Is It Worth It? (Hours of Work Calculator)
Before you hit 'buy', see how many hours you'd have to work to pay for it — after taxes. Sneakers, a concert ticket, a new phone: everything has a price in hours.
Hours of work14.7 hours
- Shifts
- 1.8
- Your take-home per hour
- $17.00
- Minutes of work per $1
- 3.5
Hours of work for common purchases
At $20 an hour with 15% taken out:
| Price | Hours of work | Shifts |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | 1.5 hours | 0.2 |
| $60 | 3.5 hours | 0.4 |
| $150 | 8.8 hours | 1.1 |
| $250 | 14.7 hours | 1.8 |
| $500 | 29.4 hours | 3.7 |
| $1,000 | 58.8 hours | 7.4 |
How it works
Take-home per hour = hourly pay × (1 − taxes). Hours = price ÷ take-home per hour.
Tips
- Use your take-home pay, not your salary, for an honest number.
- Try waiting 48 hours before buying anything that costs more than a full shift.
Frequently asked questions
Why use take-home pay?
Because that's the money you actually spend. Using gross pay makes things look cheaper than they are.