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Comment by ehnto | Hacker News Reader

I've always found the "time is money" hourly rate comparisons a bit contrived, because I can't actually trade my every waking hour for an hourly rate.

The reality for most people is that the trade-off is actually between time spent on looking for bargains, or time doing something else that doesn't make any money.

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Back when I was younger and earned minimum wage, whenever I thought about buying something I'd run the calculation of how many hours I would need to work to pay for it. That helped me save quite a bit.

And now I'm older with a well paying job I find myself having to do the opposite calculation.

Things like, "Actually I will get an uber instead of the bus, so I can spend more time at the party."

It really depends on whether you enjoy looking for bargains or not. If you don’t, then it feels like you are working, only you’re not getting paid.

My mother still clips coupons in the Sunday newspaper, despite being financially well-off enough to not clip coupons. I considered listing this as an example of maladaptive frugality in another post, but then I figured it’s just something she enjoys doing.

Honestly in current state of world. Which is more enjoyment clipping coupons or looking for bargains or being on social media? Would something actually useful or more enjoyable happen with that time?

Hell. Even other type of media consumption unless you really enjoy it might be balance you can question.

Eh, I value my time at a third my hourly comp. It helps me feel less guilty about hiring something out instead of doing it myself, or driving and paying for parking instead of taking transit and taking 2x as long.

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