This gets dangerous once you make semi decent money though. Like why would I take public transit that takes an hour to get there for $2.50, when I could just take a cab that costs $25 and only takes 30min to get there.

Like, sure…if making $50+/h one can justify it. But one could also instead save $23.50 for the piggy bank by taking the bus. And the 30min extra is not time one would have been at work getting paid anyway (unless your taking the bus/taxi to work I guess and actually gain 30min of pay).

That's when you start calculating your hourly wage once all your livings costs have been deducted. Once you amortize your housing costs, car, food, retirement, student loans, and whatever other bad decisions that you're still paying for every month and figure out your hourly wage AFTER all that it's a lot easier to keep a level head.

Doing this when you make $12/hr is much too depressing though.