out for a beer with someone because they're organised, or a good provider or hard working. That's not how people choose their friends, they want good listeners, good sense of humour, someone who doesn't judge, can keep a confidence.

You talk a lot about church and family,you spend a lot of time at events where people are under some obligation to attend like church events or family occasions.

That's why you're so pissed off with everyone else, they aren't as hard working, organised or responsible as you, but they have no problems making friends.

You're upset because you don't feel that people don't recognise your worth.

Maybe the solution isn't Boxer's from Animal Farm, working harder but listening more and condemning less.

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@izzythepush,

Izzy, are you seriously reading that from what I'm saying? Nowhere did I ever say I'm better than anyone for what they decide to do. I was just asking do you pay for the convenience of not having to do something. If I'm saying anything I'm saying that my money can be used for other things than buying pre-chopped veggies, paying someone to cut my own grass, or having a Walmart shopped do my shopping for me.

1 Reply

@Mame,

The other thing with food prep - is cutting it yourself the food tends to be fresher. Pre-cut veggies often times are more dried out.

I also prefer to go to a farmers market again it takes more time but with such a short season to get really fresh stuff I try to go as much as possible.

It is simply what you value. I am also of the mind if you have the money why not spend it and make your life a bit more comfortable. You don't like to mow and you have plenty of money why wouldn't you pay someone to do it?

I know the opposite as well. We have family members that are very wealthy but yet won't spend a little bit of money to have their home cleaned. They are older now and so not in a position to thoroughly clean their very large home as a result it is now in disrepair and to be honest not very clean. We live too far to assist, but they have more than enough money to pay someone but yet they don't.

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

That's the vibe I'm getting.

1 Reply

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