By The Hour | Perspective Tool

Inputs

Fill what you can. The more you add, the more personal it becomes.

Item price ($)

Your after-tax hourly wage ($/hr)

Use take-home pay ÷ hours worked (not pre-tax).

Your monthly fixed expenses ($)

Rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments, etc.

Your monthly take-home income ($)

Your current savings / buffer ($)

Whatever money you’d actually lean on if life happens.

Workday hours

Include “financed purchase” estimate

Include “if the money had time to grow” estimate

If invested at (%/year)

Just a what-if assumption — not a prediction.

Time horizon (years)

This is “how long you imagine not spending it.” Example: 10 years.

Include “if this repeats” perspective

Repeat frequency

Not a prediction—just “what if this became a pattern?”

Wait window (hours)

Used only for a reflection prompt.

Perspective tool only — not financial advice.

Breakdown

Time cost

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Enter your wage to turn price into time.

Monthly free cash after bills

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Take-home minus fixed expenses.

This purchase vs your monthly margin

How big it is compared to your leftover money.

This purchase vs your savings

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What portion of your buffer this takes.

Emergency buffer after purchase

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About how many months of fixed expenses your remaining savings cover.

Shock Meter

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This meter answers: “How hard does this purchase hit my cushion?” It blends two things: how much of your savings it uses + how much of your monthly leftover it uses.

Savings bite —

If this is high, it means you’re taking a big chunk out of your safety net.

Monthly bite —

If this is high, it means this purchase eats a big part of your month’s “free cash.”

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Perspective tool only — not financial advice.