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​Finding the Time to Live the Cheapskates Way

Are you guilty of saying “I don’t have the time…..” when confronted with a task?

​It may be something as simple as cooking dinner each night (where lack of time can be very costly) to sewing a button back on a shirt (again, it can be very costly – either the cost of a new shirt or the $8 to have someone else do it – truly $8 to sew on a button!). Or it could be even more costly because you’re not updating your budget and tracking where your money is going.

If you're like most people, you've probably convinced yourself that you don't have enough time. Whether it's time to work on your budget, set new fitness goals, start a veggie garden or just about anything…we often give up before we even start because we believe it's just not possible to fit in our busy lives. 

How Much Time to Do You Really Have?

We all have the same 24 hours in a day – it’s how we use those hours that makes the difference.

The interesting thing is, if you sit down and do the calculations, you'd be surprised at just how much time you really do have. Time to sew on that button, time to cook meals, time to work on your budget and time to just relax and enjoy life.

To make it easier to figure out how much time you actually have, use our Time Calculator. It's a simple, but highly effective, spreadsheet that will reveal the time you really have to work on things you've been putting off. And it will help you identify the time blocks you can use to get more out of each day.  

Quick Instructions:
1. Simply open the spreadsheet and you'll see all the days of the week across the top and then 60 minute time blocks on the side. These time blocks should start from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, so you may need to make adjustments. 

2. In each time block, mark all the times you are busy. For example, include time at your job, exercise, family time, church, meal preparation and eating, shopping, gardening, hobbies, commuting, watching TV, playing games on your phone, social media, bath time for the children, helping with homework, sports etc. 

3. Then for open blocks, write in “1” for each hour block that you have free. 

4. Once you've completed these steps, you'll see how much free time you have each day AND the total free time you have each week. If you’re honest in filling out the time blocks you’ll see how much time is productive and how much is gone on nothing. 

Of course, this calculation is just the first step in getting more done with your time and reaching those big goals you never thought you had time for.  Don’t forget to leave time to do nothing, or relax. It’s important to have down-time, as well as productive time, but there needs to be a balance, or you’ll find yourself getting further and further behind.

From here, you'll need to connect that time to the goals you want to achieve - and then do something!
Related Printables
Finding the Time to Live Like a Cheapskate Time Calculator
Related Tips
Time Management: Organisers
Time Management: Planning

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  • Home
  • Join the Club!
    • Twenty Reasons to Join the Cheapskates Club
    • Gift Memberships
  • About Us
    • Cath's Story
    • Ask Cath
    • Glossary of Cheapskating Terms
  • Forum
    • Current Forum Discussions
    • How to Use the Member Forum
  • Inspiration
    • Getting Started
    • Handmade Christmas Central >
      • Handmade Christmas 2025 is about to start
    • 31 Days of MOO Index
    • Articles
    • Back to Basics >
      • Back to Basics
      • Back to Basics Index
    • Housekeeping Routines
    • Budget Renovations
    • Saving Stories
  • SAVING REVOLUTION
    • 2025 Saving Revolution Index
    • Saving Revolution Resources
  • Recipes
    • Recipe File Index
    • Meal Plans
    • Add a Recipe
    • $300 a Month Food Challenge >
      • $300 a Month Food Challenge
      • The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
  • Newsletters
    • Newsletters 2025
  • Saving Money
    • Bill Paying System
    • Cheapskates Tip Store
    • Tip Sheets
    • Top Tip Competition
  • Contact
    • Changing Details
    • Help Files