3 ms·

This is all true, but the point is that hiring someone to clean your house is a purchase, not a way to increase your income. If your wage is $60/hour, that does

This is all true, but the point is that hiring someone to clean your house is a purchase, not a way to increase your income. If your wage is $60/hour, that doesn't mean you're "losing money" if you clean your house rather than pay someone $30/hour to do it. For most people, cleaning their house doesn't have any impact on their income. If you're broke, it may very well make sense to clean your house yourself even if someone else is willing to do it for $1/hour and you make $20/hour.

MaulingMonkey 6y ago
> If you're broke, it may very well make sense to clean your house yourself even if someone else is willing to do it for $1/hour and you make $20/hour. Unlikely. I could clean instead of spending $1/hour... or I could spend $1/hour and then use that extra free time figuring out how to improve my skills (and thus earning potential) or find a better job that pays more (thus better leveraging my existing earning potential) or even just to recharge (and thus be able to work harder - earning future raises in the process as my hard work is noticed.) These aren't as direct and immediate as literally being able to immediately work more hours as a freelance contractor, but are no less invalid a means of improving my profits in the long run, even if it means more short term debt. I'm certain I could drum up extra work or self improvement for myself that has a higher return on investment than $1/hour now. I very strongly suspect most people who earn $20/hour or more can. Borrow a mower! Offer to clean other people's houses for $2/hour! Then, after an hour of cleaning someone else's house instead of your own, you'll be out the same amount of work but have pocketed an extra $1 in the process! A valid point is raised here: Just because you've profited in extra free time, doesn't mean you'll convert said free time into additional $$$ at your job's hourly rate. You might earn less. However, you might earn more over the long term, by investing in your future in a way that results in compounding profits. A broke college student might reasonably still end up spending $1/hour on a cleaner, so they can have more time to study! Even if that means more debt, and even if their current unpaid internship pays them $0/hour!

MaulingMonkey 6y ago

> If you're broke, it may very well make sense to clean your house yourself even if someone else is willing to do it for $1/hour and you make $20/hour. Unlikely. I could clean instead of spending $1/hour... or I could spend $1/hour and then use that extra free time figuring out how to improve my skills (and thus earning potential) or find a better job that pays more (thus better leveraging my existing earning potential) or even just to recharge (and thus be able to work harder - earning future raises in the process as my hard work is noticed.) These aren't as direct and immediate as literally being able to immediately work more hours as a freelance contractor, but are no less invalid a means of improving my profits in the long run, even if it means more short term debt. I'm certain I could drum up extra work or self improvement for myself that has a higher return on investment than $1/hour now. I very strongly suspect most people who earn $20/hour or more can. Borrow a mower! Offer to clean other people's houses for $2/hour! Then, after an hour of cleaning someone else's house instead of your own, you'll be out the same amount of work but have pocketed an extra $1 in the process! A valid point is raised here: Just because you've profited in extra free time, doesn't mean you'll convert said free time into additional $$$ at your job's hourly rate. You might earn less. However, you might earn more over the long term, by investing in your future in a way that results in compounding profits. A broke college student might reasonably still end up spending $1/hour on a cleaner, so they can have more time to study! Even if that means more debt, and even if their current unpaid internship pays them $0/hour!