to say money does not equal happiness.

[iliketherain]

as title.

I just wish some people would put other things above money....

[wicketkeeper]

It might not buy you happiness - but it's bloody difficult to be happy without it.

[CurrySpice]

I love the Groucho Marx quote

"Money can't buy you happiness. But if you've got enough, you can rent it" :o

I think money buys you time, and choices. But if the basics aren' there to start with - love, health, family, friends, inner peace etc it can't buy that

I'd like to give it a damn good try though :o

[letmehelp]

My Grandad, who had grown up very poor, with 5 sisters in a mining community and then seen the other side when he ran his own business sucessfully, used to say "Money can't buy you happiness, but it does make being miserable far more comfortable"

I think to be happy you have to learn to love what you've got, so if you're the type of person who always needs the next step up, bigger house, flasher car, posher neighbourhood, you're unlikely to be happy regardless of how much you have.

On the otherhand, if you're generally easily satisfied, then having enough to pay the bills and have the occasional treat can be far better than not.

[pointydog]

Money equals holidays. That's good enough for me.

[HecateGoddessOfTheNight]

Money may not buy happiness, but not having any is horrible.

I think only people who don't know what it is like to be really really poor ever say that money doesn't buy happiness.

I don't tend to hear it from people who try to feed their family on ten pounds a week or who hide from the debt collectors or who walk round with holes in their shoes or who regularly skip a meal because there's only enough food in the house for the children to eat...

[Sevenfold]

yabu

money would equal happiness for me, if I had loads I wouldn't have to worry that dd would have a miserable future

[HecateGoddessOfTheNight]

Same here. My unhappiness is totally due to having no money and desperatly needing it.

[ouryve]

I agree money doesn't equal happiness, but a true lack of money can spell out a lot of misery for people.

[hiddenhome]

One of my colleagues (and a personal friend) is a care assistant on minimum wage. She lives by herself and has the rent to pay and all other expenses relating to running her home.

She had to get rid of her small car because she couldn't afford to run it. She can't afford holidays or even to go out much. She can't afford to put the heating on. She spends virtually nothing on food. She can't afford to take time off sick even though she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. She works very hard, but her life is shit through no fault of her own.

I dearly love to give her lots of money just to improve things for her. She's a good person.

People who say money doesn't equal happiness are usually those with a reasonable income and standard of living. I've been very hard up before and I can't remember feeling very happy about it

[begonyabampot]

it doesn't equal happiness but it can help and not having to worry about every penny must lead to less stressful life.

[bringbacksideburns]

I watched a programme once where a psychologist was desperately trying to convince a woman of that very fact.

She wasn't having any of it and she listed why.

Money would mean she could have an operation she was on the waiting list for, and afford the best medical care if something serious happened. It would also mean she could pay off the mortgages of her children to ease the pressure on them and go travelling to all the places she had dreamt of.
She said she thought it would be more bearable to be miserable in a villa in the South of France, then on the tenth floor in a council flat despairing on mimimum wage and worrying about Christmas and Bills.

Of course money doesn't buy you family and friends (well, apart from the new ones with pound signs in their eyes who you would be able to spot) but if those are there already you have lots less stress in your life if you have plenty of money in the bank.

I can't help but think that when people say money does not buy happiness they have probably never been gut wrenchingly poor with nothing to look forward to.

[ShellyBoobs]

My family was very poor when I was growing up.

I've been lucky (and hardworking) enough to become reasonably well off. I know which I'd prefer.

I'm sure that beyond a certain point, more money doesn't make you happier but I know I'd be far, far less happy than I am now if we had money worries.

[donthateme]

Of course money doesn't equal happiness. But it enables choice, and choices can bring happiness

[yaimee]

Eeep, I'm about to quote Kanye West, but even the most obnoxious wankers occasionally say vaguely sensible stuff... Having money isn't everything but not having it is! When you have to scrape and struggle every day, there often isn't much room in your life for other things. That isn't to say that you need a lot, just enough, so that you have space in your brain to relax a bit and not have to worry so much!

[iliketherain]

So how much is enough?

Hang i will start another thread.

[HecateGoddessOfTheNight]

How much is enough? How long is a piece of string

[QuietTiger]

I've been utterly broke in the past - as in not able to pay bills, not able to put food on the table, couldn't afford the bus fare to work, creditors calling daily, etc, etc.

I'm now not broke and I am considerably more comfortable financially. I know which I prefer and makes me happier because my life is more stress free and it isn't having no money!!

[AfternoonDelight]

Let's do an experiment - for the good of the thread, to get a definitive outcome.

Everyone give me money and I'll see if I'm happy.

[SansaLannister]

Where do people find all this time to observe others so closely, much less post threads online about it?

Who cares what people value, as long as they are not harming anyone else by it or doing something illegal?

[Ariesgirl]

No you're right, but money does certainly buy security, and feeling safe and secure goes a long way towards contentment.

[scarlettsmummy2]

I think you need enough to live comfortably, i.e.- enough not to worry about putting the heating on and stressing about food costs, and to have a bit left over for a few treats.

However, I also think you are essentially a happy and content person or you aren't. I think, for example, if you are prone to depression, you will have it no matter how much you have.

I used to earn twice as much as I do now, and had a relatively luxurious lifestyle, however, I can honestly say that I wasn't a happier, more cheerful person. I just bought more stuff I didn't actually need. I know it sounds a bit twee, but I get just as much happiness from my family and nice days out as I did spending a lot on myself.

[TadlowDogIncident]

YABU. The studies say that, after £60K per year, money doesn't make any difference to happiness. The reports conveniently always forget to mention that a tiny proportion of the population earns more than £60K, so for most people, more money does equal greater happiness.

I grew up very poor - like soverylucky I would never wish it on DS. My family's financial security is top of my priority list and if I have to be miserable at work to achieve it, so be it. (So far that isn't a choice that I've had to make, thank goodness.)

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Soverylucky - how bloody awful that must have been.

[TrillianAstra]

Money doesn't equal happiness, but it can certainly help you to be happier if you use it in the right way.