Is the Weekend Runaround Really Saving You Money?

Susan Hamersky's clients ask her errand service, California Concierge Service, to run from The Dollar Store to Wal-Mart and across town again for the best bargain, at $39 an hour.

It ends up costing the clients more in time than they could possibly save on bargains, the Los Angeles-based business owner says, but if that is what they ask for, she is happy to oblige.

The idea seems extreme: paying someone to run all over town to save a few dollars here or there. But it is the essence of what so many families do every Saturday morning.

The Weekly Dance
They hop in the car and go to the drug store that is having a sale on vitamins, then on to Target, where paper towels and dish soap are always cheapest, and then over to the next town, to the warehouse store, to stock up on meat and maybe pick up some jeans.

The day's total tally is four hours, 35 miles and less than $10 in savings.

All that and the grocery shopping still hasn't been done, plus the minivan is probably full of things that weren't on the shopping list.

At times when we are trying so hard not to waste money, we are often frittering away time and cash.

"Every bargain hunt is a judgment call," Hamersky says, but the balance of the cost of gas and the expenditure of time is easily underestimated. She is inclined to go for simplicity.

"Whichever store you feel overall on their prices is the best, then you just do your shopping there and don't worry about the rest, because you can drive yourself crazy running to three or four stores to finish your list," she says.

A Gas Analysis
 The escalating price of gas is quickly bringing up the cost of driving every mile, said Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for AAA.

According to AAA calculations, the cost of driving a 2005 Dodge Caravan 22 miles will cost about $3.52 in fuel. Factor that in when you are trying to save $2 at the local Target.

Then the question becomes less about math and more about what makes sense in your own life.

"You don't tend to put a price tag on your time, and people tend to think of time as an unlimited resource, but it is limited," Hamersky says.

Consider Time and Energy
California Concierge runs errands, shops for gifts, and is a personal assistant for anything time-consuming. Hamersky's customers are people whose time is very precious, whether they are CEOs or a new mother bonding with a baby.

Next: It's all about priorities >

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