How to Justify the Expense of a Robot Vacuum

Robot vacuums have come a long way since the primitive round things that swirled around aimlessly and got stuck on even the thinnest fiber of carpet. Today’s models have a flat side for more effective pickups, along with a systematic pattern of vacuuming that leaves nothing in their wake. The best of them can conquer everything from multiple throw rugs to wads of dog hair with Cheerios and small wood chips in between.

The only problem is the high cost of a really good one, which can make you feel like you’re spending your hard-earned cash on a frivolous or needless thing. You’re not. A high-quality robot vacuum is definitely worth the investment, saving you tons of money in the long run.

Automatic $300 Savings

Your first order of business is to get a rocking deal. Research robot vacuums, finding one that costs more than you’d pay for even a new bicycle or pair of glasses. A few robot vacs in the $1,000 range qualify. Your next step is to review the features, decide which you need, and then find a $700 robot vacuum that does the same kind of stuff.

• Money Saved: $300 right off the bat

Time Spent with Traditional Vacuum

Now tally up the time spent with your traditional vacuum on a regular basis. If you’re like most, you spend hours you don’t even realize with that archaic thing. First there’s the hassle of digging it out of the closet. This is followed by the tedious task of unwinding the cord and then moving piles of stuff away from any given outlet to plug it in.

Since you have a penchant for shag carpeting, dragging the thing across the living room always leaves your beau with back pain. Then there’s the bin emptying, the filter cleaning, and the three hours spent dousing your nostrils in essential oil to combat the musky dog smell the vacuum always spews anyway.

Your time tally can easily come to more than four hours a week with a traditional vacuum. Say you charged something like $10 per hour for your vacuum time, that’s $40 a week on labor alone, not to mention pain and suffering. Multiply the $40 of weekly labor by 52 weeks in the year, and you’re looking at $2,080.

• Money Saved: $2,080 in annual vacuum-related labor

Pain and Suffering from Traditional Vacuum

The physical, mental and emotional anguish of using a traditional vacuum can be high, especially when you know there are high-tech robot vacs on the market. Pain and suffering easily weighs in at something like $1,500 a year. (Triple this calculation if you have to meddle with vacuum bags.)

• Money Saved: $1,500 in annual vacuum-related pain and suffering

 Vet Bills for Dog Anxiety

You’re not the only one who suffers with the old-school vacuum. Think of the poor dogs. Every time they see you heading to the closet to unleash the mean old vacuum, they bolt in abject terror. Not only are they scared of the tall monster thing, but they suffer from a breach of trust as they see their beloved master is behind it.

It can take some mighty calming down, and maybe even a few vet visits, to get your pooches back to normal after repeated exposure to the old-school vacuum monster.

• Money Saved: $400 per year for dog anxiety treatments

Bottom Line

While there are a few more categories you can certainly include, such as the enjoyment of a new family member that adds $0 to your grocery bill, you may be already convinced that a robot vacuum is definitely worth its salt.

Ours is a Neato Botvac Connected we lovingly named Julio. He doesn’t stink. He vacuums more thoroughly than his traditional counterpart. His back never hurts after cleaning shag carpet. And he gets along fabulously with the dogs. Not only that, but we’re saving at least $4,280 per year by adding him to our household. What a dandy savings, indeed!