Mindset

The Cost of Outsourcing Your 20s

📅 Last Updated: June 2026 ⏱ 5 min read ✦ Get Rich Slow By Michael Azzolina · CPA · MBA
Quick Answer

Outsourcing isn't good or bad on its own. It's a trade of money for time, and which side makes sense depends on which one you have more of. In your 20s, before a mortgage or kids, time is usually your most abundant resource and money is scarce, so doing things yourself is usually the better trade. Food delivery apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub typically add 30 to 50% to the cost of a meal once fees and tip are included.

In my 20s, before kids, my wife and I did almost everything ourselves. We cleaned our own house, did our own yard work, handled our own repairs, most of it learned from YouTube, and washed our own cars. Not because we were trying to save a specific amount of money. We just had more time than money, and outsourcing didn't make sense yet.

The trade you're actually making

Outsourcing is neither good nor bad on its own. It's simply a trade: money for time. Early in your 20s, before a mortgage, before kids, before a demanding career, time is usually the thing you have the most of and money is usually the thing you have the least of. That makes doing it yourself the better trade almost by default. Not because paying for convenience is wrong, but because the exchange rate is bad for you at that point in your life.

What changed

We're in our late 30s now, with young kids and busy lives, and the trade has flipped. Because we invested early instead of outsourcing early, we have more financial room now to pay for things we don't have time for. I still resist it more than I probably should. I know how to change brakes and rotors on my own car. I hate paying a mechanic to do something I can do myself. But it's not worth trading a Saturday with my kids to save money on a repair I could technically handle. That calculation only makes sense because of the one I made 15 years earlier.

The time to do it yourself is when time is what you have. The time to pay someone else is when time is what you don't.

Food delivery is the clearest modern version

Uber Eats and Grubhub are the easiest version of this to see. The delivery fee, the service fee, the markup on the food itself, and the tip usually add up to 30 to 50% more than the same meal made at home or picked up yourself. Do that a few times a week for years and it's a real number, not a rounding error. I still walk down the street to pick up takeout myself when I can, instead of paying for delivery. It's a small habit, but it's the same principle: don't pay for convenience you don't actually need yet.

Know which side of the trade you're on

The mistake isn't outsourcing. It's outsourcing before you've earned the right exchange rate. If you're time-rich and money-poor, which describes most people in their 20s, do it yourself and invest what you save. If you've built the financial cushion and time has actually become the scarce resource, buying it back can be exactly the right call. The mistake is running the wrong trade for the season of life you're actually in.

The takeaway

Outsourcing isn't a moral failure, and doing everything yourself isn't a badge of honor. It's simply a trade between money and time, one whose right side changes as your life does. In your 20s, you're probably richer in time than money. Act like it, and invest the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is outsourcing chores and errands a bad financial habit?

Outsourcing isn't good or bad by itself. It's a trade between money and time. The question is whether you have more of one than the other. In your 20s, before a mortgage, kids, or a demanding career, you usually have more time than money, which makes doing things yourself the better trade.

How much more does food delivery actually cost compared to cooking or picking up yourself?

The delivery fee, service fee, markup on the food, and tip on apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub usually add up to 30 to 50% more than the same meal made at home or picked up in person. Done a few times a week for years, that's a real number, not a rounding error.

When does it make sense to start paying someone else to do things for you?

It makes sense once you've built financial cushion and time has become the scarcer resource instead of money. If you invest what you save by doing things yourself early on, you end up with more financial room later to pay for the things you no longer have time for. The mistake isn't outsourcing. It's outsourcing before you've earned the right exchange rate.