outsource-for-leisure

From http://theincidentaleconomist.com/outsourcing-home-production/:

Adults in the U.S. spend an average of almost 4 hours per day on home production (unpaid housework and errands). Every so often I hear someone justify the outsourcing of such work (i.e., the hiring of domestic assistance) with an economic-sounding argument. The individual says something like, “Since my wage rate is higher than the wage I pay my housekeeper [or landscaper or whomever] it is cost-effective.” The speaker is arguing that his time is worth too much to be spent on chores. More concretely, suppose for example he makes $20/hour (after taxes) and he can hire help for, say, $10/hour. Therefore, for every hour he outsources and works, he nets $10/hour.
This argument could be valid but isn’t necessarily so for two reasons. First of all, it is important to identify what one really does with the time made available by outsourcing home production. If it is used for leisure then one is not making money by outsourcing, one is buying leisure time.

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