Sometimes it pays to pay someone else
I feel like I’m going just a little bit crazy.
These last couple of weeks I have been working on my blog redesign, and I have been learning (through trial and much, much error) about html and installing wordpress.org and ftp connections and config.sample.php files and mySQLdatabases and customizing headers and css stylesheets… do you know what I’ve finally decided?
That I need to hire someone to do this for me.
The reason that I have been driving myself insane, googling unknown terms and watching tutorial videos and reading blogs about blogging incessantly, is because, plain and simple, I am cheap. I did not want to spend any hard earned money on anything that I could possibly learn and do myself.
Somehow, I got it in my little head that it couldn’t possibly be that hard to learn how to switch over my blog, and customize the design template (among other things), all by myself, even though I truly know next to nothing about this kind of thing (and many people spend years studying to make a good living doing it professionally- that should have been my first hint).
And I got to thinking about it tonight (as I was preparing to pull my hair out while running around my backyard screaming "make it stop, please, make it stop!"), that this is not worth my time. It was an epiphany that sometimes it is a far better, and more economical, choice to admit that we cannot do something ourselves. It is a legitimate question to ask "how much is my time really worth?"
I think that this applies to far more than computer issues (although I would guess that many fellow bloggers can relate!). How many times in our every day lives do we try to be do-it-yourself women? Surely we can keep a spotless house, grow all of our own vegetables, grind our grain to make every single loaf of bread our family eats, paint our entire house and distress the dining room table and chairs, cater the food for a major church event or wedding, and run two home businesses while homeschooling 4 children, can’t we?
I know I’m exaggerating, but if you’re anything like me, your frugality and sense of drivenness may just push you to attempt more than you can really expect of yourself, or to waste fruitless hours trying desperately to master a skill, when your true skills could have been better put to use somewhere else.
The long and the short of my ramblings tonight are that those of us who are frugally minded need to occasionally take a good long look at what we are doing and consider whether the money "saved" is truly worth the cost in the long run.
Excuse me, but I’m off to find me a good blog techie…know any?
My blog designer/friend is great to work with. You can email her if you want:
char@delight-design.com
Your blog was fun to read…we DO want to try and do it all without asking for help (or spending money!). It’s hard to let go of that.
No kidding – there are lots of tasks that I think I can just do myself cheaper, but end up with a much bigger headache than if I would just let the pros handle it.
Loving your blog, Jeana sent me here for your stuff on cloth diapers, and I enjoy your perspective. 🙂
I can completely relate. It’s so hard for me to admit I can’t do something and then to actually pay someone else to do!
Great post! Time is money and I certainly can waste a lot of both (time and money) trying to do things that aren’t within my calling or scope of knowledge.
I couldn’t agree more which is why I hired swankwebstyle to help me with mine.
I looked at the number of hours I would need to do it myself and it just didn’t justify itself compared to hiring it out.
Laura
This is an excellent post and an excellent lesson to learn while your kids are young. I look back on the preschool years and wish that I would have gone a little easier on myself and reduced my expectations.
Girl…great one! I’m with you on the finding someone….and you’re more techy than me…so, maybe someone will give us a 2 for one deal…or a 2 for with a discount?
loved the post….and in reality there are women who fit the bill of the one you described.
so, how cold is Canada these days?
blessings…lylah
Time is money! I think frugality can spill over into managing our time wisely too and not wasting it…such a fine balance for sure! I really appreciate your humility that is reflected here.
How about hiring Josh E from church? I understand that he is a wiz of sorts with websites.
I know what you mean. I took courses in web design, can put up a web page, but get all tangled up on my blog. Why? I do not know, but I have tried to change one of them and was able to customize some of it, but not all that I wanted.
Right now I guess I am too broke to get someone, but when I can! (either that or keep entering those bloggygiveaways trying to win one!)
I agree! I am very cheap too so I can relate. For example, my husband installed our dishwasher instead of paying the $100 installation fee. But there are some things that it is worth it to pay for to relieve the stress and to know it will be done right.
Thanks, Liz. Glad you’re here!
Lylah- yeah, a discount would be nice! 🙂 We’ve had lots of snow the past two weeks, but then it gets warmer again (around 0 degrees) and it all melts. We’ve had to say goodbye to the lovely snowman in our front yard.
Mel, good idea, I might ask him.