You worked for that money. See the hours behind what you buy—and decide what’s worth your time.
See spending differently ↓Some things are worth every hour.
You decide which.
A weekly routine.
Almost four workweeks of earnings.
Illustrative example at $25/hour take-home.
52 weeks · 8-hour days · $3,900 per year.
You know what it costs.
What did it take to earn?
One purchase. One recurring commitment. Two ways to see the time behind a price.
One purchase can look different when you put the hours beside the price.
$150 pair of shoes ÷ $25/hour take-home pay.
Something you’ll wear often? Something you’ve wanted for a while? The number gives you context. You give it meaning.
Deloitte’s 2026 Digital Media Trends survey reported average streaming spending of $69 a month among subscribing households. A useful starting point for reviewing your own services.
Source: Deloitte · March 2026 survey release ↗$69/month × 12 = $828, or 33 hours and 7 minutes of earnings.
Entertainment can be worth the price. Seeing the annual total makes the commitment visible.
Examples provide context, not spending targets. Survey averages do not establish an appropriate budget for any individual. Research checked October 2026; each source’s data period is shown above.
Not every purchase leads to regret. Taking a moment to understand what it took to earn gives you another way to decide.
Of U.S. adults surveyed, 42% said they had bought something on sale and later regretted it.
Google / Ipsos · May 2023 · 1,358 adults ↗Of U.S. adults surveyed, 22% reported impulse purchases that significantly affected their finances in the previous 12 months.
NerdWallet / Harris Poll · Oct. 2024 · 2,090 adults ↗In a University of Michigan experiment, spending about 3½ minutes listing reasons for and against a purchase reduced impulse-buying urges and purchase intent.
Carol Moser · University of Michigan · 2020 ↗The surveys describe self-reported experiences. The experimental research measured urges and purchase intent, not guaranteed savings. A 25-hour delay also reduced urges and purchase intent; a separate 10-minute delay during continued shopping did not significantly reduce impulse purchases or spending. These findings have not tested My Time Wisely.
See what it took to earn. Consider what the purchase brings you. Decide whether it’s worth your time.
See my time cost ↓Enter a price and your hourly pay after deductions. Choose one purchase or a recurring routine.
See the hours, workday equivalent, and estimated overtime. Recurring spending also shows a yearly total.
Consider what the purchase brings to your life. “Worth it” is a decision only you can make.
Start with one purchase or routine. The examples are prefilled so you can explore immediately. Change the price and pay to make it yours.
No account needed. Your entries stay in this page.
Example to start: $75 purchase · $25/hour take-home.
Divide the take-home amount on a regular paycheck by the paid hours it covers. Example: $1,000 after deductions ÷ 40 paid hours = $25/hour. Use a paycheck without overtime for a clearer regular-pay estimate.
$75 at $25/hour take-home pay
Overtime is estimated automatically at 1.5× your regular take-home hourly rate. Actual take-home overtime pay may differ after deductions. Regular and overtime figures compare ways to earn the same amount; they are not added together. Extra time away counts working time only, excluding commuting.
The hours tell you what it takes to earn. Your reason tells you what it means.
Choose a reason to explore. A purchase can have more than one kind of value.
There’s no score or right answer. You decide what deserves your time.
There’s room for every answer. The choice is yours.
Time cost = price ÷ hourly take-home pay, rounded to the nearest minute. A display of 0 minutes can mean less than half a minute. Annual estimates assume 365 daily, 52 weekly or 12 monthly payments at the same price and pay rate. Monthly figures for daily and weekly routines are annual totals divided by 12. The reference bar uses eight-hour days and a 40-hour week. Workweek equivalents use five days of your chosen length (eight hours by default). These are earning-time equivalents, not hours automatically freed from work. This is a perspective tool; it excludes living expenses and other demands on your income. Examples are illustrative.