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This will be the calculator

 

Time Cost Calculator

Find out how much of your life you’re trading for any purchase or expense.

The amount you’re getting paid per hour of work
The cost of the item or service you want to buy
How many hours you spend at work each week

Total Work Hours

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Workdays

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Life Percentage

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Let’s Understand Your Results

What the numbers really mean for your life

Work Hours

At your current hourly wage, you’ll need to work X hours to afford this purchase.

This equals X days at your regular work schedule.

Think about it: that’s X full workdays of your life traded for this item.

Time vs. Money

Money can be earned again, but time is gone forever. When considering this purchase, ask yourself:

  • Is this item worth X hours of your working life?
  • What else could you do with those X hours?
  • Will this purchase bring you at least X days worth of value or joy?

Life Percentage

Based on a typical 45-year working life, this purchase requires X% of your total working lifetime.

While this might seem like a small number, remember that your disposable income is only a fraction of your total earnings.

Factoring in taxes, housing, food, and other necessities, this purchase might represent a much larger portion of your discretionary income.

Financial Perspective

Financial experts often suggest using the 30-day rule for non-essential purchases: wait 30 days before buying to see if you still want the item.

Another approach is the cost-per-use method: divide the price by how many times you’ll use the item. If you’ll use it X times, that’s $X per use.

Based on the work hours required, this purchase is in the moderate range.

For Perspective

The X hours needed for this purchase is equivalent to:

  • About X average workdays
  • Approximately X% of a month’s work
  • Roughly X hours of leisure time

Consider: is this exchange worth it to you?

Making Your Decision

When deciding whether to make this purchase, consider these questions:

  • Will this item improve your quality of life meaningfully?
  • Could you use this money for something that brings more lasting happiness?
  • How will you feel about this purchase a month from now? A year?

If this purchase requires less than a day of work and brings you joy, it may be well worth it. For larger purchases requiring several days of work, more careful consideration is warranted.

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Taylor’s Purchase Journey

Follow along with a real-life example

Taylor

Meet Taylor

Taylor earns $X per hour and works X hours weekly.

Like many people, Taylor is trying to make smart financial decisions while enjoying life.

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Taylor is thinking about buying an item that costs $X.

“Should I buy this? How much of my life will it cost me?”

Instead of just looking at the dollar amount, Taylor decides to calculate how many hours of work it would take to afford this purchase.

This approach helps put the true cost into perspective – not just money, but life energy spent earning that money.

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Taylor calculates that this purchase will require X hours of work.

That’s X workdays!

Each blue square represents one day of Taylor’s working life that would go toward this purchase.

“Wow, seeing it visually like this really puts things in perspective!”

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Taylor starts to think more deeply about this purchase.

If the average person works for 45 years (ages 20-65), then this item costs approximately X of a working year.

Is this something Taylor will still value in a year? Five years? Does it align with long-term goals and values?

“When I think about trading actual days of my life for this, it makes me consider my priorities more carefully.”

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This purchase will cost Taylor X% of their working life.

While X might seem small, it represents real time that could be spent on other priorities.

Taylor considers the opportunity cost: what else could be done with this time and money?

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Taylor considers some alternatives:

  • Delaying the purchase to save up more money first
  • Finding a less expensive version of the same item
  • Borrowing or renting the item instead of buying
  • Putting the money toward a different financial goal

“Taking time to consider all my options helps me make better decisions.”

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Based on these numbers, Taylor will decide whether the purchase is worth it.

Some items might be worth many days of work if they provide lasting value, while others might not be worth even a few hours.

“Let me think about whether this is really worth it…”

Using time as a measure of cost has helped Taylor make a more mindful decision about this purchase.

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What Taylor learned from this calculation:

  • The true cost of purchases goes beyond just money
  • Being intentional about spending creates more freedom
  • Small habitual purchases can add up to significant life energy
  • Different purchases have different values – there’s no one-size-fits-all rule

By thinking about purchases in terms of life energy, Taylor feels more empowered to make decisions aligned with what truly matters.