From my observation, most people who have a lot of money are not getting paid by the hour; they are on salary. Salaried employees are paid the same amount regardless of the hours they work beyond the mandatory ~40 hours/week. Therefore, the trade-off between leisure and work is not about money, but more about obligation. In the American economy, employers are doing more with less every year and pressuring, almost threatening, employees to meet goals that are out of reach without putting in extra hours on a regular basis.

Very little acknowledgement is granted in this article around the pressures posed by employers in a salaried job. Stating that the employees “FAIL to use it [money] strategically” suggests that the employee has done something wrong in not buying vacation time. My last 3 companies had strict policies against this practice, and when “negotiating” vacation time, kudos to you if you are able to walk away from jobs because the company won’t budge on vacation policies. One former employer had a strict 2-week per year vacation policy for all new employees (non-negotiable) regardless of their work experience – I had 20+ years and 4 weeks vacation built up at a previous job which was inconsequential in negotiations.

Some of the suggestions about outsourcing and working from home are practical, but how about acknowledging the part played by demanding employers who put workers in a position where they are continually forced to choose between failing at home and failing at work? My manager was literally brought to tears last week because she cannot keep up with the unreasonable demands from her leadership; and everyone knows that you get buried even deeper when you try to take time off. Some friends and I have made major sacrifices in our careers (switching jobs or careers, taking a much lower paying job, leaving the corporate world altogether) in an attempt to get our lives back. People who work long, hard hours are not necessarily doing it because they want more money; this wording makes them sound selfish, greedy, even shallow. Many people work long hours because it’s expected, and others are depending on them to meet “critical” goals. Most people want to do a good job, get a good review, be regarded as dependable and trusted employees…which hopefully opens doors for a long term, meaningful career. But it’s difficult just to take care of yourself and your personal relationships when you’re constantly reminded how much the company “needs” from you. THIS is what work-life balance is about, not a struggle over money.

It was terrible to watch this episode actually. As so many women do, she took on the burden of housework because she only works „a few days a week“ out of the house and spends the remainder of her time looking after a toddler and a kindergartener. She explicitly said she hates doing laundry. The „reason“ her husband isn’t doing it is because he works „50 to 60 hours“ a week; though the way he said that made me think it may be worthwhile to keep a time diary for a while.
The way women are treated in the show has actually converted me into your side of the Marie Kondo camp.

OP Here (AW):

I think my issue with Walmart pick-up may have been my expectations. The instructions were wonky (my app said to check-in when I got there, which I did, but then the sign at the parking lot said to call a number – and no one picked up at the store). And then there were three substitutes that ended up not being right for my us, so I ended up returning them and going in to pick my own substitutes. One substitute was regular orange juice instead of orange pineapple, which I could see fitting other families but wasn’t what we wanted. That being said, everyone was super friendly and helpful – I think we’re just pickier about what we purchase.

I’ll caveat to Laura’s comment that I don’t have kids. Being in the grocery store is fairly peaceful for me – and really, a 30 minute max activity. So the tradeoff for me isn’t nearly as high as someone with children in the car and a lot less time. So perhaps it’s more of a life stage thing!

@Tory, Anne, et al – I imagine like most other things this depends on how well the store is managed. A really good general manager will have the curbside pickup running smoothly, and the registers, and the restocking, etc. A more chaotic store will have big delays in curbside pickup…and everything else.

I second the idea of staying out of stores with the kids. My husband wanted us all to take a family trip to Wegmans last weekend. I think he thought it was fun. I didn’t, but maybe I’m just more sensitive to my kids misbehaving than he is.

@Tory- I haven’t watched it, but if that’s what happens in the first episode, whoa. Why not bully the husband into doing it? Or why isn’t he volunteering if he thinks someone in the family should do it? Sheesh.

I personally don’t mind laundry at all. But if I had the money to pay someone to do the dishes and otherwise clean the kitchen twice a day, I’d spend it in a heartbeat.