Tues 2/1 ?-Buy in terms of what it took to earn $?

[pepperdoo]

Since I don't have Paul's income any more, I look at purchases the same way. It makes me change my mind about buying stuff very quickly.

I am also saving the money before I make any purchases.

[mpzsgds]

Sometimes when we're out to dinner I'll look at the bill and think, wow, that's x hours of work! Sometimes it's clothes or shoes - mostly when I'm trying to talk myself out of it!

[daisylu]

Sometimes I do. I have been teaching the kiddos (9&12) to think this way.

[Deleted]

I have always done this with lower cost items. I don't dare do it with things like cars and vacations or I would cry. I especially do it with things I get cheaply or for free. As in "Getting this for free when it would normally be 5 hours work means my standard of living is that much better than it 'should be' for my income."

[nalto]

I do, but usually only for spur of the moment spending. Things that I have planned and saved for are just that, so I am fully aware of how much time and effort I put into them.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I don't ~ primarily because I wouldn't begin to know how to figure out my wonderful DH's hourly rate, much less factor in his being gone for months at a time to war zones.

[patchwork150]

I used to think this way when I was first working. Maybe I should go back to it! Really makes it tangable- amount of effort = object purchased. It really can put things into perspective- is X really worth Y? I'll try it this month and see how I do. I'm always looking for motivators! I have some weaknesses in spending (like i'm sure everyone does) and I'd like to feel more in control over what I want and why.

[tiredboomer]

After a year of unemployment, I looked at purchases that way. It really helped me from feeling deprived when we found jobs at lower salaries which meant we couldn't spend at much as before. I found that many, many purchases just weren't worth the effort it took to earn that much money.

[merryheart]

I wish I would remember to do this more. It really makes sense.

[Apple]

I do this at times. Right now, since we are able to get overtime when we want it--for the most part, I've been thinking "I can cover this with a weekend of OT" when thinking about how much something for the house is going to cost me. You never know when OT will dry out so I take advantage of it while I can.
It's also worked for me the other way though--I've kept myself from spending a lot of money by figuring out how many hours I had to work to pay for something. My time is important to me.

[Becks]

Last month I had an unexpected car repair. I could have just hobbled my car to the shop and stayed home for the rest of the day. Instead I asked our maintenance tech to come get me so I could work at least 6 hours to make up for part of the repair costs. So yes sometimes that thinking does come into play.

[mommydl]

Not only do I try to justify every purchase with how long it took me to make the $$, but I also go a step further and break everything down to per piece/meal, whatever...Like a 12-pack of soda might have cost $2.99 but that's only approx 25 cents per can vs. paying $1.25 for one in the vending machine if I forget to bring one to work. When you break it down that way, you'll be surprised how you can live without that forgotten soda!