Money = Happiness ????

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

I did win a little over $13,000 in Atlantic City a year ago. I was happy more for the fact that I was a winner than the amount of cash. And my happiness didn't last too long since it didn't complete me. It completed my wall unit, but that's about it.

[ComputerGuy]

Well currently I earn below what I SHOULD be earning in my position and I don't even make $300 a week full time. However it's the job I have always wanted and I'm happy. I earnt more in my last job but I was miserable 24/7 in it.

[Stinkweed]

Well, maybe money doesn't REALLY buy you happiness. And maybe you can be in a horrible mood even if you have money. But who's more prone to be happy: The person who's in a great financial status, or the person who's sinking in debt and/or about to get evicted? So, I guess money does bring happiness in a way... But in my opinion, you don't have to be a MILLIONAIRE to be happy either.

[mystik]

I definitely agree, like I said before, it's the LACK of money that's a bigger deal than having LOTS of it.

 

I just brought that point up because some wealthier people spend excessively, or will spend a lot of money for a good night out, just because they can. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, is what I'm trying to say.

 

I don't think it's the amount of money you make that makes a difference either, it's really about how you handle and use it. My parents make minimal money (huge debts due to my father's old gambling problem, though we're almost done paying it off) but yet we are probably one of the most happy and close close family you'll ever find. On the other hand, I have a friend whose dad is the CEO of a major international company, and they are multi-millionnaires...yet, my friend is not even close to happy. That could be due to his cocaine habit but that's another story

[Sexychiick16]

money does make you happier...i dont care what people say, it buys a sourt of temporary fix. but i dont th ink it'll last forever. Theres bill you'll have to pay later on and there things you'll have to provide with that money that may not make you too happy, but its something you really need like food...

 

i k now what you mean though, with me being 18 and everything. Having a job and getting to spend of that money and not worry about bills is a great feeling...I miss those days, but i dont have ajob right now and it sucks!!

 

im glad your happy, where are you working? I need a better paying job!!

[BillyJean714]

I think it's all in a person's attitude. If they're happy, then they're happy, in general. Put them in two situations, with or without money, and they'd still be happy. They're just happy campers overall. They're probably born that way.

 

Me personally, I don't think that money buys happiness. It makes life a bit easier, but it DEFINITELY (at least for me) doesn't buy happiness.

 

What people may or may not know is, material things only provide short-term happiness. I know some people who are the richest of the rich, but are miserable. They make a 6 figure salary, but aren't happy. They're always chasing money, but NEVER dreams. They're not doing what they love. It's almost as though they're living a life for someone else, not themselves, like it's this image that they want to "maintain". Sad.

 

I also know some people who are poorer than heck but they're still happy.

[shyanne]

ok shayne, here is a thought for you. What of those really poor people that become wealthy and are generally happier because of it?

 

i don't give this kind of stuff much thought, your happy or your not. if i really wanted to know i would ask my mom's siblings or my husbands parents.. since each grew up not rich or really poor and are now pretty well off thanks to their occupations and general drive for life.. however, one thought does come to mind.... i see you still have your head somewhere. lol

[becallamjr]

i don't give this kind of stuff much thought, your happy or your not. if i really wanted to know i would ask my mom's siblings or my husbands parents.. since each grew up not rich or really poor and are now pretty well off thanks to their occupations and general drive for life.. however, one thought does come to mind.... i see you still have your head somewhere. lol

 

Up my backside?, possibly lol. I've read all the posts and I see that most agree that money will only buy temporary happiness in material things. That's not how I see money buying happiness. If you have a job that is fulfilling and you make a nice income, it allows you to provide for your loved ones and allows you to do whatever you want, within reason. Nice house, nice vacations, nice cars, eat well, and if you have kids put em through school or whatever the case may be. I think everyone agrees that family, love, health, etc will bring the ultimate happiness. I believe money takes away the burdens and stress of everyday life so in a way, money really does allow you to continue the happiness if you already have what brings the ultimate happiness. Of course remember folks, I DID NOT ask if money could buy TRUE HAPPINESS, only if money=happiness. So from reading all the posts, I say that yes, money can buy happiness to an extent.

