diff --git a/mx_util.c b/mx_util.c
index b6f404b..1e92deb 100644
--- a/mx_util.c
+++ b/mx_util.c
@@ -79,6 +79,88 @@ inline int mx_stribeginswithany(char *str, char **starts, char **endptr)
     return _mx_strbeginswithany(str, starts, endptr, 1);
 }
 
+inline int mx_strtoseconds(char *str, unsigned long long int *seconds)
+{
+    unsigned long long int s = 0;
+    unsigned long long int t;
+
+    char *end;
+
+    if (!str || !*str)
+        return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+    if (strchr(str, '-'))
+        return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+    do {
+        errno = 0;
+        t = strtoull(str, &end, 10);
+
+        if (errno)
+            return -errno;
+
+        if (str == end)
+            return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        //if (mx_strtounit(end, &end));
+
+        switch (*end) {
+
+            case 'y': /* years */
+                t *= 52;
+
+            case 'w': /* weeks */
+                t *= 7;
+
+            case 'd': /* days */
+                t *= 24;
+
+            case 'h': /* hours */
+                t *= 60;
+
+            case 'm': /* minutes */
+                t *= 60;
+
+            case 's': /* seconds */
+                end++;
+                break;
+
+            default:
+                return -(errno=EINVAL);
+        }
+
+        if (s+t < s)
+            return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+        s += t;
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        str = end;
+
+    } while (*str);
+
+    *seconds = s;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+inline int mx_strtominutes(char *str, unsigned long long int *minutes)
+{
+    int res;
+
+    res = mx_strtoseconds(str, minutes);
+
+    if (res >= 0)
+        *minutes /= 60;
+
+    return res;
+}
+
 inline char *mx_strskipwhitespaces(char *str)
 {
     char *s;
diff --git a/mx_util.h b/mx_util.h
index 227007b..aad1aff 100644
--- a/mx_util.h
+++ b/mx_util.h
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ int mx_strbeginswithany(char *str, char **starts, char **endptr);
 
 char *mx_strskipwhitespaces(char *str);
 
+int mx_strtoseconds(char *str, unsigned long long int *seconds);
+int mx_strtominutes(char *str, unsigned long long int *minutes);
+
 int mx_strtoul(char *str,  unsigned long int *to);
 int mx_strtoull(char *str, unsigned long long int *to);
 
diff --git a/test_mx_util.c b/test_mx_util.c
index 5bb570b..1ffcfe9 100644
--- a/test_mx_util.c
+++ b/test_mx_util.c
@@ -181,6 +181,68 @@ static void test_mx_strbeginswithany(void)
     assert(end == NULL);
 }
 
+static void test_mx_strtoseconds(void)
+{
+    unsigned long long int l;
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("0123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123s0s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m3s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds(" 2 m 3 s ", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1h 2m 3s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h1y", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3 + 52*7*24*60*60);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h1y", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3 + 52*7*24*60*60);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("0123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("test", &l) == -EINVAL);
+}
+
+static void test_mx_strtominutes(void)
+{
+    unsigned long long int l;
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 2);
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("20d", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 20*24*60);
+
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("0123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("test", &l) == -EINVAL);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
     test_mx_strskipwhitespaces();
@@ -191,5 +253,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     test_mx_strbeginswith();
     test_mx_stribeginswith();
     test_mx_strbeginswithany();
+    test_mx_strtoseconds();
+    test_mx_strtominutes();
     return 0;
 }