Hour Bills

I bought a Mac today. It cost an arm and a leg, but why else would I be born with two of each?

Actually, I didn't have to give up any anatomy. I did, however, in a sense, give up a portion of my life for the shiny, new toy. Hours of my life were exchanged for wages. Wages were exchanged for an object. This object will demand more of my time and wages. Then, eventually, this object will depreciate into oblivion and I'll find something else to fill the void.

I wonder if we would spend money more frugally if it more closely resembled the hours of our lives that were spent earning it. For example, what if, instead of a ten dollar bill, I handed the cashier a one hour bill. (Maybe you earn more for your time, but I'm a college student--by definition, I should be overworked.) So, in essence, I have traded an hour of my life for something I want. How many hours do I have remaining? I don't know. Would it make any difference to me if I did know? Probably.

This example could continue; for what if I wanted something so badly that I would be willing to promise hour bills that I do not even have? Hours of my life that I have not even lived yet?

That's debt.

What a sad thing is debt. There are people who may have decades of life ahead of them, yet they already owe 20 or 30 years of it to others. But does the opposite hold true? Do people free of debt have a surplus of life? Well, maybe they don't live longer, but they can definitely spend their hour bills the way they choose.

How did I get on this tangent? Oh, yes. I bought a Mac. I hope this tangent doesn't develop into buyer's remorse.

At any rate, I think I've spent my limit of hour bills on this post for now. Interestingly enough, my family just sent me this video a few seconds ago. That is the coincidence of the day. Enjoy.