Is Your Busy Life Making You Overspend?
We often think of making a plan for our money as a matter of pounds and pence. However, time is one of the biggest influences on our financial decisions and money mindset.
Busy schedules and general overwhelm can lead to money decisions that feel convenient in the moment but cost us more in the long run. Understanding how time affects your spending can help you make better choices, reduce pressure and feel more in control.
Understanding the triangle
A helpful way to think about this is through the time–money–convenience triangle.
Buying groceries online from a discount supermarket is cheap and convenient. You do not have to leave the house, and your order appears at your door. But it takes time. You still need to plan meals, check what you already have, and put together the order carefully to avoid buying the same thing twice.
Then, there is the fast and cheap option, but only if you are willing to do the legwork. You grab a last-minute deal on heavily discounted fruit and vegetables from a local shop just before closing time. It feels like a win until you are sorting through squashed tomatoes, cutting out bruises, and figuring out what to do with six aubergines before they go off.
Ordering dinner after a long day can feel like the perfect shortcut. It is quick, shows up at your door, and has no dishes to deal with. But fast and convenient rarely comes cheap. You end up spending more than half a typical supermarket shop, all for something you could have made at home for a fraction of the cost.
How small moments become expensive habits
Dovid and Talia*, a couple with three young children, came to Mesila feeling stuck. They were not living extravagantly, but they could not understand why their money seemed to vanish each month.
When they looked at their spending, the pattern became clear. They relied heavily on convenience, like last-minute top-up shopping, frequent takeaway dinners, and urgent online orders with delivery fees.
They were not being irresponsible. They were simply tired and stretched, using money to buy back time.
Once they understood this, they made a few small changes. They set up a weekly online food shop and started batch-cooking twice a week. They also gave themselves just twenty minutes every Sunday to plan the week ahead. Within two months, they were saving over £250 a month.
More importantly, they felt calmer. The week still felt full, but no longer out of control.
Planning ahead makes a difference
It is tempting to think small changes don’t make a difference. But they do. Booking travel early saves money, as does shopping with a list and remembering to cancel that free trial you never used (you know the one).
These choices save real money, but they also take time. You must research, prepare, and sometimes deal with forms or phone calls. That time is an investment. Not exciting, but you’ll be glad you did it.
Sometimes convenience wins
Some weeks, everything goes out the window. You forgot to defrost the chicken, you are late for pick-up, and half the shopping list never made it into the trolley. That is normal.
Convenience sometimes wins. But if you regularly feel like your spending is slipping out of control, it might be time to examine how your time and money are connected.
Small changes to your routine can make a big difference. Setting up a direct debit, planning meals, or getting ahead on Yom Tov prep can all add up.
You do not need a complete overhaul. Choose one or two areas where some planning could go a long way. The more intention you bring to your time, the more control you will feel over your money.
*Names changed