Whether we like it or not, money is the oil that lubricates most aspects of our daily lives. Without it, many of us would simply not have another means of buying and selling. Thousands of years ago, people would have bartered and swapped items as they required them. Once money was introduced as a currency, many items received a numerical value, rather than a personal one to the buyer. Over the last hundred years, living standards have increased exponentially, but it seems that the value of money itself continues to fall over time. This is known as inflation. Sixty years ago, it was possible to buy a house for just a few thousand pounds. The same property today is likely to fetch a hundred thousand pounds or more. So the question is whether the tables have turned and money is now valued in terms of what can be bought with it? Other things to consider: It wasn’t that far back where the husband was the provider and the wife was responsible for raising the children and making a home. Now it seems that both people in the relationship need to work just to pay the bills, therefore it seems that the value of the money being earned has dipped significantly. Does this mean the value of our time has also decreased?