I’ve had very little control over anything in my life this semester.  Between illness, injury, and family issues, my life outside work has been less than ideal.  My time has been more overextended than I would like.

I’m not normally someone willing to pay extra for conveniences, but this semester has been an exception to that rule. When I had Covid-19 at the start of January I signed up for a free trial of a grocery delivery service.  It was exactly what I needed to get some food into the house without having to go out and share my germs with the world.  When I injured my leg later that same month and started hobbling around on crutches, I made the decision not to cancel that service.  By the time I felt physically able to resume grocery shopping, my time at home was suddenly very limited as I needed to spend a huge amount of time caring for my parents.  I’ve finally got my family situation to a comfortable place again, but next week I’m going to have surgery to correct the knee injury that put me on crutches back in January.  I’m just not willing to let go of my grocery delivery service yet.

Between the subscription for the delivery service and driver tips, I’m certain that I have spent at least a couple hundred dollars more on my groceries than I would have had I gone to pick them up myself. (And I’m using what I believe is the least expensive home delivery option.)  That extra money has been worth it to me due to my circumstances.  But this is not something that will be worth it to me for the long haul.  I’m pretty sure that I’ll be pushing a cart around the grocery aisles again come June.  My crazed life should have returned to a normal pace, and my knee should be recovered by then.  I definitely love the convenience of having my groceries dropped at my front door.  But I think about the extra money I’ve been spending, and I’d much rather be spending that money on different things—like concert tickets, music festivals, and camping adventures.

The price of convenience can be worth it from time to time (so don’t beat yourself up for ordering takeout while you are studying for exams).  But if you are paying for convenience on a regular basis, you have to take a moment to weigh out whether that extra money is really worth it to you.