Does money really make you happy??

[mummyclo]

Never posted in here but...here goes
We manage to scrape by every month with OH on a minimum wage job (we get some benefits, but we wouldn't be able to live without them) so anyway, iv'e been thinking lately what i could do to have more money, job wise. I don't really know what its like to live somewhwere nice or have nice things and i wanted to know if it makes anyone any happier? I mean i am very happy with my life but WOULD i be happier if we had more money and didn't have to think about it so much??
Thanks for any replies.

 

[Natsku]

I guess I would be a bit happier if I didn't have to use the calculator every time I do the food shopping to make sure I don't spend too much but otherwise I don't think more money would make me really any happier. Sure it'd be nice not to have to worry about bills or anything like that but then I'd miss out on the joys of realising I have an extra little bit of money left over to get a treat with, rarity is what makes it more exciting I guess.

 

[blondey]

I think money can only make a happy person more happy. I don't think it can make an unhappy person happy iykwim? Unless the sole reason they were unhappy was because they were poor.

We are comfortable at the moment and I'm happy with my life/situation, but winning the £156m on Tuesday's Euro lottery would make me A LOT happier!!

 

[xolily]

i don't think it'd make me happier, certainly less stressed and would make life alot easier. we're in the same situation as you, i work part time (£7p/h) and OH is on incapacity. we get my wage, tax credits and housing benefit. OH doesn't receive any benefits because i earn too much.

 

[Linzi]

I don't think so. We aren't skint, but we're not rich by far, we have to scrimp & save in places, everything is a ;big' purchase over £20 and we won't be having holidays for a couple of years, But it means that a lot of things others take for granted (holidays, weekends away etc) mean a lot more to us, we feel compelled to work hard & save up for things we want then when we get them its a big acheivement & makes it more worthwhile.

We do row over money now and then and it would be nice not to, but at the end of the day it is what it is, we have each other, a roof over our heads, food, heat, water. Thats all we need to be happy really! Anything else is an added bonus

xxx

 

[angelandbump]

Me and my partner both work and are just buying our first house together as renting is dead money. We are just getting by and can not afford to go on holidays ect...
If i had enough money to live comfy (not euro millions lol) just enough so that we can pay our mortgage and bills, go on holiday once a year and also have two cars so we can both get to work with out having to reply on others then i would be happy.

x

 

[summer rain]

Not really but it would certainly make us happy to be out of debt and be able to buy our own house eventually xx

 

[Nibblenic]

Ive come from a fairly well off family. Ive been insituations with a good bit of money (comfortable not rich) then times when ive had nothing and been in huge debt.

I think money if it is causeing you huge amounts of stress be that having too much or too little. Then it can have a ffect on your life.

It will not make you happy if you are not generally happy anyway.

 

[honey08]

im just happy with what ive got, decent food shopping/ok clothes (ish) ,heating/hotwater and a family to save and have days out with etc

anything eles is just a bonus, yeh i want my house done up, i never go on hoilday(since i was 14) but in time things change
i saved for everything so we can have things asap if we need them but im happy as i am ,i havent got 100's in the bank, but save for morgan when hes 18 x

 

[indy and lara]

There are lots of different definitions of having money I think. Having a big lottery win is different from having a comfortable income.

Having money means that you do not have to worry about finances, how to pay bills, never have to worry how to pay for your shopping at Tesco, etc. Life is certainly easier, if not happier, when you don't have these worries hanging over you.

 

[ShanandBoc]

I think being comftable so u dont need to worry and being rich are two very different things. I would never want to be 'rich'. It brings on its own set of problems...worrying about all the stuff u have, worrying about who are really ur friends and who arent. I think its good to have a challenge and not get things too easy.

Look at all the famous really rich people. The majority of them have more problems than u could poke a stick at . The best things in life are the things money cant buy. These are the things that bring TRUE happiness imo. I think todays society looses touch with that.

"Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, regardless of whether it is little or much that he eats; but the plenty belonging to the rich one is not permitting him to sleep."

 

[Jess137]

It would make me happier in the sense that it would relieve a lot of stress. We are barely getting by, it would be great to have all my student loans paid off and be able to buy a house, and to know that we could afford to raise a baby, which right now we can't. Also I would love to be a SAHM once we have kids, more money would make that possible. So yes, I think that money can make people happy.

 

[KittyVentura]

I think going from no money to having money makes you happier, but doesn't solve every problem.

Having money takes away the stresses related to being skint/how to afford things. I think retail therapy is fab and I always feel happier if I've been and treated myself.

I doubt that people who have always had money are happier overall than those that didn't xx

 

[vaniilla]

I believe it can, however I think money can put you in good situations it can't put you in good relationships, having enough money to not worry about things means that you can concentrate more on other parts of your life such as family and there isn't stress about things you can't have/bills, my dh works very hard to make sure I always get what I want and so that we can afford a good life so its a combination of the two for us


Forgot to add I've been well off 99% of the time and being the youngest at home I've always been/still am a daddy's girl however I don't think I was happier than anyone else, I've had family problems and health problems.

 

[tallybee]

Money does not make anyone happy, it may remove certain worries but an unhappy person will remain unhappy no matter how rich they become. Our society places far too much emphasis on material things. None of these things make anyone happy, they just create other problems.

It's easy to feel, when stuck wondering how bills will be paid etc that a lottery win would make us happy, but it's all a dream.

 

[Lightworker]

I don't think so. I think it can facilitate exciting experiences and stuff eg travel, holidays etc, but happiness comes from within. This guy that used to work on Wall Street, gave up his millions and went to live a life of simplicity in the countryside. I think you buy cars, houses, go to parties, holidays etc and you reach a point where your soul tires of it. Why is it that alot of the rich have personal crises such as addictions? There's alot to be said for simplicity and modesty. X

 

[trgirl308]

I work for a bank, so I deal with ppl at different financial levels all the time. I don't think that those with more money are any happier than those that have less.

In my own experience when I took my current job it came with a huge paycut, but by working for the bank and learning to better manage my money I actually have a higher disposable income than before.

So if all you do is earn more and therefore spend more, you won't be better off and probably won't be any happier. Having more money, or having money more securily accessible is less stressful and that is what can make you 'happier' in the long run.

Hope that made sense, if you want any financial advice pm me.

 

[ShanandBoc]

I don't think so. I think it can facilitate exciting experiences and stuff eg travel, holidays etc, but happiness comes from within. This guy that used to work on Wall Street, gave up his millions and went to live a life of simplicity in the countryside. I think you buy cars, houses, go to parties, holidays etc and you reach a point where your soul tires of it. Why is it that alot of the rich have personal crises such as addictions? There's alot to be said for simplicity and modesty. X

Great post and i agree 100%...actually i agree with alot of ur posts lol

 

[Lena]

DH has recently gotten a much higher paying job allowing me to be a SAHM and also giving us more disposable income than when we were both working. It has made my life a lot less stressful not having to watch every penny we spend (although we still spend smartly) but we're not neccesarily any happier than we were before--we were happy regardless of how much money we had. The only aspect in life i am happier with, is being able to be a SAHM.

 

[xCookieDough]

Most people won't agree but yes, in my mind money does make you happy simple lol, it baffles me when people who win the lotto say it was a "curse" they wish they had never won it, it's like shut up and give me the bloody money then 'cause I surely need it! lol
___XO