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Stomach clinched. Cold sweat beading on the back of my neck. 

I had thirty seconds to make a massive decision. 

My frontal lobe said NO… but there was another part of me saying HELL YES.

My eyes shifted to Jonathan for moral support but he was looking back at me, obviously gripped by the same emotional conundrum. 

More on that conundrum in a minute, but first, some context… 

My Mom taught me to take advantage of a good deal. 

BOGO orange juice at Kroger? Score! 

50% off jeans at Old Navy? Better stock up! 

Over time, my eyes learned to automatically scan the room for little red tags that meant we were about to save big. 

Her intentions were pure. She wanted to teach me how to manage money so I could survive in this world without asking her for $20 every time I needed something. 

But this budget-savvy strategy had a dark side… it made me vulnerable to timeshare salesmen 🤦‍♀️

If you’ve ever been on a tropical vacation, you’ll know exactly how this trap unfolds. 

At first, you don’t realize they’re timeshare salesmen. They act like helpful hotel employees or knowledgeable tour directors. 

And then they hook you in with an irresistible offer… 

Timeshare Salesmen (hereby referred to as 😈): Oh, it sounds like you’d really love the day-long snorkeling tour followed by a romantic dinner on a sailboat overlooking the sunset!

Me: Yes that sounds amazing – how much is it? 

😈: It’s $200 per person – but I can give it to you for $100 per person RIGHT NOW. 

Me: Yes, great! Let’s do it. 

😈: All you have to do is come to our breakfast presentation tomorrow at 9am. It’ll only take 1 hour and you’ll learn about an incredible opportunity!

UUGGHHHH. 

I’m not proud to admit this… but I’ve said yes to those offers twice in my life. Both times in exchange for something that saved me maybe $200. 

(And it always takes longer than an hour because I can’t keep my mouth shut and will inevitably engage the salesman in a debate over the finer points of his sleazy timeshare pitch.)

In 2017, I vowed NEVER to partake in a timeshare pitch ever again. 

Two weeks ago, my timeshare pitch sobriety was tested. 

We rented a house on the coast in San Jose del Cabo for two weeks. We decided to rent a car to minimize contact with other humans. The car cost about $800. 

Standing at the checkout line to get the keys, the gentleman casually says… 

“You’re here for two weeks! So much time! I’ll give you $500 off your car rental right now if you join our real estate presentation in the morning. It’ll only take about an hour!” 

SHIT. 

$500?! 

My anti-timeshare resolve quickly melted away, replaced by the clenched guts and cold sweat I mentioned earlier. 

My “take advantage of a good bargain” conditioning kicked in hard. 

$500 could buy like 10 pairs of 50% off jeans at Madewell (I’ve upgraded from Old Navy 🤣)! 

I stepped back from the counter and took a deep breath. 

The little voice in my head I’ve come to realize is actually my wisdom gently said, “Maegan dear, you don’t need 10 pairs of jeans.”

Oh right… I guess that’s true. But still, it’s $500! 

“You’re here to rest. Your time to rest is more valuable than $500.” 

Dammit, Wisdom. You’re right. 

I turned to the salesman and politely declined his offer, extending my credit card to pay the $800 in full. 

Slowly, my stomach unclenched, my heartbeat slowed, and I was filled with a sense of calm.

The “free money” drug was wafted beneath my nose, and I declined. 

I want to value time more than money. 

I can always make more money. I can never make more time. 

This dilemma shows up in our businesses every single day.

How many hours a week do you spend doing tasks you could pay an assistant to do for you? 

How about all that time you invest in marketing efforts that aren’t bringing clients into your business? 

I could go on and on with these questions… but you get the point. 

Doing everything ourselves feels like irresistible “free money”.

But it isn’t. It’s costing you tons of your most valuable resource – your time. 

Take a look at your schedule this week and ask yourself, “How much time am I giving away this week because I think it’s saving me money?” 

Hit reply and let me know what you discover – I’d love to be your accountability partner in the quest to reclaim your time.