To be annoyed when people say morney isn't everything.

[racking]

I assume they have been fortunate enough to never have been on the breadline.

Money makes things so so much more easier. Yes everyone has problems but if you have money you can throw money at it at least. Granted not everything can be helped with money but alot can.

I was told this today by someone and it just really pisses me off!

Having money isn't everything, not having it is.

Kanye West

You just need to look at what happened in Sri Lanka last weekend to see the billionaire who lost three out of four of his children to see that money isn't everything.

But many immigration issues CAN be helped with money. A person earning over bout 30k can bring a non-EU spouse over to live with them, the others can't

Mine can't, sadly. It's a long story but my family are on the other side of the world now. They were born there, came here for nearly 20 years and went back. I was there once, but cannot get back there now because I was born here. Were my family born from 1982 onwards, they couldn't be out there either now with the change in rules. So I'm stuck in the UK and don't really want to be now, but it's too late for me.

They are also cracking down on investor visas, so rich people can't buy their way into the country any more either.

I think many more marriages and cohabiting relationships would survive divorce/separation if money weren't a problem. As the Beatles once blithely sang," I don't care too much for money / Money can't buy me love." And they were right. But money can buy stability in a relationship. Money can, if handled wisely, buy peace of mind and security. Along with countless other "things" without which it's almost impossible to survive.

Studies say higher earners more likely to cheat. I suppose affairs cost money too and the money provides more opportunities. Plus the initial attraction in some cases.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/wealthy-people-cheat-more-poor-rich-infidelity-relationships-study-illicit-encounters-a8082476.html

Doing yoga makes me happier and doesn't cause harm, spending time with my family makes me happy and doesn't cost money. Being healthy makes me happy.

Time with family and time to spend on myself and my health would cost me money. People on lower wages often have to work long or unsociable hours, often with less annual leave - in my case I have to work most of my hours at opposite times to DH and take holiday at different times because childcare is so expensive. If I could afford to spend more time as a family I would love to do so, or go to a yoga or exercise class just for me.

I understand why comments about the bereaved billionaire have been criticised, but I think the original point was not that being rich made the pain less, or whether poorer families would swap places, but more that poorer families have also lost multiple children and then have to deal with issues of poverty on top of that grief. It doesn't mean either type of family is more or less affected, and of course that loss will be the single most devastating thing in their lives, but those poorer families may have to deal with additional issues that they would not have to face if they had money.

As others have said, money can buy healthcare, which is not the same as health but can make a big different in outcome. Do we really think the Royal family just have long-living genes, or are they able to access the type of care and live the type of life that enables them to reach their nineties in good health? Of course it doesn't protect them against accidents or all illnesses, but it's certainly going to give them a good chance.

I love the Ogden quote - here is the famous Dickens one:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."

To be honest as I have said before some ppl will always have money struggles regardless of how much they earn. I have friends who earn way more than us who have mortgages and car payments coming out of their eyeballs all because they have to look the part, they stress constantly about their bills and unexpected ones. We earn a lot less but still substantially (47k up until I went back to work last year) now I earn 38k we have no car payments (our cars are both over 10 years old)and bought second hand and we have an extremely low mortgage payment that is practically finished because we didn’t mortgage ourselves to the hilt and did all house repairs ourselves. Yes we have been lucky in so many ways and I am aware of that, but we cut our cloth accordingly our outgoings are approx 1500 all in which approx half of my wage. So we have 1 and a half wages left to save and live on. We are very comfortable but we could spend a hell of a lot more and then struggle with the unexpected 🤷‍♀️

This is not a boast or a dig, it’s just my way of explaining that it is all relative. We can’t compare incomes and money stats without looking at the outgoings or ppls monetary commitments.

looking "I suppose in my own life, I just look around and can't see anything that money would fix for me."

that means you have enough, surely?!

Money vs happiness is a difficult one. Insufficient money can obviously make you miserable but beyond the comfortable point it can be worse.

Money for money's sake definitely doesn't buy happiness!

If you're rich and not happy you may feel guilty that you're not happy when you should be, making you less happy rather than happier.

A lot of the decadent lifestyles, competitive acquisition of the latest must have doesn't come from a place of happiness or look like it makes those partaking happy. Most of it looks like expensive escapism from real life.

I feel like happiness comes from within, a degree of satisfaction with life, acceptance of where you are and where you are going... and I don't see this in the frenzied consumption lifestyles of the visible ultra rich.

I think the happiest people are probably less visible at whatever income level they're at.

There is definitely a "floor" level of wealth needed for happiness though - it might be a low current income for a family living "off grid" on owned (and unmortgaged) self sufficient property (therefore had/inherited miney) but would clearly be a higher income for a standard urban life.

Source of money probably affects happiness too, and sacrifices required to get it.

I agree OP.

Thinking back, extra money could have solved or at least eased most of my problems except bereavements (even then wondering how on earth i can afford funeral/time off work) but obviously not eased the emotional side.

Even as far as break ups, not having to worry about how you can keep up the rent, feed and clothe DC as a single parent etc can help. When people say money cant buy happiness, feel free to transfer it to me il show ya

"I suppose in my own life, I just look around and can't see anything that money would fix for me."

that means you have enough, surely?!

