It is important to try to break item economics down on a per unit basis in order to compare apples to apples and assess the comparison value. For example, you might want to know how much per wear, per day, or per hour. Food costs for a family can be valued at approximately $10 per day for an adult. Clothing is also broken down well using this method. A nice suit which costs around $1200 might end up at $12 per use if you can find a way to wear it 100 times. Depending on how much you use something, and what it might actually benefit you in the long run, buying a $1200 suit might not be worth it. Of course, everything around you can be valued in a similar way.

Mattresses are something you will spend around 25,000 hours on in the next ten years, based on the American 7 hour average per night. If you sleep with a partner, the mattress over it’s ten year lifespan will give you over 50,000 hours of use. Considering that a good mattress will set you back around $2000, the hourly rate of sleep time will be around $0.04, or a daily average of $0.25 per person, per day. When you look at how much the bed actually costs compared to the benefit of getting better quality sleeps, whether you should get a new mattress or not is pretty obvious.

Most mattress retailers offer payment plans to help you get into a bed sooner. For those of us without much credit, or with sub par credit, it can be a bit more overwhelming trying to get into a quality mattress. But a new mattress really is worth working for and saving up. The difference between a good mattress and a worn out one is night and day, or sleeping well and hardly sleeping. The quality of your life can be vastly improved, simply by being able to sleep better.

You can’t get a lot for a quarter, but a good sleep is one of them. Good luck and happy hunting!

Being an engineer by trade, Vladmir Skillet is constantly analyzing the cost benefit relationships to everything. For more information on a waterbed mattress guide for your back or on a buying guide for futon beds visit his website.