My husband, Bill, found the perfect way to curb my spending the last time he traveled out of town. Before he left, he asked me to scan any receipts I received while he was away and e-mail them to him so he could enter the transactions into Quicken. I didn’t like this request because it involved work on my part (Bill's the scanner in our family). I also didn't want Bill reviewing transactions hundreds of miles from home, where it was impossible for me to defend my purchases.

Determined to get out of this assignment, I resolved not to buy anything until Bill returned. Two days into my spending freeze, I began to wonder: What would it be like if I had to turn in a receipt for every hour I spent during the day? Would I avoid certain expenditures because the time would not hold up well under scrutiny or it wasn’t worth the effort to record them?

If I reviewed time receipts for last month, I can think of several that would not pass inspection. One in particular is the hour I spent looking for after-Christmas sales. I didn’t need anything. I was just in it for the hunt—and the satisfaction of finding a great deal (which I did). I purchased a doll house for $15. The last thing I should be squeezing into our home right now is another doll house. Still, the toy was normally $50 and I couldn't resist.

Then came the buyer’s remorse. Do I just give the toy to my daughters or should I wait until Katie's birthday in February? If I do give it to Katie, can her bedroom hold another doll house? The time I wasted debating about the purchase led me to conclude that money saved does not make up for time wasted.

Although we have the potential to earn an unlimited amount of money, our minutes are finite. Once they are spent, they can never be returned. I saved a lot of minutes while Bill was on his trip and  made Bill's week when he learned that he would not be processing the usual pile of receipts.

We all have the potential to make someone's day, not just by what we do, but by what we don't do as we hold off on transactions that don't hold up well under scrutiny and make the most of the money, and minutes, we have to spend.

A Quote to Grow On

“Just as you can fit only so much into a closet or drawer, you can fit only so much into your waking hours.”

-Julie Morgenstern, Time Management from the Inside Out