Are you Spending Money the Wrong Way in Pursuit of Happiness?

[alastantiger]

Know a bunch of people who bought a house when rates were low and they did nothing but complain about the mortgage, saying it’s too high. Now when they refinance they will be in for a shock.

Debt is the American dream. Everyone is in debt.

It was the first shock I had when I first learned that in America, everyone is in debt. But they it seems like no big deal. They do not go about suffering from high blood pressure because of the debt. The country has already be structured in a way that you can be in debt and life your life to the fullest unlike other nations where the law enforcement agencies has to be invited to recover debts.

From the OP, if money should buy experiences which leads to happiness what about those remote tribes living in the jungle without money. How do they define happiness? What makes them happy? They almost not clothes, shoes, internet, electricity, or money. I often think about this. I came to the conclusion that more doesn't make us happy but non-material things like family, good food, quality relationships and overall good health.

[Litzki1990]

When we have money we don't understand but when we don't have money we understand the value of money. But when we have more money than we need, we spend that money on various things. For example,
there are many tasks that we should not do, but if we have extra money, we do them first. The biggest waste of money is over-purchasing or over-prioritizing small needs. 
You have brought up some good points here we need to avoid buying clothes at overpriced prices. It is not right to spend our money without extra necessity. Because this money is not permanent, you may have a lot of money today but there will be a time when you will regret the things you have done in the past because of the lack of this money. So we should be careful in advance.

[posi]

snip~

From the OP, if money should buy experiences which leads to happiness what about those remote tribes living in the jungle without money. How do they define happiness? What makes them happy? They almost not clothes, shoes, internet, electricity, or money. I often think about this. I came to the conclusion that more doesn't make us happy but non-material things like family, good food, quality relationships and overall good health.

The tribes still live in herds, they are only a few in this world. Don't compare them to us, instead, tell me how you feel about your own experience with life now. Do you feel happy when you have no money? Do you think that when you have no money, you will get a wife and be respected and admired by everyone? How can you get good food if you don't have money to buy it?...Everything in this world is measured in money, without money, you will have nothing. Reality is quite harsh, but we need to accept and adapt.

[Wend]

The power of money is undeniable, it can't buy happiness, it can't buy health, but it can maintain those things for you.

Very right. Money is good because to a far extent it can help you achieve many things that will bring you happiness including good health. If you have bad health, you can help you solve some bills to get you better and moreover if you have some health defects , that doesn't make you happy, you can go under the knives to correct such only if you have money. Yes the things money can do are numerous and so lack of it put many factors in discordant.

To put it more bluntly, I would say that money buys it all. When we have a lot of money, we can buy everything, including happiness and health. It can be said that money is considered the most precious thing in this world, it is more than the love between husband and wife, more than brotherhood. Because of money, we have seen many cases of brothers killing each other to fight for property. It's really a sad thing that's happening to our world. That's the truth, and we can only close our eyes, not change it.

[Ultegra134]

I don't have a bad spending habit. I used to set a budget and only purchase items that fell outside of it. Money can truly buy happiness, but spending more than you make simply to be happy is the wrong way to live. The only way to truly be happy and to be able to serve people in your capacity without incurring huge financial burdens is to be content. I concur that the principles you gave are excellent. Never forget that in order to prevent debt, you should only spend what is allowed by your budget.

Just like I previously mentioned in this thread, it literally can't buy but it can give you the mental cushion of being able to pay bills and not go broke and homeless. Having to buy what you want is one form of happiness that's why they called it "wants". It's to each of their own anyway so there is no really right or wrong way to live.

Regarding the debt stuff, some people are just willing to loan so that they can afford to have a good Credit Score and be able to apply for Mortgage. Don't quote me on it though as I never intended to loan. Just like what they said, if you can't buy it twice, you cannot afford it.

Money can make you happy up to a specific point; it's not supposed to be our main goal in life, but a tool to achieve a more comfortable lifestyle. Certainly, someone who's struggling financially will face way more difficulties and worse living conditions compared to someone who's well-off. Having a balance between how much you spend and how much you earn is vital to achieving financial stability. Personally, I've stopped bothering about material things; they don't bring happiness, but a small temporary joy that doesn't last more than a few days, or weeks in the best-case scenario, such as a car purchase. I currently have enough money to purchase a better and newer can than the one I currently own, but I find it pointless. I'd rather keep my savings and use some of them for traveling. I'd rather create experiences than acquire lifeless items.

[Captain Corporate]

I was torn in between today. I need new rams and one external hard drive, I already have a lot of debt, but there is inflation as well, so I wasn't really sure if I should get it or not. If I got it today, then I would be even more in debt, and would be hard to pay it back, but at the same time I would have to pay more for them in the future. These type of things matters when we are talking about happiness and other stuff. These are things I use in my work, I need that ram and I need the storage for storing my work as well. