There are many conveniences that we have living in the 21st Century and in a first world country. Sure, it’s great when something makes life easier, but sometimes they can be completely unnecessary. All too often, we equate ease with value. It is as if we are averse to the slightest bit of discomfort. Here are a few pet peeves I have of complaints I hear and lazy behavior I see. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with some of these examples, but in some circumstances, it just makes me shake my head.
Drive Thru
As I was driving to work, I was stopped at a red light and saw a McDonald’s with a long line at the drive thru window. I found it a bit odd because I could see through the window into the McDonald’s, and there weren’t many people inside waiting on line. So why not just park your car and walk into the McDonald’s to order, and walk back into your car? Are we too lazy to make the short walk inside? Would we rather just sit in our cars, leaving the engine on, idling while we order our artery clogging food? Although I’ve never ordered from a drive-thru window, there’s nothing wrong with it. But when you can just as easily go inside and be done quicker, why not? I’m sure many will be overjoyed to hear that McDonald’s will be adding a third drive thru window to cut down on the wait time! In NYC, there isn’t much room for drive thru type places, so I was surprised to learn that there are drive thru banks, drive thru Starbucks, and even a drive thru bar (passenger side only of course).
Parking Spot
It drives me crazy when I’m at a shopping center and everyone is fighting over parking spots right by the entrance of the store. (And, it really makes my blood boil when people who are not handicapped take handicapped spots) I always see cars idling waiting for a close spot, stalking shoppers walking to their cars or yelling at other drivers. This often happens even when there are plenty of parking spots a little farther away from the entrance. Listen, just park farther away and walk. Walking is great exercise. You save yourself some stress, you save on gas and probably some time. There’s no need to drive around for 15 minutes fighting for a spot to save 25 steps!
Short Distance Driving
I observed one of the worst examples of laziness where people are over-reliant on their cars when I was waiting behind a school bus dropping off children afterschool (this was in the suburbs of Long Island). I saw a mom drive her car to the end of the driveway to pick up her kids. Seriously? Sure, it was a pretty long driveway, but still!
Food Delivery
I’ve had food delivered to my apartment. But generally, if the place is within a quick walk (and in NYC it often is), I’ll just go pick it up. I save on having to tip the delivery guy and I often get it quicker. My neighbor often complains that a local Chinese take out place takes about an hour to deliver his food. This place is a quick 5 to 10 minute walk from the apartment. Whenever I’ve ordered for pick up, they tell me my order will be ready in 15 minutes. By the time I grab my wallet, put my shoes on and take a leisurely walk there, pick up my food and walk back, it’s been 20 minutes.
Not an elevator, I know. But you get my point.
Elevator
Sometimes the stairs are hard to find, but when they are easily accessible and not some dingy staircase, I don’t understand why some people take the elevator ONE FLOOR! I almost always take the stairs to my 4th floor apartment, and will only use the elevator when I am carrying heavy bags. And trust me, I’m not in great shape, so if I can do it, I’m sure most people can take one flight of stairs rather than wait for an elevator.
Pre-cut Fruits
If you are going to eat it right away, I can see buying it pre-cut. Although I still don’t like buying pre-cut fruits as you don’t really know if it’s clean. One supermarket in NYC sold contaminated pre-cut fruits when one of its employees who handled the cutting was diagnosed with hepatitis A. If you’re bringing it home, just cut it yourself! Cheaper and cleaner.
Check out this video and you’ll really feel silly thinking that you face such harsh inconveniences in your daily life:
The video consists of people in the Third World reading tweets that were labeled with the hashtag #FirstWorldProblems.
What other lazy behavior or complaints do you notice that gets on your nerves?
Netflix made not going to the video store plausible. We eat out way too much because we don’t like to cook, we’re often creatures of convenience.
Andrew have you found another property you like?
charles@gettingarichlife recently posted…How I Was Able To Buy Property 4.5….Breaking The Real Estate Myth
See, I’m fine with the Netflix because it does save time and there’s no late fee or rush to watch it. Eating out can a bit of a lazy behavior if you do it too often…but going out to eat versus cooking a meal and driving for 15 minutes versus walking a couple extra feet are a little different!