[Dako]

B

As skeptical about money and as frugal as I am, I plan to write a check for a nice motorbike in the coming week. Riding it last night was as close to joy as I've felt in a long time. Four grand seems like chump change for that buzz.

[shyanne]

Up my backside?, possibly lol. yes, money can buy happiness to an extent.

 

yes that would be the spot.. lol

 

i know what your saying... yes, i'm happy that my husband and i can do things for our kids without worrying about it.. i have my kids in things that may be too costly for others.. thanks to my husbands good job and it's a nice feeling to beable to do that.... k

[Shadows Light]

B

As skeptical about money and as frugal as I am, I plan to write a check for a nice motorbike in the coming week. Riding it last night was as close to joy as I've felt in a long time. Four grand seems like chump change for that buzz.

 

Ohhh NOW I'm PEE GREEN with Envy... grin. And you are so right.... it is a great high. Love it. I'm learning to ride myself. Been a passenger.. and now I want to learn on my own. Its a blast. WHAT are you buying???? I've got my eye on a friends INTRUDER.. lol... its got MINE MINE MINE written all over it.

 

By the way.. saw a T-shirt last year that said...

 

"You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a shrinks office."

[becallamjr]

My next purchase is a fatboy

[shes2smart]

"You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a shrinks office."

 

Reminds me of one of my husband's shirts. He's a drummer. He's got a shirt from a drum company that says:

 

"In therapy, they don't let you hit things."

[Dako]

I'm picking up a sano bright red BMW K75S 3 cyl sport bike tomorrow.

Quick, silent and nimble in the mountains. My last beemer went 200K miles and once took me to Alaska and was the best of 23 bikes I've owned.

[darkblue]

Money cannot buy happiness - but it is nice to know that you have it.

 

When you worry about money, that can affect your happiness.

So having it makes happiness easier to gain.

[tyler711]

Of course money makes you happy! Anyone that would rather be poor is a FOOL. However, when the pursuit of money becomes your sole obsession, and everything else is pushed out of your life, that's where the unhappiness starts. If money is managed well, and you can live a comfortable life, then yes, money makes you happy.

[NJRon]

I still disagree and say that money allows for happiness. Without money, happiness is not allowed. (all of this is relative, one person's subsistence wage may be another's boon). However, money does not *make* someone heppy.

[justpaisley]

If you're not a happy person, money won't make any difference at all.

 

However, I AM a happy person, although I'm living the slightly-upper-middle-class life. I can't say I'd be happier if we didn't have a house note and 2 car notes, per se, but it'd sure make life easier to clear up that extra few grand a month.

 

So no, money doesn't buy happiness. Money buys some relative peace of mind. And RVs. (Hey, some people have car envy, I drool every time I see a sweet RV. Don't judge me.)

[ComputerGuy]

Im not rich, I come from a not very well off family, none of us make a lot of money, and everything I have that has any sort of monetary value I've had to work my backside off to get. I have a few luxuries, like a decent computer and a nice bed, but both of those came from hard work and perseverance. I was just as happy when I was sleeping on a couch because I didn't own/couldn't afford a bed, didn't have a computer desk and my computer kinda sucked a bit.

 

Money can buy you things but the important things like love, respect, etc cannot be bought and it's at this point that money starts to lose all value.

[ves]

You know what's great? When you leave $1.84 in your bank account, check back in a few days, and see that you have NEGATIVE $26.16.

 

That's what happens when the bank takes $3.00 from you for monthly service charges, then proceeds to charge you another $25.00 for having a negative amount of money.

Can you get a line of credit put on your account for overdrafts? I have one set up so that if I don't have sufficient funds, my bank automatically deducts the money from the line of credit ($5 each time) to cover the charge. Then when I have the money, I just transfer it back into the line of credit to pay it off. Mine costs $25/year, but it's saved my * * * so many times.

