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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think that the saying 'money can't buy you happiness' is a lie?

143 replies

manicinsomniac · 13/03/2014 19:08

I don't know whether this just makes me ridiculously materialistic but I think that plenty of money can at least go a long way towards making you happy.

If I had the money for a large penthouse in the west end and all the holidays, extra curriculars, trips and stuff that I or the children wanted I do think I'd be happier. And if I was watching every penny, living in a run down house in a difficult area and watching every penny while trying to cope on benefits we would be significantly less happy.

I know there are many unhappy rich people and many happy poor people but I don't think their happiness is linked to their income.

Money won't make an unhappy person happy. But I think it will make them happier and make the average person with no significant problems very happy.

AIBU and shallow?

OP posts:
BuggersMuddle · 14/03/2014 20:44

I don't think money can buy happiness, but I think sufficient money to secure your lifetstyle (whatever that my be) can go a long way. Of course there are people who overstretch themselves, but while I could be accepted for our current mortgage, I wouldn't enjoy lower earning DP paying it on his own. A weight was lifted from our shoulders when he got a pay rise and I could suddenly take more risks.

On the other hand, it cannot compensate for family tragedy in any way shape or form.

TruffleOil · 14/03/2014 20:55

I think people who say that money doesn't buy happiness have never been really, truly poor.

Yes, I agree. I think there can be a tendency to dismiss poverty-related stress as a state of mind, or something that's easily remediated by a pep talk, or that there's a better life around the corner.

But - wealth that exceeds basic needs & a security net doesn't translate into happiness. It's illusory. I'm forever astonished at how fleeting the happiness is that stems from an expensive holiday or bag.

hiddenhome · 14/03/2014 21:05

I'd be bloody well happy if I could afford a holiday Grin

SpinCycle · 14/03/2014 21:06

how much money do you need to be happy?

Haven't read the full thread, so apologies if someone else has already posted this link. Makes convincing reading, and sums up what some posters here have said.

whineaholic · 14/03/2014 21:11

If you are already a happy person with a happy life having money makes life even better.

The things I like most in the world ( apart form family etc etc) cost so money makes me happy!

TheVictorian · 14/03/2014 21:13

If i had 250,000 id be happier as id be on my way to uni to do a degree in either forensic science or corporate law.

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 21:20

I have read that memories and experiences give more happiness value than material possessions.

So no, buying a flash car will have limited happiness quota, and the shine will wear off.

Or it may not.

Whereas an amazing experience, desert trek, machu pinchu and so on...will be exciting and life enriching and will provide memories for years to come...and stories.

But it costs too.

If you are not happy now, money is less likely to help you.

If you have no imagination and think its about life long retirement, money may not help you.

But money can quickly get you to the goals you want to achieve then yes of course it will make you happier.

Boaty · 14/03/2014 21:21

I would like the opportunity to find out if it would make me happier rather than waking up most nights worried about bill paying!

IME those who say money doesn't make you happy aren't worrying and struggling to pay bills/eat!!

I do agree that illness etc is no respecter of wealth but wealth does open some doors to treatments denied to the poorest.

BirthdayMuppet · 14/03/2014 21:21

It may not buy happiness, but it sure as hell buys a better class of misery...

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 21:23

spin just read your link x post.

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 21:24

Id rather be ill with money to cushion the blows and have access to the best possible treatments than poor and strugglig.

aquashiv · 14/03/2014 21:24

Ofcourse you can't buy you happiness. Its far more complex than that.

whineaholic · 14/03/2014 21:27

It rather depends what makes you happy, to be fair!

Horses make me happy. Without them in my life I am not truly happy. Horses are expensive ergo I need money to be properly happy.

caruthers · 14/03/2014 21:28

I'd just like to see for myself if it does or doesn't.

I suspect i'd be happier with it than without it Smile

EBearhug · 14/03/2014 21:29

Money can't buy you happiness, but lack of money definitely contributes to misery.

Once you've covered the basics of accommodation, household bills, food and other necessities, if you've got more than that, money does give you choices.

It will mean you have more choice about where you can live, what size house you can live in. You will have more choice about whether and how you can travel - which will mean you have more options about what jobs you can get, and thus more opportunities to earn more money or be in a more fulfilling job.

It gives you access to a wider choice of educational options, be it being able to travel to better schools, or afford university fees or to go to college in a town with more expensive student rents. It means you can afford to do extra study that you fund yourself, and you can find the time for it by being able to afford childcare.

It gives you more options about what to do in your spare time, be it going out to the pub and meeting up with other people (social contact is important, and friends definitely contribute to happiness) or going to evening classes, or a choice of sporting activities, be it running, swimming, football, horses, sailing, whatever - some of these can be very expensive. Or you can buy art materials, or expensive wools to knit with, or quality ingredients to cook with or travel to art galleries and pay the entrance fee for exhibitions, or buy designer clothes, or a ton of other things which just won't be options for you if you're having to count every penny just to keep a roof over your head and eat at least once a day.

Doing things like that may mean you feel more fulfilled, and if you feel more fulfilled, you're likely to feel happier, so in that sense, money can contribute to happiness. I'd rather be miserable with money than without it.

wordfactory · 14/03/2014 21:33

Money can't buy you happiness, but it can protect you from many things which bring sadness and pain...

MillyONaire · 14/03/2014 21:36

I always say: give me the opportunity and I will prove to you that money can buy me happiness!!!
(in case you're wondering no-one has taken me up on my offer to date)

Apatite1 · 14/03/2014 21:43

If the thing that's making you unhappy can be alleviated by money, then of course money can make you happy!

If you're hungry, money will buy you food.

If you're sick, money will buy you medicine.

If you are cold, money will buy you warmth.

Obviously, if your source of unhappiness is something money cannot help, then that's that. Big hugs to those of you who have sadness unrelated to finances.

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