# How much is your time worth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406 "2012-11-18T13:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/21 "2012-11-19T14:19:08Z")
Depends entirely on how much I either enjoy or loathe the work/activity in question. I always do car stuff myself, because I somewhat enjoy it. Everything from oil changes to more complicated stuff like restoring an old car ( I have two project cars right now). On the other hand, I’m paying a yard crew $250 to get these fucking leaves off my yard. Seriously, my oak trees had a banner year for leaf production, and I can hardly tell where the freaking driveway is. I _could_ do it myself I just dont enjoy it at all. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/22 "2012-11-19T16:00:05Z")
I generally refuse to take the labels off soup cans so the related rug rats can turn them in at school for fund raising. The same goes for the tabs on aluminum cans. Though it does get me in trouble with the significant other at times. So, as a WAG, 50 cents an hour is probably a starting benchmark. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/23 "2012-11-19T16:34:30Z")
I am a recently retired mechanic. My car just hit the 100,000 mile mark and I decided to do a major maintenance on it. Brakes, hoses, water pump, timing chain, belts, trans service etc. Parts were $950.00 labor would be $600.00. I let them do it. No mess no fuss. If the dealer were my only option labor would have been closer to $2,000 and I would have done it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/24 "2012-11-19T17:29:12Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > I would think this strongly depends on how enjoyable you find the activity. This, basically. And part of my enjoyment is how successful I think I’ll be – i.e., whether I know what I’m doing (and how expensive/time consuming/dangerous it might be if I _don’t_ know what I’m doing). > [@AaronX](#): > > But surely people are doing some things not because they enjoy them, but to save money. Things like mowing the lawn/yard work, painting the house, etc. Hmm. I let my lawn service go just this past summer, and I think it was mostly out of guilt: I live in an end-unit townhouse, and I could no longer justify spending that kind of money on a task that takes maybe 20 minutes (30 minutes if I edge with a weed-whacker afterwards). Especially when I need the exercise. I was a lazy goldmine for those lawn guys, and I finally got tired of it. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/25 "2012-11-19T19:55:38Z")
I do most repairs around our house, mainly because I enjoy that sort of thing, but also because I don’t want to pay some guy $75 just to walk through the front door, even if it would take him 1 hour and it takes me 3. Also, I’d rather spend 4 or 5 weekends building a piece of furniture I need than going out and buying one on a Saturday afternoon, even if it costs me 2-3x as much and takes way longer. I take my car to the garage for oil changes ($23) and stop at the car wash down the street ($10) rather than doing them myself. So it really depends on what the task is more than what my time is worth. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/26 "2012-11-20T00:24:01Z")
Almost nothing. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406/27 "2012-11-20T00:43:02Z")
There are already people literally camping out for black friday deals. My time is worth a hell of a lot more than theirs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-time-worth/641406.md?page=1)