Although you’d never know it based upon the ways people treat time and money, the former is significantly more valuable than the latter because our life here on earth is finite. Yes, time is free; ironically, it’s also priceless. That’s because we can always make more money — but there’s nothing we can do to buy more time.
The bottom line: Treat your time with the same care and consideration you would your money. Instead of mindlessly wasting it, strive to use it wisely. After all, no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to save time for a rainy day.
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You can’t get time back, that’s for sure, so in that sense I agree. However if you’re short on cash, you may have a lot more time available than money, so in that respect you might value the money you do have more.
if you are short on cash you could get a sugar daddy
Only get a sugar daddy or mama that doesn’t want any sugar.
There is an old saying about when you are young, you spend all of your time getting money. And, when you are old, you spend all of your money trying to get back time.
It makes sense to enjoy your time, no matter what else you do in life.
Some people spend as if there is no tomorrow. Greed has taken over. I gotta have it whether I can afford it or not. For most, time is now, not tomorrow not ever. We wouldn’t have so much of a debt problem that we do now if we had respect for time.
Totally agree with you. Rather have more time in my life to do fun things than more money.
Penzo, you have a camera in my living room? How did you know I was watching ESPN?
Well said.
As to Jackie’s point, I am trying to get my money to begin working for me, rather than the other way around.
It is cool to wake up to more money then you had when you went to bed!
They also say time is money, so as your time is finite, you should charge as much as you can for it…
Hmm… I spend 1/3 of my time sleeping… thoughts on that?
Amphetamines. Lots and lots of amphetamines. 😉
The only thing I have heard about money and time is “Time is Money.” I have never heard the reverse. Money is time does nothing.
…and tell a man on his deathbed that “time is money”.
So true Mr. Dave.
When you pass 50, the passing of time speeds up. At 60, you are pedal to the metal all the way. Before you know it, you’re old. The relationships you neglected to constantly build are gone.
I had to miss a lot in life because my job would force me to work my day off or overtime. I do not take time for granted. I do not fill my day with busyness. I savor each special moment, and try to treasure them all.
Friday, I sat by a buddy watching his daughter play high school girls soccer. They won 11-0. Yay!
yeah wait till he gets the bill from the hospital
PK, 1/3 of your time sleeping is great. It’s better than wasting time earning a dollar that is slowly depreciating. At least when everything collapses you will be well rested.
I agree time is much more valuable than money. The problem is the more money you make, the more you want. It’s an endless cycle. Until we can be happy with what we make now, we will never be happy. People think money will buy experiences, but the truth is there is plenty of experience of life lessons in the everyday things.
I learn just as much from interacting with different cultures in my area where I live, as I do from visiting foreign places. Don’t get me wrong, I still travel, but it isn’t necessary to live a fulfilling life. The same goes for so many other things.
I just recently graduated college, and something I read stuck with me: when searching for a job/career right out of college, negotiate for more time (vacation, better hours) than more money, because you can always earn more money later, because you’re used to living on a tight budget but with lots of free time, and because you can accumulate raises more consistently along the years than you can build vacation time.
I was very lucky to get a solid office job that is part-time to full-time and hourly, so I can choose my schedule and work more hours the weeks we need more money, like before Christmas. My husband’s work just made a new policy where you can buy up to 5 vacation days a year, and we’ll definitely be doing that from now on. Time versus money really is all about contentment, as other commenters have said, because studies have shown that you psychologically enjoy experiences and conversations more than objects, and time gives you those real opportunities for enjoyment, and if you can live within your means, you don’t need to be obsessed with money.
That said, I can’t wait until we each get one more promotion, because then we will have a bit more pad to keep living at the same level but saving more, because we want to spend our time AND money travelling together.
We agree. Time should be spent in a valuable way; it does not always make sense doing things that save money if they eat up too much time.
Why time is more valuable than money? We can earn more money but not more time. Everybody equally gets 24 hours in a day, no more, no less. So, we should use our time wisely and productively.
Exercise, nutrition and good lifestyle choices IS time. You can bank time if you exercise regularly and eat knowledgeably which a small percentage of Americans actually do. Centagenarians pay great attention to what they eat. If you go to the doctor to take care of your health, then your health is being poorly managed. Your doctor cannot take responsibility for your health because they are not with you 24 hours a day to keep you from eating or drinking that which is bad for you or to motivate you to do things that are good for you. Only you can do that. Most people go to the doctor thinking that relieves them of their responsibility to themselves. It doesn’t. The need for proper nutrition and an active, vivacious life style is genetically encoded in all of us. If you want to “buy time” then you must invest some of your time every day on behalf of your health. You will live longer and enjoy a vigorous and exciting life free of limitations and chronic pain. People who live to old age don’t suffer when they die. It people who allow their physical condition to erode and contract diseases from poor lifestyle choices that suffer terribly and live shortened lives as a result. There is a factor of chance, but that is out of our control. The evidence is very clear about health and longevity: an active lifestyle with regular exercise and proper food choices results in a much healthier and longer life. So, Len, yes you can invest in time and you can bank it for the future. The choice is up to each and every one of us and your doctor can do very little to help diseases caused by gluttony and sloth. That is not judgemental, and I am truly sympathetic. I’ve been there. I’ve seen wonderful people die much too young due to not getting a handle on their weight and lifestyle and I’ve seen their families lament their death because they did not intervene on consistently bad choices. Now I speak out. Time is exercise and proper lifestyle in concert with our genetic inheritance. Fast foods, packaged foods, “all you can eat”, bottomless refills, 32 oz colas, electric chairs, golf carts, driving everywhere without walking, parking close to the store’s entrance/exit is not in concert with our genes.
Once again, time can be earned, saved, and banked, but you cannot buy it.
wild sex is good too
If you take care of your health and manage to live to 100 or more, any untouched investments accumulating for a half century will be worth more than a lifetime of wages. Time is the biggest contributor to wealth over the long term if wealth is what you seek and you will dramatically reduce the accumulation of wealth if you don’t take excellent care of your health. Health is greater than wealth and through excellent health you will accumulate more wealth over time. So the battle is to eliminate gluttony and sloth and also to eliminate greed which distracts us from that which is far more important: our health. You’ll obtain more wealth by focusing on your health and letting your investments work for themselves for another 20-30 years. My 2 cents.
Albert Einstein called compound interest “a miracle”.
Well said. Perhaps this is why I consider the quest to retirement so important. Making money and saving it is like my “ticket” to buying my time back so I no longer have to work.
I’m reminded how precious time is every time I look at my children! I would much rather have a lived a life without regret than a fat bank account and no friends! Thanks for the reminder Len!
If one stats out with the premise that his time is all important, one may devise ways to enjoy the time of one’s life without need for much money.
Great content, thanks for sharing.