Does money make you happy?

Is it just wealthy people who say 'money doesn't make you happy' a bit like the Managing Director telling the aspiring manager that titles don't matter? Maybe if you've got it - it doesn't make you constantly happier but its one need crossed off Maslows list.

To me money buys time and life is too damn short. I don't get to holiday so much at the moment but yesterday I took the family to Blackpool and we had a great day, today we're going to Gulliver's World and I can't wait. Yes money buys time and I sure wouldn't be stuck for things to do if I had plenty.

My goal is to earn as much money as possible to buy me more free time, however I will have to be careful not to pursue money too hard and jeopardise the free time I've already got.

Regards,
Simon

Is it just wealthy people who say 'money doesn't make you happy' a bit like the Managing Director telling the aspiring manager that titles don't matter? Maybe if you've got it - it doesn't make you constantly happier but its one need crossed off Maslows list.

To me money buys time and life is too damn short. I don't get to holiday so much at the moment but yesterday I took the family to Blackpool and we had a great day, today we're going to Gulliver's World and I can't wait. Yes money buys time and I sure wouldn't be stuck for things to do if I had plenty.

My goal is to earn as much money as possible to buy me more free time, however I will have to be careful not to pursue money too hard and jeopardise the free time I've already got.

Regards,
Simon

Dear Simon,
because I've been eating non stop for two days now, I allow myself to be very philosophic.

I don't think people should relate happiness to money. Money is necessary to survive. Do we say my liver makes me happy, o my heart makes me happy? Even a monk, who sits everyday on the mountain, prays and eats grass from its own´garden, needs to pay money for medicine when he gets diarrhoea.

If we talk about lots of money, then it gives us freedom to choose. Chose school for kids, car, house, country to travel and hotel and food... Money IMO makes us feel free. It's wonderful to have a lot of money!

Another side of medal:
Imagine one day you come proud to your son and give him keys for some Worlds newest car He takes keys, thanks and when one day you ask him for help you get this . Then you might realise that you oversaw something very important while being busy in making money. You'll never be able to buy the time you lost. You can't buy love friendship and respect and many other values that are true bases for happiness. I think this could explain what rich people mean by saying 'money doesn't make you happy'.

Dear Inesa,

Bit late but Happy Xmas / New Year (assuming you celebrate it in Denmark other than simply double gorging ).

Well discovered post (2005!) and ingeniously answered. ( normally medal=coin ? )

An American proverb but (used to be?) equally well-known in England is –

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

(Marital / Partnered status undefined)
http://www.ifsqn.com...fault/smile.gif

The above proverb was intended to be of a profitably inspiring nature, a darker version is due to Thurber (see bottom of page) –

http://www.phrases.o...ly-to-rise.html

Assuming the wealthy bit already achieved, this one sounds much easier, especially if wise not an option –

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

http://www.phrases.o...pple-a-day.html (Welsh)

If only other fruits had equal selective abilities. Well, prunes is one proven contender of course.

If bored with the TV, here are a few (lot) more –

http://www.phrases.o...s/proverbs.html

And getting back to money –

money.jpg   54.88KB   3 downloads

Rgds / Charles.C

Hmm. Money making you happy. I don't think I'm overly materialistic but since I've had my son I'm more interested in getting a *nicer* house in a *nicer* area (with a *nicer* school) than I thought I was. Who knew I was middle class all along?

As others have said, it's easy to say "money doesn't make you happy" when you have loads and I don't think money makes you happy on its own but it makes other things possible. I was just thinking though what does make me happy and I came up with this list:

1. Seeing my son smile and giggle
2. Spending time with my husband
3. Eating nice food and having nice wine
4. Cooking
5. Doing a job I enjoy

So at the moment the only one I don't get to do is 5; 3 is a little curtailed on my current maternity leave salary of £123 a week but I don't need a hell of a lot of money to do all that really, just enough to get by. I suppose though it would be nicer to have more freedom and flexibility around 5 and being a bit better off might provide that.

Dear Charles,

Season greetings to you too!!!!
Thanks for lesson "Proverbs"- useful links , and I know my English is very poor I need to improve it, and I love proverbs. Nice picture!

Dear GMO,

I'm wondering which class I belong to.. I'm alone mum for 2 kids, struggling to finish my education. Situation is a bit complicated at the moment (kids kindergartens in 2 different cities- will be solved in the near future) and I can't even have a study job beside. I don't have a house, my car is 15yrs old and needs to be repaired every month. I dream about a good job, good education for my kids, house, travelling and other nice things. I would love luxurious things, but will they make me more happy I'm happy now too. I have 2 wonderful healthy kids, food on the table. I got a chance to study and develop. There are few more things that could make me more happy, but they don't have anything with money to do.
I guess every person understands happiness in his/her own way. I see happiness as something what I can't attach to things, something big around people and certain feelings, what you can't buy. For example, yesterday, my ex- father for my kids and me, we "buried the hatchet of the 3 years war" after divorce, and had a very nice Christmas afternoon with kids. And that made me happy: the inner peace and release of all negative experience and feelings I was carrying around for years.

Material things make us glad and satisfied. They give some driving power. The more we have of them the more we want, the more we work to earn more money, IMO. Happiness is something more than being glad...

p.s. I see You love cooking. I guess I'll be unpopular in this forum, but I don't like cooking. I would rather clean the whole home with a toothbrush and decorate it or renovate, than mixing ingredients the whole day. Though I love good delicious food

Surely!. It gives peace to the family. If we dont have money - definitely there will be lot of worries, sometimes it may lead to quarrels between the husband & wife. We should have money so that we should not think about that - I mean if you have to pay your children education fees / some party arrangements/ going for vacation.... you should not worry that how can I get this money - You should have a reserve so that you never consider these things as big worries.... So we need money. If you have money more than your needs, you can give it to the needy peoples around you and can make them happy. So, ultimately you will be happy too.

Cheers to all...

The love and happiness of my healthy family makes me happy, I live and work to make their lives better and when I say better that is a mix of special times which could be anything from playing on the Wii, having a meal together, going to the park, sledging, reading together, rolling around on the floor to holidays and treating them to presents. Most of what makes me happy is free, but I wouldn’t want my family to live in a cardboard box. Unfortunately living in comfort in modern life requires money. But for lack of money I would have had at least 20 children. On the other hand I am very lucky and thankful for what I do have. I have worked very hard for whatever I do have. My favourite thing is cooking for the family whilst having a coupe of glasses of real ale.

But for lack of money I would have had at least 20 children.

1 is enough for me especially when he keeps me up from midnight to 4am because he's got a cold.

1 is enough for me especially when he keeps me up from midnight to 4am because he's got a cold.

Give it a couple of years GMO.

Dear GMO,

I know exactly how you feel Yes it will be easier with years, but sickness is always bad, no matter how old child is.

Dear Simon,

20 kids sounds great! Driving round in a bus Would your wife also say yes to it? I have a big respect to women that devote the whole life for raising kids, while their husbands are out to earn money.

Dear Simon,

20 kids sounds great! Driving round in a bus Would your wife also say yes to it? I have a big respect to women that devote the whole life for raising kids, while their husbands are out to earn money.

Yes she would. We met when I was 30 and started quite late with children, but the big thing that restricts is the cost and practicalities (number of bedrooms). If we lived in a cave then the more hunter gatherers the better.

I'm sure it's the same for many people who work for a living.

Regards,
Simon