[tinapbeana]

eric, i think a lot of folks here use the 'time is money' view you have spelled out, but perhaps a little bit differently than you do.

for instance, i calculate what i make per hour after taxes, insurance, etc. when i'm looking at a purchase, i ask myself if i'm willing to work X hours for that item: is it worth that much of my time? for instance, am i willing to work 3 hours for an expensive dinner? maybe not by myself, but if it involves hours of good coversation with friends and family, perhaps. what about a new pair of shoes? do i want to work 6 hours for a pair of shoes i'm going to wear for one event? no, but i'm more than happy to work 6 hours for a pair of hiking boots i'll use every weekend 9 months out of the year.

we do this with service around the house and repairs, too. DH and i can replace a leaky pipe for $25 in materials and a hour of each of our time. adding in parts and 2 hours of labor (1 for each of us), it'll still cost half of what a plumber would cost so we do the work ourselves. for yard work, chances are we can get a neighborhood kid who'll do the work for a smaller hourly rate than either of ours, so we might consider hiring that out. if it's something we actually enjoy doing, like washing a car, chances are we'll do it ourselves no matter how much 'time money' we might save having someone else do it.