This is an odd subject for a new year's first post, but it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately: what has value, and what that means, and how much we should be paying for it. I'm especially interested in this since I've been working with kids for the last couple of years, and I also teach yoga and flute. I'm going to call those three things intangible. Tangible things like food (although this is another complicated one- I'll save it for another post), clothing, furniture, or something else that you can hold in your hand would fall into the simply divided second category. I know there are better or cleaner ways to divide services, and I'd love to hear them, but I'm going with this for a minute. Please keep in mind that I know next to nothing about economics (but would love to learn), and these are my thoughts based on observation.
I would imagine that tangible things are a little easier to value because you have them in your hand at the end of the day, and maybe even the day after that. If you buy a futon for a hundred bucks off Craigslist, you'll be sitting on that futon for a while. If you sit on it for one hundred days, the value is a dollar a day. If you sit on it for three years, you've only paid nine cents a day. That's one heck of a deal.
If you attend a yoga class, you're looking at a whole different beast. First, buying a yoga class is not the same as purchasing your CL futon because what you acquire can't be sat on, and has to be maintained with more yoga classes. You might buy one class for $16, loosen up your hips a great deal, and think "wow, that was totally worth it." But if you don't continue to go to yoga classes, your hips will tighten right back up, and you might think "well that class didn't do anything for me. It wasn't worth it." On the other hand, intangible things have the ability to change your life in a way that tangible things might not: you continue to purchase yoga classes, you are more in shape, more comfortable with your body, all of your joints work better, you are more at peace. Heck, maybe you sell your futon because you can finally sit comfortably on the floor. And this isn't just about yoga. It's about zumba or pilates, joining a gym, or getting a massage from an experienced bodyworker.
The reason I've been thinking about this so much is actually because of childcare. Is it important to have quality, consistent care for your child? Of course. Is it the case that many people in this country cannot afford good quality childcare? Yes, and I think that's a huge topic for another post. What concerns me is the reality of people who need childcare paying jaw-droppingly little for someone to care for their offspring. I ran across this post on Craigslist the other day:
Assuming this is a five-day proposition, the provider would be working thirty-seven hours a week for $75. That's $2.14 an hour. (But don't worry: they're supplying the diapers and formula. If you had to shell out for those, it might eclipse your pay altogether.)
I'm assuming a lot of things here- I'm assuming that the poster can afford to pay for childcare at all, for starters. But offering $5.16 under minimum wage (which I'm reasonably sure is not legal) for someone to either transport themselves to your home to care for your infant, or to use their utilities to care for your infant in their own home... it doesn't strike me as being an offer that would attract someone who would be committed to your child. It also has an effect on the childcare provider, regardless of the provider's strong beliefs about childcare or the value of their work- if her work, or his work, is only worth $2.14 an hour, how hard should they be working? Why is their work worth so little? Why are they even doing it?
The dude and I have been discussing this pretty often lately with regard to piano lesson cancellations. He's changed his policies to reflect a lot of these thoughts, along the line that musical instructors are highly qualified, highly trained individuals, and it's troubling when their time, travel, and energy is undervalued.
There are a lot of things to pay for in life. We're faced with a barrage of material things for which we need to shell out every day. I would love to see some attention paid to the insubstantial things that matter- caring for our bodies, caring for our artistic spirit, caring for our next generation. These things are love, for ourselves and for those around us, and they matter. Even though they are intangible, they are central in our lives, and they deserve to be valued.
I would imagine that tangible things are a little easier to value because you have them in your hand at the end of the day, and maybe even the day after that. If you buy a futon for a hundred bucks off Craigslist, you'll be sitting on that futon for a while. If you sit on it for one hundred days, the value is a dollar a day. If you sit on it for three years, you've only paid nine cents a day. That's one heck of a deal.
If you attend a yoga class, you're looking at a whole different beast. First, buying a yoga class is not the same as purchasing your CL futon because what you acquire can't be sat on, and has to be maintained with more yoga classes. You might buy one class for $16, loosen up your hips a great deal, and think "wow, that was totally worth it." But if you don't continue to go to yoga classes, your hips will tighten right back up, and you might think "well that class didn't do anything for me. It wasn't worth it." On the other hand, intangible things have the ability to change your life in a way that tangible things might not: you continue to purchase yoga classes, you are more in shape, more comfortable with your body, all of your joints work better, you are more at peace. Heck, maybe you sell your futon because you can finally sit comfortably on the floor. And this isn't just about yoga. It's about zumba or pilates, joining a gym, or getting a massage from an experienced bodyworker.
The reason I've been thinking about this so much is actually because of childcare. Is it important to have quality, consistent care for your child? Of course. Is it the case that many people in this country cannot afford good quality childcare? Yes, and I think that's a huge topic for another post. What concerns me is the reality of people who need childcare paying jaw-droppingly little for someone to care for their offspring. I ran across this post on Craigslist the other day:
i am looking for a full time babysitter for my 2month old. the hours would vary weekly but not much. generally there will be two days that the hours would be 7amish - 12ish and the rest of the week would only be until 4ish. Im looking for someone who has experience and has refernces. pay will be $75 a week i will supply diapers and formula.
Assuming this is a five-day proposition, the provider would be working thirty-seven hours a week for $75. That's $2.14 an hour. (But don't worry: they're supplying the diapers and formula. If you had to shell out for those, it might eclipse your pay altogether.)
I'm assuming a lot of things here- I'm assuming that the poster can afford to pay for childcare at all, for starters. But offering $5.16 under minimum wage (which I'm reasonably sure is not legal) for someone to either transport themselves to your home to care for your infant, or to use their utilities to care for your infant in their own home... it doesn't strike me as being an offer that would attract someone who would be committed to your child. It also has an effect on the childcare provider, regardless of the provider's strong beliefs about childcare or the value of their work- if her work, or his work, is only worth $2.14 an hour, how hard should they be working? Why is their work worth so little? Why are they even doing it?
The dude and I have been discussing this pretty often lately with regard to piano lesson cancellations. He's changed his policies to reflect a lot of these thoughts, along the line that musical instructors are highly qualified, highly trained individuals, and it's troubling when their time, travel, and energy is undervalued.
There are a lot of things to pay for in life. We're faced with a barrage of material things for which we need to shell out every day. I would love to see some attention paid to the insubstantial things that matter- caring for our bodies, caring for our artistic spirit, caring for our next generation. These things are love, for ourselves and for those around us, and they matter. Even though they are intangible, they are central in our lives, and they deserve to be valued.
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