That’s not what they’re talking about. Time is still a straight line. In the time it takes to order Doordash, sit and wait, and eat, that is still time ticking by. What are you doing in the meantime? Watching TV? Reading a book? Playing a game? Still using time. That time could instead be spent cooking. I struggle sometimes to cook meals for myself and my partner but when I do I have fun. I’ll put music on in the kitchen, my partner joins me and we have in depth conversations, and we make something that we need to survive (rather than a bridge, as your example).
Yes, if you choose to factor in the labour of making your own dinner into the cost of that dinner, it might end up a wash. But in terms of actual dollars when people are stretched thin enough in their wallet as it is, it’s free to just make your own dinner with what you already bought.
I’m likely making frozen perogies for us tonight. I already bought everything for them. We already have the perogies. We already have oil. We already have green onions and sour cream. That’s just things that already exist and money spent, most of which just exists here in perpetuity. I bought the perogies a week ago. The sour cream around the same time. Oil is just a pantry staple so it’s always here. So in reality, when I make dinner tonight it costs me, tonight, in terms of dollars, absolutely nothing. No money spent. Just vibing in the kitchen making perogies.
That’s not what they’re talking about. Time is still a straight line. In the time it takes to order Doordash, sit and wait, and eat, that is still time ticking by. What are you doing in the meantime? Watching TV? Reading a book? Playing a game? Still using time. That time could instead be spent cooking. I struggle sometimes to cook meals for myself and my partner but when I do I have fun. I’ll put music on in the kitchen, my partner joins me and we have in depth conversations, and we make something that we need to survive (rather than a bridge, as your example).
Yes, if you choose to factor in the labour of making your own dinner into the cost of that dinner, it might end up a wash. But in terms of actual dollars when people are stretched thin enough in their wallet as it is, it’s free to just make your own dinner with what you already bought.
I’m likely making frozen perogies for us tonight. I already bought everything for them. We already have the perogies. We already have oil. We already have green onions and sour cream. That’s just things that already exist and money spent, most of which just exists here in perpetuity. I bought the perogies a week ago. The sour cream around the same time. Oil is just a pantry staple so it’s always here. So in reality, when I make dinner tonight it costs me, tonight, in terms of dollars, absolutely nothing. No money spent. Just vibing in the kitchen making perogies.