There isn’t too much inventory since it’s the winter time I think. I’m kind of beating myself up for not being more aggressive with the one that I got outbid on. A lot of times deals fall through because of mortgage issues/co-op board…but I don’t think I should wait for that. I thought about waiting until the spring, but a little worried about mortgage rates, though I don’t want to rush just because of that. There is one other property that is a possibility and we might look into that. Thanks for asking.
If you like a property bid at asking but put a contingency on it appraising out. If the appraisal falls short you can renegotiate, if it comes through then you didn’t over pay. Make your offer with a 24 hour deadline for them to accept so you can lock them in.
Looks like rates could be near 5 in the spring.
charles@gettingarichlife recently posted…How I Was Able To Buy Property 4.5….Breaking The Real Estate Myth
Thanks for the tip Charles.
I had a little chuckle when I read the part about pre-cut fruit because I’m that person haha. And I know it’s bad. Seriously a first world problem.
Connie @ Savvy With Saving recently posted…‘Affluenza’: An Epidemic?
Well, I’m not a great fruit cutter so I’m tempting to just buy it pre-cut, but it’s so much more expensive. Plus, after the incident with the contaminated fruit, I’m not taking the chance.
Pre cut anything makes me seeth with rage, as it’s usually the type of stuff that has far too much packaging on it as well.
Not that I’ve never bought it or anything, but I pretty much avoid it wherever possible nowadays!
Good list Andrew, all of them are worthy additions and had me with a wry smile on my face.
theFIREstarter recently posted…A Conscious Conscience
Thanks. I’ve bought them too, but I try not to make it a habit.
I like to phrase it as things as “overly convenient.”
The elevator for a floor or 2 really pushes my tach towards the red.
Driving to the gym to work is another one.
Elroy recently posted…SouthEast Asia Trip I – Intro
Glad I’m not the only one. And the gym one is a good one too.
I like convenience, but I hate wasteful behavior. It’s a struggle in my mind. But I think what it comes down to for me is making a conscious decision. The parent who picks up their kid in a car at the end of the driveway and the folks that are waiting in the drive-thru line aren’t ACTIVELY thinking about their options. The more decisions I can actively think about, instead of just coasting by, the less wasteful I think my choices will be.
Dave @ The New York Budget recently posted…Automatic Savings: Trimming Your Monthly Bills and The Monthly Saving Calculator
Good point. Conveniences are great, but when the convenience is wasteful or unhealthy then it becomes a problem.
I feel sorry to for those who simply want everything to be convenient to the point of utter laziness. I just don’t get it. What is wrong with exerting a little effort? For the love of me, I would never buy pre-cut fruits, ever!
Jen @ Frugal Rules recently posted…I Was Called Frugal and Got A Little Offended
Convenience is good, but like you said…convenience to the point of utter laziness is not.
This summer I bought pre-cut watermelon, cantelope, etc. for the first time. I know it cost more but that way I don’t have to endure the rind attracting flies and smelling in the garbage can until the waste haulers come later in the week.
That is a reasonable excuse! I’ll accept that =) What if you tie it up in a plastic bag…would that work? There’s got to be a solution…hmmm
Oh god, the parking spot think drives me crazy! At the Costco near me, people spend like 10 minutes waiting for someone to fill their car with all their groceries just so they can get a spot that’s maybe 100 ft closer to the entrance. I can park, walk inside, and get a good chunk of my shopping done in the time they’re just sitting there waiting. It’s insane!
Matt Becker recently posted…How a Single Mother Can Gain Financial Control
So true! After parking, I still see the cars circling around in the front of the stores.
In our land of plenty, the problems are ones of laziness and too much convenience. Go figure.
I agree with everything on your list. The crazy thing is how simple the solution is: get off your butt and walk.
Done by Forty recently posted…A Case for Outsourcing
That’s what our feet were made to do. I was going to put Segway on the list, but no one really uses it. They have Segway tours in many places though. Why not just a walking tour?? It might be fun to try one out though.
My pet peeve? Some states don’t allow you to fill gas! Only the station attendant can do so! WHY? Are we so lazy to press a few buttons and insert the nozzle into the gas tank?!
moneycone recently posted…Unconventional Income From Uncommon Stocks – REITs
Yea, I find that a little annoying too because I don’t want to wait for the attendant. I guess it could be a safety issue…but I really think it can be that big of an issue when so many states don’t have that rule.
