We usually think about trading money for time as outsourcing or automating the routine and mundane parts of daily life, like hiring a cleaning service or automating your lights. But when we look at time use data for Americans, we also see how much of their time is eaten up dealing with total shit-storm disasters. Here, I’m going to list a few and how you can prevent them.
Getting your identity stolen
Identity theft is a proper nightmare that can be a massive drain on your time in perpetuity as your personal information is compromised. Even a single fraudulent account can be a significant source of stress if the perpetrators managed to successfully get credit.
The first step is to be judicious about where you share your personal info, especially social security numbers.
The second step is to pay for technological tools to monitor and lock your credit down. ID lock and protection services sometimes charge for services that make no differences, including tacking on insurance, assistance, etc. The best thing you can do to protect your credit is have 24/7 credit monitoring with instant notifications when new credit accounts are open. Otherwise, these services are often redundant with checking in on your credit report.
Two suggestions for ID protection services, though there are of course many:
- IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit
- LifeLock Ultimate Plus
Your house catching fire or flooding
Got a sump in your basement? Live in a climate with torrential rains? You can get a head start on both of these by deploying smart water sensors.
Get yourself a good home insurance policy, too. You can often do fairly well by bundling it with your car insurance with a large company like GEICO or Liberty Mutual. The options are nearly unlimited.
Car accidents
Dash cams can be the difference between massive liability claims or just paying your $500 deductible. (If your deductible is smaller than that, change your insurance because you’re paying too much). Here are some suggestions:
- Nextbase 422GW
- Vanture T2
- Garmin Mini Dash Cam
Getting burglarized
Invest in an alarm system of some type. They’re a powerful deterrent to burglars when visible. They also provide an early warning system. Alarm systems are also a form of Smart Home layer, giving you information on which doors and windows are open or closed and often being linkable to other smart devices like smoke detectors and cameras. I personally don’t care to base my smart home around the alarm system, but some people like it to be all connected.
If you live an an apartment, get a bare bones system tied to your smart home, where the sensors are easily portable.
If you live in a house, go for a more comprehensive system. Here are the 5 main providers:
- ADT
- Frontpoint
- Vivint
- SimpliSafe
- Brinks
They’ve done a good job of buying up all the competition. Visible alarm systems deter crime in their own right.
Getting killed
This one takes up all of your time, by definition.
Naturally, all of the physical security tips for your home listed for burglary also apply to the ages-old, noble tradition of not getting killed. A 30 second buffer bought by an alarm, cameras, or a strong front door can make all the difference.
Life’s too short and fragile. Protect your family and loved ones. Get weapons. Learn how to use them.
You can also familiarize yourself with and carry around compact, effective weapons. The best general purpose one for all skill levels is pepper spray. Super cheap, effective, and compact. You can also consider hand-to-hand combat options, like a kubotan, if you’re goddamn Steven Seagal.
Make sure to check the legality of your weapons in your locale.
Lastly, you can hire private security, but even the most eager and capable Money-Time Trader™ generally doesn’t have that kind of cash to throw around.
Time costs are spiky
We’ll leave the darker note of death to give our summary: some of the biggest time drains in life come in big, horrible spikes. The only way to prevent those things is to anticipate them and be prepared.
