Time As Money

I used to look at shoe stores online out of boredom. A lot of the shoes would be super expensive for someone like me, but enough pairs were within the amount of money I had leftover from my paycheck after bills and whatnot that I would just buy shoes on a whim. After buying more shoes than I need –– or even wear, still to this day –– I wanted to change how I looked at cost so that I stopped making impulse purchases "just because I'm bored and I have enough cash".

Time As Money represents prices online as a measure of time with respect to an hourly wage. Instead of viewing a product in terms of "can I afford this or not, at this moment, with the cash I have on me," Time As Money invites you to start justifying purchases by treating them as a byproduct of your labor:

"These shoes cost $50, and I make $10 an hour...I really don't think I'd work five hours for shoes that look like this, to be honest." Or, "These shoes cost $50, and I make $10 an hour...I like them so much, I'd honestly work more than five hours for them. I'm glad they aren't as expensive as I thought they were."

To use this tool, enter your hourly salary (in dollars) and the length of your workday (in hours) into the extension's popup menu. I don't collect any data, so your information stays in your copy of the extension. Hit the save buttons in the menu, and the extension can start converting prices. Visit your favorite shopping site and hover your mouse over the prices. Watch as prices display in both dollars and hours.