I’ve had a similar mental fight watching the waiting cars in drive through! It is even funnier when we step out of our little comfort zones and look at our situations from other people’s eyes. I rented a car for business last week and it had the nice little volume controls on the steering wheel. I was both amazed (the little things these days) and saddened at how lazy I had become that reaching all three inches to the stereo was too much work.
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I guess as Nick mentioned…maybe it’s a safety issue…don’t have to take your eyes off to turn the dial! But yes there are so many new features in cars and new technologies that puts everything at your fingertips and you don’t have to do much.
The elevator for one floor is the worst. I do think we as a people have become too lazy. Nobody wants to realize how privileged they are just to be able to do basic things like use their legs for walking. They would rather wait for an elevator to save them 10 steps. It’s nuts!
Glad to hear I’m not the only one thinking the same thing. I think it really annoyed me when I was at the mall doing some Christmas Shopping. We were forced to take the elevator as we had a stroller. Of course the elevator is packed, and this young, healthy girl tries to push her way inside to take the elevator. Granted there were no stairs, but there was an escalator. Unbelievable!
Yes. Yes we have. I think volume controls on steering wheels is what sealed it for me. I get that there may be a safety aspect, but I doubt people were getting in accidents to raise or lower volume.
Change channels, sure. Text, yep. But turn a dial – one dial – that didn’t move. I don’t buy it.
If we’re too lazy to reach our arms seven inches to the right, we’re probably pretty lazy.
Nick @ Step Away from the Mall recently posted…Do you teach your kids about money?
Hey there are some really bad drivers out there! Maybe they glance at the dial for a second and it distracts them! But as I said to Stephen, the technology these days puts so much power at our fingertips and really makes us lazy.
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“It is as if we are averse to the slightest bit of discomfort.” LOVE this, Andrew, and what a powerful video. If there’s one thing we learned in our first year of homesteading, it’s that America has become far too lazy and dependent on others for just about everything. Working to provide our own food, heat our own home, and use less energy was SO, SO much work, but it felt really good knowing that we did it ourselves, you know? I do confess though: while in the summer I’m a huge fan of parking at the back of the lot, for exercise purposes, in the winter I’m a big huge baby and will search around for a close spot. 🙂 Another reason I do this? People drive like idiots here and I like to minimize the risks to my children when we’re walking through the parking lots.
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…How to Save Money on Dairy Products
Thanks Laurie and yes, after watching that video…I felt silly for complaining about the minor inconveniences in my life. I agree with you about the parking lots, the drivers are a little crazy. Actually sometimes I park farther away to avoid the idiot drivers…but they should really have a pedestrian walkway so you can safely get to the store without walking past these crazy drivers.
I notice the drive-thru thing at the Starbucks by my house. They’ll be 10 cars in line and nobody inside. I’ll park, walk in and get my drink, and walk out and the line has moved like only 3 cars. Get off your butt people!
Powerful video and some great perspective for this time of year.
Kyle | Rather-Be-Shopping.com recently posted…4 Secret Retail Tricks Exposed (and How to Avoid Them!)
You know I’ve never seen a drive-thru Starbucks but I’ve heard about them. I’m too impatient to just sit there and wait…
Oh my gosh! End of the driveway to pick up her kid…epic! I think we are getting a bit too lazy and expecting everything to be automated. I don’t think automation is a bad thing, but we could all use a little more exercise so I can’t argue with you on most of these.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…The Weekly Quick Hits Roundup
Yes if I didn’t see it, I might not believe it. Trust me…it happens!
I do the same thing for take-out. If it’s close enough, I’ll just drive there and pick it up myself. But I’ll admit, when 5 o’clock comes around, I’m the guy waiting there 5 minutes for the slow elevator, when I could just as easily taken 2 minutes to climb down 3 flights of stairs.
We’ve certainly become much lazier than our parents and our parents’ parents were. There was a study done earlier this year that found that children today, take an average of 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their counterparts did 30 years ago. A whole one-and-a-half minutes!! It certainly has to do with all the conveniences in our food and our environments. My brother’s condo, for example has a gym, grocery store, shopping outlets and a subway station right under it. It sounds really strange when I say it, but for your health and a bunch of other reasons, we sometimes need to make a conscious effort to avoid convenience 🙂
Anthony @ Thrifty Dad recently posted…There’s no place like home for the holidays
Haha, so you’re the one holding up the elevator to go down one floor! Honestly, it’s sometimes hard to take the stairs, even one floor in a lot of buildings. It isn’t that accessible…but it should be! I heard about the study and that just makes me sad. Kids used to run around outside playing, now they sit at home in front of their smartphone and tablets.
