Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Value of an Hour Edition http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Frugal Bachelor http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-400052 Frugal Bachelor Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:37:19 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-400052 “Here’s an interesting question: how much would you pay for an extra hour today?” – THIS, in my opinion, is a far more accurate measure of the value of your time, than earnings divided by # of hours worked.

]]> By: K http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399927 K Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:30:05 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399927 Johanna – does your cell phone have a calculator function? That’s what I use.

]]> By: Johanna http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399913 Johanna Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:03:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399913 The stores I shop at don’t always display unit prices, but I used to have a little calculator keychain that I’d use to figure them out – I’d stand there in the aisle punching away on my calculator and looking like even more of a nerd than I usually do. Unfortunately, it broke, and I can’t find a place where I can get another one.

]]> By: Brandon http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399894 Brandon Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:41:25 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399894 I constantly check the per/oz prices on everything at the supermarket. The other day I bought 3 20packs of beer instead of 2 30 packs because it was 7cents/beer cheaper.

]]> By: Lucky http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399888 Lucky Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:24:24 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399888 Scooters and motorcycles are for those whom scooters and motorcycles are for. Those of us who prefer to live cage-free don’t mind a little extra risk and a little extra weather in order to have a whole lot more fun.

I would gladly ride my bicycle to work, except it would be a two hour ride for me. Four hours of bicycling per day is a little too much. I do ride my bicycle to run errands, however.

]]> By: A http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399800 A Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:41:17 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399800 Mule SKinner’s comment is really on target — there’s a continuum of transportation choices. If I could afford to live near where I worked, I would. (Of course, that would assume that I worked in only one place, as opposed to teaching classes in four separate locations.) Even if I lived near enough to work to bicycle, however, the hot humid Atlanta summers would preclude bike riding (and looking remotely professional at the end of the trip). Plus, the distances here are amazing, as they are in many Southern cities that largely exploded after the advent of the car. Having some form of motorized transportation is often critical here. Finally, there’s the issue of being able to buy in bulk, where appropriate. As you often say about frugality, there’s a range of financial choices, and people will make the ones that are best suited to them. Ditto scooters via bikes.

]]> By: Ryan McLean http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399794 Ryan McLean Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:23:28 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399794 Good article mate. I also don’t care what people think of my frugality. When I’m living a cheap, frugal life, and the other people are up to their necks in debt, then they’ll be sorry for not being frugal.

]]> By: Mule Skinner http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399762 Mule Skinner Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:17:07 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399762 The scooter is part of a continuum of transport choices. It, too, has pros and cons. It is cheaper than a car and much easier to park, but not as safe and offers no protection from the elements. As I write this the temperature outside is 40F and it’s raining. The scooter is faster than a bicycle but (usually) more expensive and does not offer the benefits of exercise.

When I was in college in Honolulu I had a scooter. It was great for getting up those mountainsides, while easy to park on campus. It seemed to rain every time I had a date, however, and my girl’s hair would get wrecked.

]]> By: AD http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399750 AD Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:51:18 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399750 “Not having a plasma,” not “now having.”

]]> By: AD http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399747 AD Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:48:54 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399747 Sometimes I do. We live in a double-wide right now, though we could qualify for over $240,000 of house if we wanted one. But we’ve bought four acres on which we plan to build the perfect home, and not many people get to do that in their 20s. We want more than 20 percent paid down on the construction loan, too, so that hopefully when we have kids, I will have options other than returning to a 8-to-5 office job.

Sometimes it can be embarassing, even though we’ve made our home very nice with new floors and such. But when I start feeling that way, I open up our “idea book” for our home, or I do some research on the next trip to Europe we’re planning. None of our friends are doing those sorts of things right now, so I just have to remember what WE value. We also live pretty far out, so it’s really only family that visits, and they aren’t judgemental, esp. my in-laws, who all grew up poor.

Also, sometimes I feel like a brat for being embarrased. I mean, we have a home, even if it’s not my ideal home. I feel shallow that I even give it a thought, but you always hear jokes about trailers and mobile homes, and it’s hard to shut that out sometimes.

What’s funny is that I usually hear these things from friends who are in horrible financial situations. My best friend ribbed me about the double-wide, but she and her two kids lived with her mom for years, and now she rents an apartment she can barely afford. My other friend jokes about our lack of cable (we honestly don’t want it) and now having a plasma tv, but his rented Mercedes got towed away, and he can’t even pay the minimums on his cards.

]]> By: Curt http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399744 Curt Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:42:58 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399744 I have spent the last hour reading personal financial blogs like this one … which has increased by financial knowledge resulting in an increase in personal wealth.

Did you ever wonder just how much 1 hour of reading a personal finance blog is worth? If I read 1 hour/day and gain knowledge that savings me $2000/year. Then each hour I spend increasing my financial education is worth $2000/365 = $5.50.

]]> By: Cory http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399734 Cory Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:29:19 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/10/22/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-value-of-an-hour-edition/#comment-399734 To be honest, I’m far more embarrassed by the results of my lack of frugality before this year. The debt expenses (most of which could have been avoided entirely) have left me with no emergency fund and no savings (short of my 401K.)

The embarrassments come in the form of things like a deck on our new(ish) house that is warped and needs repairs that I can’t afford. Or a shed that needs some upkeep that I can’t manage at the moment. Or needing to keep our thermostat extra low when we have company because our LP tank is almost empty and we are still paying off the last fuel bill.

Everything that causes me occasional embarassment isn’t due to being frugal. It’s due to not being frugal and not having funds available for the things that really are needed.

Honestly, in most cases being frugal is transparent to the people not in our immediate household. Nobody bats an eye at the checkout when you buy two 46oz laundry detergent bottles instead of one 96oz (it saved about $1 last night btw.) Guests don’t know/care that we have CFLs all over (in fact that’s a source of pride for me.) Everybody in my circle of friends and co-workers thinks it’s cool we are raising chickens.

So, no, I’m not embarrassed about frugality. It’s the mismanagement of my income for the past 20 years that embarrasses me.

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