<p><img class="wp-image-149672 size-medium alignleft" src="http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-150x150.png 150w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-300x300.png 300w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-768x768.png 768w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-660x660.png 660w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-32x32.png 32w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-64x64.png 64w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-96x96.png 96w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL-128x128.png 128w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INTEL.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Disposable income—we love spending it, but have you ever thought to calculate how much fun you’re actually getting in return? <em>New York Times</em> personal finance columnist Carl Richards has come up with a simple—albeit completely subjective—formula in which you add up your total spending on something and divide it by a self-prescribed “fun unit” based on a scale from one to 10. It works best when you compare similar activities.</p>
<p>So let’s say you take the family to a sporting event: Between the cost of tickets and overpriced concessions (about $350 total), not to mention the hassle of parking and the drunk guy two rows back cursing a blue streak in front of your kids, you score this experience a lowly 4. What you have, then, is $350 divided by 4 units of fun, which means you paid $87.50 per unit of fun. Now, let’s say you instead decide to watch the game in sumptuous 4K within the relaxing confines of your home, and order in pizzas for $60. This turns out to be way more enjoyable, meriting a score of 8, meaning your cost per unit of fun ($60/8) is a mere $7.50. The cost difference: a whopping $80 per unit of fun.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.moneysense.ca/spend/how-to-calculate-the-cost-of-fun/">How to calculate the cost of fun</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.moneysense.ca/">MoneySense</a>.</p>
