This all started with a random video on YT about consumerism and a catchphrase that is somehow trendy but true: “I buy therefore I am”. Also, I am semi-renovating my house and furniture prices don’t look good, not gonna lie to you. I thought about, hey how much hours of my life actually this costs?
So, on a lazy afternoon, I thought: why not make something useful? Since I am experimentign with Cursor nowadays, it took me about 3-4 hours to make Consumed, a basic google chrome extension that find price strings on Skroutz (and other popular exommerce websites) and once you tell it your monthly or hourly wage, slaps a little message next to each one: “This will cost you X hours.”
// Converts European prices (e.g., "1.234,56") to a number
function parsePrice(priceText) {
const cleanPrice = priceText.replace(/\./g, '').replace(',', '.');
const price = parseFloat(cleanPrice);
return isNaN(price) ? 0 : price;
}
// Calculates work hours for purchase
function calculateHours(price, hourlyWage) {
return hourlyWage > 0 ? price / hourlyWage : 0;
}How I Built It With Cursor: My Methodology
- Start with a Quick PRD
- Break Down the Project into Small Tasks
- Prompt Cursor Explicitly for Each Task
- Iterate and Refine
- Finalize and Document
- Publish Quickly and Iterate
I wrote a short product summary using ChatPRD to clarify what I wanted to build.
I separated features like price detection, parsing European number formats, calculation, and UI enhancements.
Clear instructions like “Write a function to convert prices with comma decimals” gave me clean results.
I fine-tuned generated code by asking Cursor to handle edge cases or add comments.
I cleaned up comments and improved code readability.
The extension went live fast (review from Google took like a day or two)
Is it life-changing? Definitely not. But now, before I buy a new sofa or TV, I get a small prompt reminding me this stuff costs more than numbers. And if you’re also fixing up a place, or stuck in algorithm-recommended videos about buying less stuff, maybe you’ll find it useful too.
Keep iterating and stay curious!
Check consumed:
Consumed - Chrome Web Store
Transform prices into work hours to help you make smarter purchasing decisions. See the real cost of items in terms of your time.
chromewebstore.google.com
