Do you consider $20.00 to be a lot of money?

[jane_pippin]

Today I was thinking about money and how it represents things. For instance, $20.00. If you needed something--say something that was fairly priced at $20.00--would spending that money be no big deal to you or would it mean shuffling around other things to make up for the expense? In other words, do you consider $20.00 to be a lot of money or not?

I'm not asking in order to pass judgment on anybody either way. At one time in my life I'd answer "yes" while at a different time in my life I'd answer "no." Heck, at one time in the day I'll answer "yes," and another time "no."

What got me thinking about it in the first place was that I had things I had to do today and in order to do them I had to spend a certain amount of money. I thought about that amount in terms of what it represents of my hourly take home pay. Then I thought about lots of other things in that context. What percentage of my wage does this bagel and coffee represent?" or "What about rent? How many hours of work is that? Or a movie? Or my student loan payment? Or a beer?" Then I got really wild and thought about how Congress Creatures don't think the minimum wage should be raised.

Anyway, since that line of thinking has gotten me totally depressed I thought I'd share the fun and ask you all your thoughts on money, its value, and how people value it and are valued by it.


edit: money don't buy me grammar skills, apparently :D

[jane_pippin]

1. Ok, you guys mull it over and get back to me.

I'm going to bed.

Goodnight.
:hi:

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. Lets just say I would be wicked pissed if I lost a 20 dollar bill...

however it seems like I'm spending 20s left and right these days. 20 bucks for dinner, 20 bucks for gas, I'll go out to a bar and drop 20 bucks in no time...so when I'm spending it, it doesn't seem like a big deal at the time, but they all add up and I only have a limited supply of money, so I guess it all depends on what I'm spending it on.

[hfojvt]

9. considering your name. One pastor said

a twenty seems pretty small at the store, but it seems pretty big in the offering plate.

I would have to say yes and no. $20 is a fair sum. Not alot of money, certainly not going to put me out if I have to spend it, but not something that I throw around either. I always want to get my money's worth, so I will not even by 25 cents worth of candy out of the candy machines where I work. I think it's kinda funny that finding a dime makes me pretty happy, but at the same time I realise it is just a dime and it really makes no appreciable difference in my life.

[grannylib]

3. Yes it's a lot of money. It makes a difference in my budget; I'd have to

think about juggling other expenses before I just went and blew $20, and if I lost $20, I'd be really upset.

It SHOULD be barely over an hour's worth of work, since minimum wage should be about $16/hour right now...but it's NOT.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. Put it in terms of "how many hours must I work to have $20?"

When I'm free-lancing as a computer programmer, $20 is about 20 minutes of work. At my regular job, it takes me a bit more than an hour to get a Jackson. People working at the current federal minimum wage would need to work almost hours to gross $20. This is all before taxes, of course.

[jadedconformist]

5. It depends. If I spend it, it seems like a lot...

But if it's what I earned, it never seems to be enough. :)

[yewberry]

6. Heck, yes, it's a lot of money.

I'm just about finished with this year of national service. One more week. Holy cow, I made it.

With my stipend, that's more than half a day's pay for me (and I work almost 50 hours a week.)

So yeah, $20 is a big deal to me.

[pitohui]

7. maybe i do, been sitting here playing poker all day for less than that

*sigh*

p.s. right after i posted i hit a decent pot so maybe your thread is good luck!

[uppityperson]

8. yes and no, it depends. Money is odd

We work to get money to spend on things, sort of like an extended barter system. Or, we sell our time to get credit/money to buy things. Subtle difference between bartering and selling ourselves. Rent me for an hour, I can buy lunch. I provide a service to you, you for someone else for someone else and eventually it comes back to me.