Equivalent? Perhaps, for accounting purposes. But that doesn't mean they're the same. When you spend something, you're using money that you already have. Th

Equivalent? Perhaps, for accounting purposes. But that doesn't mean they're the same. When you spend something, you're using money that you already have. That's not the same as having lost out on potential income. If I'm offered two jobs, one of which pays $10,000 more than the other, and I take the lower-paying job, I don't tell people, "Hey, I just spent $10,000," even if (in an accounting sense) it's equivalent to having spent $10,000.