Loading…
21
Just realized most people budget wrong by ignoring their true hourly wage
Everyone talks about cutting out coffee to save, but they miss the big picture. I started calculating my real take home pay after taxes, commute costs, and work clothes. For my job in Chicago, that's about $22 an hour, not the $30 on paper. Seeing that number made me stop buying a $15 lunch because it costs almost an hour of my actual life. Now I pack food and that hour stays in my pocket. How do you figure out what your time is really worth?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
uma_webb287mo ago
You're totally right about the real hourly wage, but I'd add that it's not just about cutting out lunch. The real power is using that number to make better choices, not just saying no to everything. Like, a $15 lunch might be a bad deal, but spending $30 on a good pair of shoes that saves you from back pain is totally worth more than an hour of your time. It shifts you from cheap to smart with your money.
5
john_singh7mo ago
Yeah, that post hits home. Figuring out my real hourly wage was a game changer. I used to just look at my salary and feel okay, but then I added up all the extra hours for prep and the gas money. It was way less than I thought. That made me see small daily buys in a whole new light. Now I ask if a thing is worth the chunk of my actual day it would cost.
2