First Person: Patience Pays Off

Far too often, when we want something, we want it as soon as possible. Many of us do not like waiting. In the past, I have spent money hastily only to regret the decision later. A perfect example happened in the summer of 2011 when faced with a city order to remove a tree. Times arise, though, when patience leads to saving money. We remembered that 2011 disaster that our haste caused, and we learned patience. Through the first half of 2012, exercising patience has allowed us to save a total of $769 dollars in three situations.

Summer 2011 -- costly haste

In 2011, we came home from a summer vacation to find a yellow card on our front door. The card contained an order from the city to remove a dead pine tree within fifteen days or risk daily fines. We saw a tree removal staff that same day working another yard in the area, so -- in panic -- we hired them to remove our tree. We took no time to research this company. I even forgot to call the previous company that removed trees for us a year earlier for a good price.

We paid this new company over $900 to remove the tree, but they took several days and left the debris on the front curb. We received another card from the city ordering the debris removal or face daily fines. I fought with the company for over a week, and as my time nearly ran out, I remembered and hired the 2010 company to haul the debris for an extra $225. I could have paid the first company much less to do the entire job and not had the extra $225 fee if I had taken a little time to research and remember the previous positive experience.

2012 -- $769 total savings

In January, 2012, our bedroom's DVR satellite receiver started acting up. It would frequently pause on its own and not allow us to fast forward. I called the satellite company for a replacement. The representative said that I could get a new receiver right then for $199 or wait until May 31 for a free upgrade to an HD DVR for customer loyalty. I am a television junkie, so I did not care to wait five months, but I did. Two good things arose from the wait. We learned to do without that extra television, and we then got our upgrade completely for free. We saved $199 simply by waiting patiently for five months.

When our version of iPad came out, it retailed for $599. We wanted it then, but not for that much. We decided to buy one in April as a reward for our son's elementary school success. By waiting until newer versions came out, we found ours for $349.00, saving $250 off the original price. We could have spent less on other brands, but we wanted to get the nicest device that we could afford. Patience allowed us that privilege.

My lawn mower quit in May. I know nothing about fixing machines and instinctively planned to buy a new one. I prepared to spend up to $400. I hesitated for a few weeks and paid a friend who owns a lawn business to mow for me in the meantime. Neighbors suggested replacing the spark plug and air filter. My friend looked at my mower and confirmed their suggestions. I bought a new spark plug and air filter for $10 and got the mower running again. I spent a total of $80 for the two parts and my friend's help mowing. I saved $320 on the mower, and it should last a few more years.

Patience paid off

These three examples of patience all occurred in the first half of 2012. We learned from the 2011 tree incident to take time, exercise patience, and wait for better deals or procedures to save money. We saved a total of $769 in these cases. We constantly look for ways to save money; patience won over in early 2012, and we will remember that in the future.

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