It’s easy to assume that when you earn more money, you’ll have more money. But what tends to happen is your lifestyle expands – you start to rely on more services and people, and your outgoings in case too.
The busy tax is the price you pay for convenience. It is the hidden cost of being too busy to shop around, to compare prices and switch providers, and what you pay for choosing to outsource jobs in order to free up your time.
Modern life means it’s easier than ever for this to happen. We have access to everything from Uber Eats and Hello Fresh to Amazon Prime and Ocado, as well as businesses that will unclutter your house, do your gardening or walk your dog. Many of these modern day conveniences didn’t exist even a few years ago.
I can’t pretend I do everything myself, but I think of a lot of the busy tax I pay as money well spent. We have a cleaner and get the food shop delivered, for example, and that frees up my time to work.
But don’t fall into the trap of thinking time only has value when you’re earning – it’s also about self-care and giving yourself time to do the things that empower you. We shouldn’t have to apologise for paying the busy tax or feel guilty about it.
Where it becomes a problem is where we are paying for things unnecessarily. I recently saved hundreds from cancelling unused contracts with a phone and broadband provider. I hadn’t had the time to comb my bank statement for unused subscriptions and payments, and I had paid the busy tax for that.
The busy tax also means you end up paying for things to happen quickly: that next-day delivery from Amazon, because you forget it was World Book Day and your child needs a costume, or from Asos, because you need a new pair of trousers.
It’s not always your fault – kids can create a lot of last-minute spending, between school events and birthday parties – but I try to ask myself whether I really need these things right now, or if it could wait a few days.
Adding up the costs to an annual amount can make you think twice because sometimes the real number is hidden. A weekly takeaway for £50 might not seem like a problem when you’re busy and need to eat – but that can add up to £2,600 a year.
Buying the pre-chopped vegetables at the supermarket might save you a minute or two when you’re prepping dinner, but the extra cost adds up over a year’s worth of food shops.
It’s important to acknowledge that the busy tax comes from a place of privilege – from being able to afford to delegate and outsource. It’s often seen as the answer to overwhelm but for some people it is just not an option, and I’ve been there.
Sometimes it’s ok to pay the busy tax. Paying for services can empower other people, by providing them with work, and helping the local economy. And if it genuinely improves your life, gives you more time and you can afford it, then why not? After all, you only live once. But we shouldn’t let it be an excuse for spending when we’re just feeling lazy or have been disorganised.
We should all try to be intentional with our spending, rather than just choosing the fastest, most convenient option, just because we can. Because when we start to outsource all our spending, it’s easy to lose track of what things cost, what’s a good or bad deal, and what’s really coming in and going out of the household budget each month.
Someone once put it to me like this: no matter how wealthy you are, you should always know how to unblock your own drains and what bus to take from outside your house to get somewhere.
The busy tax can make life easier, and is sometimes worth paying. But, as with any other type of tax, you probably don’t want to pay more than you need to.
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