To think money can make you happier?

[sweetmotherog]

Fair enough if you're clinically depressed or grieving, then it probably won't.

But I've been on both sides of the coin and I can sincerely say I feel happier with money.

Not because I'm particularly materialistic at all, it's just nice having no worries and being able to purchase whatever you'd really like or need (within reason).

Obviously I'm not talking about the type of money (for me) that buys sports cars and mansions. But going out for dinner with DC and family, being able to go and do any activity, buying whatever I need or think would be nice....

It's just so much more effortless. Being skint is fucking miserable, as is having only enough to 'get by'. Having to watch what you spent is tiresome and boring.

AIBU to say money can make you happy?

I’d agree with you up to a certain point. For me real wealth is health and family/not being lonely but after that a certain amount of money so that you are not always stressed and having to count the pennies is ideal.

But obviously the more money you have sometimes the more you want as your standard of living tends to go up. So when a standard run around used to be fine you may suddenly want (or think you need) a jaguar SUV.. so that keeping up with the smiths mentality just adds to stress and sometimes depression in the end.

Some of my family are Buddhist and in that they seem to talk about just being content and never wanting - and that everyone has a base line level of happiness that people revert to eventually whether they win the lottery or are grieving - and that ideally you can just increase that base line regardless of material wealth. That is the ideal but so difficult to achieve!

Yes money can give you time which impacts on your mental health eg dishwasher, cleaner, car not 2 buses to work.
Plus ability to exercise - gym or swimming, pay for crèche for dc so you can go. Yes walking is free but it’s more pleasant in nice trainers and proper water proofs.
Plus ability to buy nice healthy good quantity food. Makes you feel better to eat better.

YANBU. If your spouse suddenly died, worrying about funding a funeral or the loss of essential income to survive makes managing through the grief much harder. Money can buy councelling and facilitate a supportive social life.

Money won't take the problem away, but it gives strategies to manage the problem and allows you to work through the problem rather than having to suspend that in a battle to survive financially.

Money isn't the be all and end all, but I doubt anyone would choose to not have enough to be comfortable (if there were no strings attached)

We have no mortgage of which to speak, we have money in the bank and will retire with a really decent pension and a lot of money in retirement savings.

I am having a lumpectomy next week and all the attendant shite that goes with it, at the moment money does not seem important.

Having a huge amount of money can bring it's own problems. Do people want to be friends with you because of your money etc.

Still if I'm going to be unhappy, I'd rather be unhappy with money.

I disagree, I have enough to get by and am well happy. I think it depends on your mindset.
Of course it's not good to be skint, but I wouldn't like to not think about how much things cost because I like being frugal, getting good deals, and not paying over the odds.
I don't find being careful with my money boring. I like seeing the savings grow, just a bit here and there 20p on every item you buy soon adds up.

Health is more of a factor. And good family and friends.

Yes but Grieving and being clinically depressed is way worse when you have no food or you are about to be evicted.

I am sick of seeing all of the articles that are popping up about the horror of winning the lottery.
There should be consigned to Channel 5, with all the benefit bashing programs that insult our intelligence by thinking we would all be total fuckwits with all of this money .

All the money in the world might help my sister to control her diabetes. But it won’t fix it. It won’t make her not diabetic.

But it doesnt make it worse. So surely you would rather be diabetic with money, to get more help, than without.

I am having a lumpectomy next week and all the attendant shite that goes with it, at the moment money does not seem important.

I am sorry to hear that and hope it goes as well as it can. Money isnr as important as health. But I imagine if you have no money in the bank, rent/mortgage to pay and cant afford time off work or even some financial breathing room, money would seem important and adding more stress to the situation.

Money isnt the most important thing. But it gives people more options. And in bad times I would rather have options, rather than very limited ones because I had no money.

I don’t think money can make you happy, but it’s more that the absence of money or poverty is a direct cause of so much suffering and hardship it’s extremely difficult to be joyful. There are studies directly linking poor mental & physical health, lower cognitive function, stress etc directly with poverty.
But on the other side extreme materialism will not satisfy that deep part of you. But honestly, It’s much better than being skint.

Of course it can. Poverty is known to shorten peoples' lives for a variety of reasons.

Money is only unimportant when you don’t have it. Even if you’re sick/grieving. You may rather not have the money and not be ill/orphaned/etc. But that isn’t the “choice” as it were. The choice is to be skint and sick or rich and sick. I know what I’d rather

Sorry, money is only unimportant when you DO have it^ I am sleep deprived

I don't think it can buy you happiness, in that you can still be filthy rich and lonely / depressed / bereaved / a grumpy bastard.

But I'd certainly be fucking happy if I won the lottery!

But obviously the more money you have sometimes the more you want as your standard of living tends to go up. So when a standard run around used to be fine you may suddenly want (or think you need) a jaguar SUV.. so that keeping up with the smiths mentality just adds to stress and sometimes depression in the end.

But that's a choice. I could choose to move into the nice village in a nice house, that I live on the edge of. But I choose to stay in my 3 bed terrace with a small mortgage. I have a company car, so it doesnt really apply.

But I am choosing to live like I did, when I was single and earned half of what I do now.

It hasn't given me back my health and a pretty good chance I won't see my DC to adulthood. I have no money worries but I doubt that one of you would trade that for financial security. I must admit I didn't have to worry about giving mum a good send off recently or worry when DH had to take two months unpaid off work earlier this year when I had yet another major operation.

Money does NOT make you happier - it enables you to make choices. However, too much money enables too many (often bad) choices, which can make you miserable.
As Michael Can once said "I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better"

I read a study a few years ago that basically said happiness increased with money up to a household income of about £70k, and decent but not vast. After this it plateaued off so more money didn't increase happiness.

I my mind this makes sense - enough money to have a nice house, food, car, a few luxuries and holidays etc makes you happier. After that there isn't much difference!

@NaomiFromMilkShake, fingers crossed for you . Illness and loss does definitely put things into perspective and it's the biggest equaliser.

Money can't buy happiness, but it makes being miserable, much more comfortable

I was feeling sorry for myself when I typed that.

I work twenty hours a week in a small local firm, (so no sick pay) and thankfully that won't really be an issue (except in my head) as what I earn in is extra, so not needed.

So I retract my self pitying comment, now if mother nature would care to retract the cancer we can call it quits.

I don't think being 'rich' makes you happy necessarily but obviously having enough is essential to happiness I would say as if you are struggling for the basics you will be unhappy. Of course everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes 'enough' or 'rich'; I frequently see posts on here saying 100k plus salaries aren't enough so perhaps people just get used to spending more if they have more.

So I retract my self pitying comment, now if mother nature would care to retract the cancer we can call it quits.

Fingers crossed for you

Money can’t make everything happen but it can help with lots of things.

It’s allowed me to leave the job I hated and become a SAHM. It’s also pays for a cleaner so I don’t have to fit around preschooler and new born. It’s doesnt improve people’s health.

Money makes you happier v having no money of course it does.

I have been skint. I can assure anyone who doesn't know. It's soul destroying,