 

BTW, many banks have free checking if you reduce the services, or do all your banking online. I have Key Bank and love it - free checking, line of credit, no minimum on my savings account. You should research and see!

[Skippy]

As donald trump said,

Money might not buy happiness, But i would rather be rich and unhappy then poor and unhappy.

 

As much as i would like to disagree with this cold statement, i would have to agree with it.

[Caldus]

Money is just a green piece of paper. Letting green pieces of paper control your level of happiness or indicate your level of success in life is ridiculous to me. Unfortunately, too many people in this world today have not 'awaken' to more possibilities in life other than profit and wealth. I think a lot of people who are focused more on money in life are, in reality, depressed inside. They keep buying and buying, but it never really fulfills them. They are left with a feeling of ultimate emptiness and thus leads to feelings of depression. This is pretty apparent when you watch someone like this. At least to me it is. Objects do not fulfill you. Personal fulfillment can be achieved by bringing more meaning to your life than mere objects.

[mystik]

Can you get a line of credit put on your account for overdrafts? I have one set up so that if I don't have sufficient funds, my bank automatically deducts the money from the line of credit ($5 each time) to cover the charge. Then when I have the money, I just transfer it back into the line of credit to pay it off. Mine costs $25/year, but it's saved my * * * so many times.

 

BTW, many banks have free checking if you reduce the services, or do all your banking online. I have Key Bank and love it - free checking, line of credit, no minimum on my savings account. You should research and see!

 

Yes, thanks!! I recently changed to a no fee chequing account and set up overdraft on it. However, since recently moving back in with my parents..I haven't had negative amounts of money anymore haha

 

As donald trump said,

Money might not buy happiness, But i would rather be rich and unhappy then poor and unhappy.

 

As much as i would like to disagree with this cold statement, i would have to agree with it.

 

me too...

[charley]

Money cannot make anyone happy, but lack of money can make almost anyone unhappy, or at least make life more difficult.

[Luke Skywalker]

I've been reading through a few posts of this thread and have a story to share (which I've stated on another thread). In 1998, I used up $ 12 000 worth of credit cards in the stock market and lost and could not pay them back. What happened? An idea came into my mind that infected me like a virus and caused me to gamble all that money which could have been used for a vacation, or for some other material purpose.

 

It's possible to get ideas when you have too much money that are destructive and hurtful that you may not entertain otherwise. It's easier to dream about something when you dont have money and you are struggling and all you have is your imagination, but if every thing comes in a silver plate, then it just wrecks that process.

 

Imagine, when I had all that money I was thinking, let me make more money, lots more money and go on some vacation somewhere or buy a car and feel comfortable afterwards so I wont have to worry about being too tight to pay the credit card back if I spent all the money on a good car or business capital. What happened? I lost whatever I had and had to buy a used car (which was used for a few years) and what did I remember spending on myself during that fiasco?

 

I bought a dinner at Vinni Zuicinni (Italian Buffet) with my dad for about $ 40.00.

I went on a school trip at Churchill, Manitoba for $ 1000 (missed a seat-sale where I could have gotten a discount of 60% and what wrecked the happiness of the trip)

 

But the majority of that money -- was lost in the stock market, while I was suing the airline company on that missed seat-sale, while I only spent $ 40.00 for a meal I enjoyed, and a used car for $ 1100 with repair costs and $ 4000 for insurance, repairs, etc....

 

Look at this - out of the big line of credit I got .... about $ 20 000 - I ended up being very miserable since most of that money was mis-spent in the stock market and I could not recover it.

 

I would not have had a bad-credit rating for seven miserable years of strugglign if I didn't have all that money to spend on credit cards.

 

Tell you, after these seven long years, I've learned that if I get money again, I wont go on investments, I'll spend it on myself and not be a miser. If you are a miser, then you are miserable. You can have thousands of dollars and only spend a few dollars on yourself.