With few exceptions, vendors and service providers are colossal wasters of your time.

FORBES: Digital rules

As time wasters, though, the airlines are in a category by themselves.

FORBES: Hurry Up And Wait

In fact, the biggest water wasters in Las Vegas continue to be outdoor sprinklers that water lawns and golf courses beyond the Strip.

NPR: Stakes High for Las Vegas Water Czar

Most of these amendments are mere time-wasters, stipulating, for example, that cheques may not be handed out on the floor of the House, a practice that is anyway illegal.

ECONOMIST: If in doubt, spend

Among his recommendations: improving protection of catchment areas, implementing a national water policy, replacing the creaky pipes that carry the precious liquid to people's homes, and making wasters pay more for water.

CNN: Special Report Drought

If an upfront fee were levied (in this case by a financial ombudsman), and returned only to those with real grievances, time-wasters would be deterred and the number of false claims would fall.

ECONOMIST: The microeconomics of complaining: Making moaners pay | The

But we all know that those hidden hours exist, buried in unnecessary meetings, inefficient work processes, interruptions, false starts, PowerPoint perfection, misplaced files, and a host of other time-wasters.

FORBES: Capture an Hour When You Turn Back the Clock

The biggest time wasters in history: technical support.

FORBES: Time Wasters, Time Savers

And wasters quickly run out of money.

FORBES: Market Economy Distortions Can Get Very Dangerous

This was in part because she won people's trust by living among them -- but also because her project aimed to celebrate the positive aspects of their lifestyle rather than reinforce the negative stereotypes of squatters as wasters, tax dodgers or down-and-outs.

CNN: Making a 'squat' a home