To think life is just so much nicer with a bit of money

[Idontwantaworldfullofrobots]

I’m not talking loads necessarily but just not constantly watching what you spend.
We’ve had times where we’ve had to watch every penny (currently sort of like this but grateful to have nice Christmas dinner & presents for Dd) and times in the past where we could go for mini breaks at Christmas or nice meals out and activities, maybe treat each other, not huge things. Life is just so much more enjoyable with a bit of money and really quite crap without, isn’t it

Money doesn’t buy happiness but it does buy choices and options that can lead to the former.

i have a small amount of savings & it helps massively knowing if I need a car repair/dog to vet, it’s not going to come out of bill money. If I want to take my DD out for tea I can.

I don’t aim to be rich but always want some extra to fall back on.

I feel sad for people having to live hand to mouth, must be so stressful for them.

Money does indeed make life an awful lot easier. we've been very poor and now we're not and I know which I prefer.

We've got the heating on because we can afford it. We've invited family for Christmas because we can afford it. Our car needs £2.5k worth of work which is fine, we'll get it done. Our boiler broke a year ago, we got a new one PDQ.

All those things would have been stressful or impossible without money.

We also live in a nice house, we have plenty of room, our children went to private schools, we've had amazing family holidays and we entertain friends quite a bit. We eat out whenever we want to and if we're ill we pay for private health care.

When my children needed it they had private counselling. When they went to university we gave them plenty of money to live on and paid for decent accommodation, laptops and equipment they needed.

I have a personal trainer, a counsellor and if I want something I buy it, pretty much. We eat mostly organic, cooked from scratch food.

So we do have a very good life indeed, partly because we have plenty of money.

What it doesn't shield anyone from is some hardship, like bereavement - we've lost 2 close family members in the past year - or poor mental health. Our children have variously had issues with self harming, rape, bullying, racism and various other traumas. Money can buy counselling and other things that help but it can't and doesn't stop terrible things happening.

I have to say this is hardly a surprising discovery! Of course not having to struggle or worry about paying rent and bills makes life a heck of alot easier!

Last year I was on universal credit, couldn't afford to eat, just made sure my children did and I ate the scraps. Now I am back to work and earn a good salary, I can sit here and say that mykids were happier when we had nothing, we lived by the sea, had nice weather so we're able to do picnics, parks etc. We have now moved nearer family but to a much colder, wetter climate, they are mainly indoors and cry to go back to where we were last year. So, no, money hasn't made us happier as I now stress they are unhappy.

You can’t buy your health, but it can buy early nights if I can buy lunch for me and the kids on the way in. Doesn’t save my loved ones from hospital but I’m not talking 2 buses and an hour there’s and back. Etc etc
ive not had the best year this year but it’s been so much easier not worrying about paying for food or heating compared to “better” years when I’ve missed stuff through not having the bus fair.

IME there's few problems that can't be either solved, or significantly reduced, by throwing money at them.

It isn’t the money making them unhappy though, it’s the fact that you’ve relocated to somewhere that none of you like.

Horrible things happen to both poor and rich. Not all but a lot of those things can be softened or solved with money. Years ago when we were struggling I tried not to think about it too much but once we were out of that misery it made us wise up regarding our finances. Now we have money, those early days makes us appreciate it. Money can buy lots of things that make you happy, granted not everything but still a lot. A home that is yours, enough good food, heating, stuff for the dc, fun.
The more money you have the more you can enhance your life for example that home will be in a nicer, safer location, near better schools, well maintained parks or countryside and nicer shops, restaurants etc.

I don’t think money buys happiness but it does buy security and that’s a better place from which to build happiness. Last Easter dh and I both felt really low (variety of reasons but lots of things cancelled due to covid etc) and we had a fuck it let’s book a holiday moment. There’s 5 of us and it cost about £4500 for all inclusive in the canaries. We felt relaxed and rejuvenated. Even our eldest Dd commented after that she hadn’t realised she’d been feeling low as it’d been gradual but the holiday had really helped her feel happy again.

We are not millionaires by any stretch but being able to book a holiday or not stress if the washing machine breaks because you can buy a new one within the week makes a huge difference. Worrying about money puts a huge strain on relationships too.

its definitely more pleasant to cry in a car than sat on a peddle bike. That doesn’t mean you’re less sad or lonely though.

I’ve always said that whilst money doesn’t buy you happiness it certainly improves your quality of life which often has a direct impact on our mental health.
I’d love to be able to replace the kids shoes when they break without stressing about finding the money for it or to go grocery shopping and not worry about the total.

I agree. And of course money can buy happiness. Quite literally. It can buy you private healthcare, physio, dental and eye care, therapy and good food, vitamin supplements and fitness training - all of which contribute to day to day wellbeing. It can buy you breaks from the daily grind - whether that's a weekend away or a holiday. It can buy you things to look forward to.

I vividly remember when a wealthy relative suddenly gave us £1k in theatre vouchers one Christmas. DH and i adore theatre and we hadn't been once since having DC. Couldn't afford it. And we were sad we couldn't introduce DC to something we loved so much. But with those vouchers which had to be spent on luxury not necessity, we were able to go to five shows as a family and some as a couple. It sounds silly but it transformed our lives. We had stuff to look forward to every few weeks. We had something lovely to discuss - this show or that one? We had memories to talk about, date nights which weren't just a walk or the pub.

Being poor isnt going to bring the loved ones back either.

I can afford all the clubs, days out etc but they still cry to go back to our old home. I'm so stressed over it, I made a massive mistake but we would've been homeless in the long run

I've always hated the phrase that money doesn't buy you happiness - that may be the absolute case but it can buy you a bit of comfort and the best of everything.

It doesn't buy you guaranteed good health but it will buy you the very best of medical care and home care.

Harsh but fair

Money buys freedom from the stress and unhappiness of poverty and struggling. It buys freedom from a bad relationship, it provides options. It absolutely buys happiness. I’m lucky to have the security of money, I’m not going to kid myself otherwise.

You may still struggle in other ways, but those struggles aren’t going to be on top of wondering if you can afford to pay your rent/mortgage or feed yourself.

It doesn't make you happy but it does make things more comfortable and removes certain kinds of stress.

Well I can absolutely say my life’s a shit show without any, let alone extra so obviously you’re right.

Money insulates you from what life throws at everyone no matter how much or little you earn. It gives you choices and freedom, better health care, diet, allows you to heat your home and lets you choose where to live and where you travel etc. I don't buy it when people say they were happier poorer. I've had no money and it's rubbish.

There's the saying that "money doesn't buy you happiness".
But it does buy you convenience, choice, opportunity, comfort. Life is certainly easier if you have money.

You're not wrong. Money doesn't guarantee happiness, but having enough of it removes one potential source of misery and stress.

It also enables you to take time out for treatment and recovery without worrying that you'll starve or be evicted.

Living hand to mouth, or worse in poverty is a misery all on its own. Being able to remove that worry is always a positive, being able to have enough disposable income thay you can go and do enjoyable things, is even better.

Of course it won’t make you happy if something else is making you miserable, but you’d be a fuck ton more miserable if you are skint with it.

Yes...it gives you a cushion, makes space for treats and fun and limits worry.