That everything I buy can be measured as totalCost/wages*0.82=hoursCost.
I love measuring things in hours.
Let's assume I make 12/hr. Is 24 cans of soda really worth more (taxes) than an hour of work? 12 bucks might not sound too bad, but over an hours wages does.
This gets dangerous once you make semi decent money though. Like why would I take public transit that takes an hour to get there for $2.50, when I could just take a cab that costs $25 and only takes 30min to get there.
Like, sure...if making $50+/h one can justify it. But one could also instead save $23.50 for the piggy bank by taking the bus. And the 30min extra is not time one would have been at work getting paid anyway (unless your taking the bus/taxi to work I guess and actually gain 30min of pay).
Even when I was only making $25 an hour. I would place greater value on my personal time than money. If you are sacrificing hours out of your day on transport then you will life miserably.
For me public transit is 3.25 and it would have taken me an hour to get home. Walked home for free in about 45 mins. Or paid for a cab to bring me home in 5-7 mins for $17.
Sure I've almost lost an hours wages but I have an hour of my time back as well that I could put towards household chores or my hobbies.
True, or you could enjoy the commute, in which case is a double win.
But yea, money is basically time debt owed to you by society, so if spending money to get time, it balances out. Kinda like how spending money on assets doesnt directly affect net worth.
This gets dangerous once you make semi decent money though. Like why would I take public transit that takes an hour to get there for $2.50, when I could just take a cab that costs $25 and only takes 30min to get there.
Like, sure…if making $50+/h one can justify it. But one could also instead save $23.50 for the piggy bank by taking the bus. And the 30min extra is not time one would have been at work getting paid anyway (unless your taking the bus/taxi to work I guess and actually gain 30min of pay).
That's when you start calculating your hourly wage once all your livings costs have been deducted. Once you amortize your housing costs, car, food, retirement, student loans, and whatever other bad decisions that you're still paying for every month and figure out your hourly wage AFTER all that it's a lot easier to keep a level head.
Doing this when you make $12/hr is much too depressing though.