That's 18k a year, or about equal or cheaper than "outsourcing", minus the tax and legal ramifications.

I agree it's wasteful, but from a long-form view of what spending looks like (or at least should/used to look like). Those who see 1.5k/month as "saving" money typically only care about next quarter.

As the old adage goes: a thousand dollars saved this month is 100 thousand spent next year.