AIBU to think, can money buy happiness? in some ways, it absolutely can!

[Relaxednhappy]

Before I say anything else, I know and wholeheartedly appreciate that this is a very privileged position to be in. And this is not a stealth boast it is an acknowledgment that I think A LOT of people won’t admit to.
Not everyone gets to make these choices, and I don’t take that lightly.

But I also think we should be honest about the conversation.

I always used to sit on the fence with this question but…”Can money buy happiness?

Since buying my new house, finishing it exactly how I wanted, everything is new and we have added all the modern comforts, I’ve noticed something shift in my life and in my mental health.
Everything is clean and new.
Electric blinds that open with a button.
A robot hoover that keeps the floors clean without me thinking about it.
A Quooker tap that gives instant boiling water-this speeds up cooking time too.
A large washing machine and dryer that actually keep up with life.
A dishwasher that saves hours every week.

None of these things are “life-changing” on their own. But together , they remove friction from my day.
I am less stressed so my performance at work improved, this got me to a position where I could go for a promotion and therefore more money.
I also bought a brand-new car. I no longer worry about breakdowns. My petrol costs are lower. It’s automatic, so driving feels easier and calmer. There’s no constant background stress about “what if something goes wrong?”

What money has really bought me isn’t “stuff.”
It’s:

• Time
• Convenience
• Reliability
• Peace of mind

And that peace of mind has given me something priceless, mental space!! I have more time to relax. Less daily stress. Fewer small frustrations draining my energy. More time to spend quality time with my family. When your environment runs smoothly, your nervous system does too. Of course, money can’t fix everything. It doesn’t replace relationships, purpose, or health. But it can remove many of the daily pressures that chip away at your wellbeing. So no, money doesn’t buy happiness in a fairy-tale sense. But it can absolutely buy comfort. It can buy security. It can buy time. And sometimes, that’s enough to make you happier, healthier, and more at peace.

Anyone else have any similar thoughts and experiences?

I think there's absolute relevance in money buys you time and this in turn helps feel less stressed etc and hence happier.
I remember watching the documentary about Tamara Ecclestone. Going on holiday:

• your laundry, ironing and packing taken care of
• holiday home fully staffed who clean it, cook etc
• chauffeur to airport so no faff of driving, parking etc
• private plane so you travel exactly when you want to, no queues etc
• all arrangements taken care of

I know this is a super rich person but it hit home to me that money buys you the freedom of your time. Freedom of having someone else deal with the 101 things that bog you down mentally and physically.

So yes, in my opinion money absolutely does buy you happiness.

Jealous of your dishwasher, OP 😁

There's been studies to show that lottery winners return to their previous, pre-winnings baseline of happiness level 6 months after their win. I think there's two things at play here, our background level of contentment vs the more transient and volatile level of happiness in the moment. I can see how the latter can be bought with money. I think relationships, mental health, a feeling of purpose etc. matter more to long term contentment.

Money can buy you peace of mind, the best health care, satisfaction from comforts and luxuries, but happiness....not in my opinion.

No money cannot ‘buy happiness’. There are a lot of very rich, very unhappy people.

What money can & does buy is choices & freedom. If you have enough of it, money can buy the biggest freedom of all ; freedom from the need to work.

I'm jealous of the quooker tap

But yeah can do far more to make yourself happy with money

Also some miserable gits will still be bloody miserable even if they had millions

But constant lack of money is a quick way to make people miserable. Hard to be happy when you struggle to feed yourself, are constantly freezing cold and nothing interesting to do

Having been at both ends of the spectrum - was a single parent with terrible credit (thanks to arsehole ex) and very little wriggle room and now DS is 26 has moved out, I have made progress in my career with better pay - I can say it absolutely does buy happiness. Not worrying and stressing if something goes wrong, being able to help out DS if he needs it gives you so much more head space. There’s a line in an Ariana Grande song that goes: ‘people say that money can’t solve problems, must not have had enough money to solve them.’

Money is a necessary but not sufficient condition for happiness.

Due to various things, I'm in a very fortunate financial position now. Things I spend my money on that I haven't before

• private healthcare
• a new car
• holidays at flight times that work for me, not the cheapest

Just an example. Does the above make me happier. Yes. Im happy I can afford to get my health treated quicker than NHS waiting times. Car, yes, Im significantly happier that I'm not worrying about it breaking down. Holidays, yes I'm happier I dont have to travel at god awful hours anymore. I'm happy that if anything breaks in my house I can afford for it to get instantly fixed.

Money can make life easier, buy you 'stuff', but but happiness, IMO no.

