I think this can be generalized a bit to not just software but real-world things. I was recently dealing with tearing up an old deck that was rotting. I could h

I think this can be generalized a bit to not just software but real-world things. I was recently dealing with tearing up an old deck that was rotting. I could have done it myself -- I started doing just that in fact, but after a half day of work I did some math and realized that while it would not be cheap to hire someone with machinery that could do the job, it would end up being cheaper once I factored in externalities like being tired and sore, the risk of injury, and even just the discomfort of having to finish the job despite the weather du jour. Add in the significantly lower amount of stress, and the fact that I could use that same time for other projects, it made sense to shell out the $$$ to just have someone come in and do it for me. And to that person, because they've already invested the money and time to get the equipment and learn how to properly use it and be proficient with it, the cost was much lower. In the end, between the two of us, we saved a lot of unnecessary labour by sticking to what we were both good at.