> Just because my hourly rate is $X, it doesn't follow that I can always work an additional hour to make an additional $X. this is a good point for salaried em

> Just because my hourly rate is $X, it doesn't follow that I can always work an additional hour to make an additional $X. this is a good point for salaried employees. in any case, your pre-tax hourly rate is sort of a meaningless figure for comparison. if you want to do this kind of comparison at all, you should probably think in terms of disposable income. for example, if you make $30/hr post-tax and half of your budget is fixed costs, a $30 discretionary purchase is two hours worth of work.