Nice/considerate neighbours/people, that would be my happiness.

It buys some happinesses, but not others.

It buys the toy/experience that your 3yo is dreaming of.

It buys a lot of healthcare procedures without spending 18 months deteriorating on a waiting list.

It buys tasty, healthy, varied food that you don't have to spend a long time preparing.

It buys travel, comfort, extra educational stuff for your kids.

Money buys choices its that simple

Did you pay for the ChatGPT sub to write this post to remove friction as well?

Money buys stuff, experiences, and easier life but can’t make you happy per se unless material possessions are all that makes you happy. In fact is say it’s lack of funds that makes you unhappy and life hard rather than money buying happiness

I agree. Having enough money can drastically lower your stress. Knowing you can afford to replace things if they break, being able to outsource things to save time, being able to afford leisure activities. It makes a big difference. I hope we can get to that point one day!

Money buys peace of mind and the freedom of choice.

I was trapped in a bad relationship because I couldn't afford to leave it. I currently live in a rough area because I cant afford somewhere nicer. My life would be 100% improved with money.

Obviously people will always have problems regardless of income but money definitely eases alot of problems.

I agree OP. My financial self sufficiency has bought me freedom of choice and agency in what I do. This is literally the best thing in my life. As a child I had some dark times and situations and I could see that if I controlled my own money, I wouldn’t suffer in the same way, so I made absolutely sure to work hard, get a good job and never be reliant on anyone else financially, as I never wanted to feel like I did as a child again.
financial freedom absolutely wasn’t about having ‘stuff’ , (in fact I have a hatred of having too much stuff and clutter as it makes me feel stifled and tied down) it is been able to make the right choices for myself, which is invaluable.

I think what it means is that it won't bring loved ones back from the dead.

If you have cancer for example it won't cure it.

If you've suffered abuse, rape, bullying etc, it won't undo that.

Money can buy comfort which in turn can make you happier, but it can't buy actual happiness.

Parenting with money is an infinitely more enjoyable experience than doing so without.

For me in my mid 20s I inherited a lot of money. Yes I didn’t have worries (I was wrongly told I couldn’t buy but had deposit so could’ve got guarantor mortgage) re money but I wasn’t necessarily happier because of it.

There’s several things at play here I think. Having got everything you need/want to live a comfortable life means that you’re not constantly looking to acquire the next thing. This also gives you mental space from the constant more/next things dynamic too.

If we won the lottery we wouldn’t acquire a bunch of extra stuff including properties we’d buy more time and less stress. So private flights but still still stay in a rental/hotel.
Private chef to prepare healthy meals to our likes to pop in the oven later.
Nice luxurious holidays with our young adult kids with their partners.
Maybe a driver.

But we don’t need another house. Anything I build up as inheritance is going largely to the state.

Id put a couple of million into my business to see if could really take off and not have to wait and see.

Apart from those things I think I’d let a lot of things go - that eat up my time to little purpose.

It can't buy happiness as such, but it can buy you less stress and more time. And lack of money can make you miserable.

Whilst my job is very stressful with very long hours, and often requires evening and weekend working, I am very aware that overall my life is probably less stressful than that of someone working 9 to 5 and barely making ends meet. We have a housekeeper several times a week, regularly gardener, regular handyman visits, house done exactly as we want it, if something breaks it is a minor irritation and quickly replaced, several holidays a year, private healthcare as needed, if we need something we just buy it without a much thought etc.

I often think about taking a more low key job, but I worry I would be more stressed overall as I wouldn't be able to throw money at problems.

Not having wankers for neighbours would make me happy 😄. But yes I agree that money can buy happiness - the time aspect is the main part I think. More time equals less stress and worry.

if I had enough money then I could reduce or stop working which would massively change my outlook on life. No it couldn’t stop me dying of an awful disease but it could improve the end.

Money gives you choice, and maybe the illusion of happiness because you get to choose the tap… in reality, that tap gives you maybe a minute more when making a cup of tea?

My happiest time was when I was on the bones… but was in great health.

Now I’m struggling with my health, but can afford stuff. I’d rather have my health back!

I hope you do, money can buy peace of mind when it comes to material goods, health care, affording luxuries, and so on.

I have been skint and happy, skint and sad, better off, both happy and sad.

Death, illness, heartache, arguments, interaction with family, friends, people in general...money cant help when dealing with all those emotions, and imo, that's what makes a persons life either happy or not.

God no, I just asked it to rewrite the post in a more succinct form 🙌 I still added in all my information, it just wrote it in a better format. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.