There's also a major attitude problem in some of the examples, as for instance ...concerns about the economy inspired her to plant a "victory garden" in her backyard. But instead of yielding fresh produce and reducing her grocery bill, the garden grew into a source of frustration. Hanes, who is self-employed, estimates she invested more than $3,500 worth of work hours over the course of the summer for about $20 worth of produce.
Sure, if you look at the hours you spend on gardening as work hours, you're bound to lose money. If you look at them as recreation and/or relaxation, it's a different story.
How can you not get a single tomato? Not a single one? Sometimes they already have baby fruits before you even get them off the shelf at the Depot!
We've put a little cash into the infrastructure of our "victory garden" this year, and several hours of our time. And we're not done yet. But even before we put our seedlings in the ground, the yard already looks nicer and we can proudly say we did it ourselves.
Of course, some neighbors try to pull the "Yeah, but what's your TIME worth?" nonsense, to which I say, "Yeah, but how many hours did your fat ass find comfort on your couch cushions this week while your brain was turned to mush by reality TV reruns? How much did THAT earn you?"
I don't actually say that. But I want to.