It means I have food to eat, I pay my bills and I am grateful for that.

I only earn about £11k a year and am self-employed so it can be tough. I need to start saving. I don't have a pension.

I never holiday and don't eat out/entertain. I don't have money for many "pleasures" but luckily I like things that are free/very inexpensive to keep me busy.

So if I came into money, I could certainly afford to do some stuff I could not do now - take a holiday, for instance - but it wouldn't make me much happier iyswim. This is because the things that are upsetting me will not be solved by getting more money. Still have chronic illness, separated from loved ones by red tape, etc.

As with everything, it's the extremes. I've you've not got enough money to keep you fed and a roof over your head then you won't be happy. But at the other extreme, if you're a billionaire with terminal cancer, you're pretty stuffed too. The vast majority of people are in between the extremes and, yes, money is important. It can improve your life, it can increase your options. Of course, what you spend it is also critical - blowing it on a Porsche which you forget to insure and then write off in a crash won't make you happy. Likewise spending your life savings on Bitcoins just before they crash won't make you happy either. But having the ability to spend a bit, save a bit, having the ability to get a better job (whether more money, or fewer hours, or more enjoyable) are all lifestyle enhancing options which you can choose to do if you have money.

Oh and I buy all my clothes second hand from Ebay - a shirt just arrived for me

So I tend to compare myself to those who have less and realise I am still very lucky. I don't look at people richer than me and wish I was them, because while I could buy a few extra treats with their money, it really wouldn't get me where I want to be in life.

I agree. The last 6 months is basically the first time I have had my head above water financially with even some to spare for holidays/fun. This is since my dc are both at school. My life is less stressful and happier for financial security and money to treat my family sometimes.

IME only peopel who havent experienced poverty say idiotic shit like this

I get this. Money does bloody help and can ease so much stress out of a persons life

I just imagine life if I had enough money to pay off my home and not have to worry. To not have to worry about meeting the bills. To be able to say “I feel like taking a work break because of the stress” and not have to worry! That would be bliss

Of course money doesn’t buy family and friends. But it would remove a lot of problems for many!

@FairyLightBlanket45 to be fair there’s not many ppl who could just take a work break and have no repercussions, bills still need to be paid (even by the “wealthy”)

My friend who is married to high earner is constantly telling me money doesn't count

Her and her kids want for nothing

I bite my lip every time.

ssd "My friend who is married to high earner is constantly telling me money doesn't count"

I had one of these. She also tried to "encourage" me to a more "fulfilling" job. I had to drop her. It was just endless idiocy.

Money isn't everything, but lack of money certainly feels like it, and money is definitely important, even if it's not everything.

Money makes a difference - it gives you choices. Money means you have more choice about where you live and how you travel, and therefore where you can work. It gives you more options about the levels of education open to you, extra-curricula activities and hobbies, how often you can go out, things like that. (You might choose not to get degree, or you might choose not to go to see a play, but then it's a choice, rather than never having been an option for financial reasons.)

It means you don't feel trapped in abusive relationships because you can’t afford a place on your own (you might still feel trapped for other reasons,) and it means you can afford legal advice.

It means you won't be awake at 3am worrying about how to pay the electricity bill and a loaf of bread (you might be awake worrying for other reasons.)

It's true you can't buy love, but lack of money means you can't buy lots of other things either, which could include necessities. And life tends to feel better when you can afford a few treats as well.

It's not everything, but it is important.

It's not something that should be said to or about people who don't have money. For them, all other things being equal, money would definitely have the ability to make them happier.

It is true for a certain type of person though, for some all the money does is allow them access to ever more destructive substances and behaviour. Most often seen in rich kids who grew up with inadequate or absent parental role models.

I get what you mean. Having money can make life so much easier. I can think of situations in my life that could be eased by having s little more money and I know that would take away some stress and make me happier....but....I had coffee yesterday with someone I’m just getting to know. From the outside, she has everything. Huge house with s garden in the city, a house in the countryside and an apartment in Spain, 3 lovely kids in private education, cleaners, gardeners, cars etc etc etc. I wouldn’t trade for her life in a million years. When she started to open up she was just so deeply unhappy. Her husband is an utter dick head, she has no close family or friends. I really felt for her. I’d much rather have my stresses and my simple life with people who love me.
I guess if you’re literally living in poverty though then money makes all the difference. It’s all about context.

We had a really skint time a few years ago; about a year of really struggling to make ends meet, I thought we might lose our house, we couldn't afford a good range of healthy food, we couldn't afford hobbies or clothes, we could afford to repair our car or house. We were FAR from REAL poverty, but it was still awful. I couldn't sleep or relax, i juggled money constantly, anxiety was through the roof, all pf our relationships struggled under the stress.

Of course you can live on a shoe string and do free things but it all takes so much energy and when you have no choice it is not fun at all.

I have no aspirations to be rich, but there is a lot to be said for being comfortable.

@Youngandfree oh yes I totally agree trust me, it’s not many who can take a career break without major consequence - I was only saying it in context of the question - if I had literal financial freedom it’s what I would love to do!