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Comment by klipt | Hacker News Reader

That's great if it's your hobby but if I value my time at my current wage, darning socks is incredibly more expensive than just buying a pack of new ones. You just can't beat the efficiency of factory machines.

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My only problem with this logic is that you and I both know you aren't getting paid for the time you spend not at your job and that you don't spend all of your time in pursuit of work. I don't mean, "You don't get paid to brush your teeth" (But I am willing to bet you don't consider your hourly rate when you do an activity you are interested in or hanging out with your friends) but that you don't completely fill your day with money making activities. I think the logic here reframes the 'blame' off of you and onto something external.

But its perfectly okay to say that the benefits the previous poster mentioned aren't worth more to you than the convenience + quality of just buying a new pair of socks. Because the truth of it is that darning your own socks costs almost nothing.

I don't darn socks, I just sew the hole shut when one starts to form. You value your time? The next time you sit down to watch a TV show, pull out your travel sewing kit and the sock and sew as you watch. You'll be done way before the end of the episode, and you'll have gained value, not lost it.

Spent about 2 hours going to three stores and trying 7-8 pairs, standing in front of trial rooms, talking to cashiers about sizes in the system... before I got the right size and fit.

Could have easily saved BOTH money AND time if only I knew how to patch them. They only tore near the crotch (I am suspecting planned obsolescence).

Your socks have a crotch?

LOL did not proof-read. I wrote Jeans originally, but I think edited it out while I was rephrasing for clarity :D

We do not understand that we're living in excess, because we've been taught our entire life that this level of convenience is normal and good. Money can just solve everything, it's that easy, no downside. No sacrifice of value needs ever be made.

Exactly this... my time and money is more important than the cost to the planet. I earn enough to not care. Recycling is a scam. I do not even know what reduce and reuse mean! My car has a bumper sticker that says "SAVE THE PLANET", with the subtext "without impacting my lifestyle". /s

DIY isn't brought up to save money (that's a side benefit); it's to reduce impact by "reusing" or at least continuing to use.

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