The BF and I always get really excited when we find parking close to the store’s entrance. We call it “playa parking”. But recently, we told ourselves that we’re not going to jump for the ‘playa parking’ every time now – we noticed we’ve been getting lazy and we want to increase our activity as much as possible!
Lisa E. @ Lisa Vs. The Loans recently posted…My Parents are Rich, So Does That Mean I’m Rich?
Haha, “playa parking” too funny. Can’t hate on playa parking and if I find a spot right by the entrance I’m happy. But I’m not fighting other cars or stalking people trying to get that spot!
I had a good laugh at the picture of the elcalator to the fitness center! haha
Brent recently posted…Ebay Froze My Accounts & An Update On My $1,000 Goal
Yea, it drives me nuts when people who go to the gym don’t like doing physical activities that don’t involve a treadmill or elliptical machine.
I saw that video last week and it really made me think twice now about what I get myself all bothered about. I have made it a habit to park farther away from the entrance of the store. It doesn’t hurt to walk a little farther! I hate the drive thru mentality, too.
Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter recently posted…Wait, Don’t Buy That Yet!
I don’t mind getting a close spot, but when I see a pack of cars near the front, I’ll just part farther away and avoid the chaos.
Goof stuff man. That 24 hour fitness photo says it all. I think the main problem is that we became a society with no time to do anything. We are way too busy and we want the convenience.
I’m guilty of some of these things occasionally, but aren’t we all…
retirebyforty recently posted…Do you compete with yourself or others?
Thanks Joe. Hey no problem with taking advantage of conveniences but sometime the convenience is not worth it.
Great article! I do believe that we have become way too lazy. I realized that the day when I decided to buy more expensive shredded cheese (because I simply couldn’t take one minute to do it myself) to put it on the bag of pre cooked, evenly sliced potatoes (because peeling off a potato and cutting it is WAY too much). I am now doing most of my clothes shopping online simply because it gets delivered to my door and so on and so forth. It’s kind of sad actually…
PS: Great video! Really gets you thinking!
C. the Romanian recently posted…Timeshare: Should You Buy One?
Thanks C. Good point…I do buy shredded cheese…I guess I’m a little lazy too! Sometimes conveniences are worth it to save sometime, but some of the ones I listed…not worth it as it doesn’t necessarily save you time.
I think as New Yorkers it’s hard for us to understand most of the things on this list because we simply don’t have them- drive thrus, short distance driving, etc. But I think if it was part of my reality, I wouldn’t think anything of it.
Stefanie @ thebrokeandbeautifullife recently posted…How to Deal With Unsatisfactory Customer Service
Very true, I didn’t know that some of these places had drive thrus! I guess if I was used to and others did it too, maybe it would be the norm. But even then…I think some these habits are extreme.
These are great examples. To add to your parking spot laziness, I read a study years ago that said by looking for the closest space, on average, it actually takes more time to get inside than it does if you just take the first spot you see.
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Really, they had to do a study on that. Based on my own observations, I get inside faster by just parking farther without waiting to find the closest spot.
I think we’re all guilty of one of these at some point or another. The parking spot thing drives ME crazy, especially when people are fighting for close spots at the gym?? WTF? But…I have been known to buy pre cut fruits, especially if I know I have a busy week or I’m on my way to a picnic or something. The former I’ve done because I’ve accidentally let food go to waste because I forgot to cut it. Overall though, yes we have become lazier. When I went to the Cinque Terre in Italy, very old women were carrying heavy bags up tough terrain and giant steps. They look like they could kick my ass. That kind of “exercise” is just part of everyday life.
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…14 Ways to Start 2014 Right
Yea, it drives me nuts when people go to the gym but don’t like to engage in any physical activity outside of that. Yea, pre-cut fruits are just convenient sometimes, though I still don’t like them because I don’t know if they’re clean. My co-worker had an allergic reaction to some pre-cut apples…he suspects it was not washed properly. And great point about many people in other countries who are in better shape because “exercise” is just part of everyday life…not something you just do at the gym.