Today I read a post by Derek Magill The Best Investment I’ve Ever Made: Why Strategic Spending is Better than Passive Saving. It reminded me of a time I spent $30 on a Google Mail Merge which saved me over 30 hours of time.
Spending For Efficiencies
The thought never crossed my mind to claim my purchase for an expense reimbursement. I also never asked permission. I saw a problem and a mail merge was the easiest solution available. Dealing with bureaucracy to get a $30 purchase pushed into the budget seemed wasteful. All I needed was the time-savings the purchase would create.
Spending on a mail merge taught me a simple lesson: Spending for efficiencies, which will save time (time is money, right?), is worth it.
Don’t ask for permission. Spend on efficiencies.