Learn · money · intro · 18 min

Save Your Time

Your labor is paid in time. Money is supposed to carry that time into the future.

Three functions of money

Medium of exchange

Money lets you trade your work for the work of others without finding a perfect barter match.

Unit of account

Money is the measuring stick for prices, wages, and debts — the common language of economic calculation.

Store of value

Money is supposed to hold purchasing power over time so today’s effort can buy tomorrow’s needs.

Work-to-money flow

TimeLaborDollarsFuture purchasing power

A nominal wage can stay unchanged in dollars while the goods and services those dollars buy change. Purchasing power — not the printed number on a paycheck — is what carries your time forward.

Illustration

Hourly-wage example

Illustration

Hourly wage ($)

Hours worked

Annual inflation assumption

3.0%

Years

Nominal earnings: $40,000.00
Purchasing power (today’s $): $29,763.76
Purchasing-power difference: -$10,236.24

Illustrative estimate, not a forecast. Assumes a constant annual inflation rate.

Inflation calculator

Illustration

Starting amount ($)

Inflation rate

2.0%

Years

Future price of today’s basket: $121.90
Purchasing power of unchanged cash: $82.03
Total percentage change (basket): +21.90%

Default example: $100 at 2% for 10 years. Illustrative estimate, not a forecast.

Policy timeline

Verified fact

Early 2020 Federal Reserve balance sheet
Near the beginning of 2020, the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet was approximately $4.2 trillion.
Source: Federal Reserve H.4.1 statistical releases · as-of context: early 2020
June 2020 Federal Reserve balance sheet
By June 2020, the balance sheet was approximately $7.2 trillion.
Source: Federal Reserve H.4.1

Federal Reserve actions are monetary policy. Congressional and Treasury spending and taxation are fiscal policy. An increase in the Fed’s balance sheet does not translate directly or proportionally into measured consumer-price inflation.

Federal debt

Verified fact

Total public debt outstanding

$40,068,807,991,925

Record date Sep. 24, 2026 · Retrieved Sep. 27, 2026 at 1:04 a.m. ET · Live Treasury feed

Source: U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data — Debt to the Penny

Bitcoin supply

Verified fact

Bitcoin’s protocol targets a maximum supply near 21 million BTC.

Each bitcoin divides into 100,000,000 satoshis, so even a $5 weekly habit can accumulate a measurable amount.

Issuance follows protocol rules rather than discretionary political expansion.

Existing ownership can still be concentrated, and Bitcoin’s market price remains volatile. Fixed supply is not a promise of a stable price.

Source: Bitcoin whitepaper

Small-budget sats calculator

Illustration

Dollar amount ($)

Frequency

Approximate sats purchasable today: 5,927
Monthly contribution amount: $21.67

Price: $84,353.28 · as of Sep. 27, 2026 at 1:04 a.m. ET · Coinbase spot (live). Does not project future Bitcoin prices or investment returns.

Next steps

Learn what a Bitcoin wallet is.
Understand custodial versus self-custodial ownership.
Make a small test transaction you can afford to lose while learning.
Back up recovery information safely, offline.
Never enter seed phrases into this website or any ordinary web form.

Open glossary →Browse resources →

Sources & disclosures

U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data — Debt to the Penny · as of Sep. 24, 2026
Federal Reserve H.4.1 statistical release · as of Jun. 25, 2020 — Used for 2020 balance-sheet illustrations only.
Bitcoin whitepaper · as of Oct. 31, 2008

Educational content only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice.
Calculators are illustrative estimates, not forecasts.
Do not enter seed phrases into this website or any ordinary web form.

Work Save Bitcoin Weekly

One useful Bitcoin idea, one practical action, and the latest project update.

Work Save Bitcoin Weekly is coming soon.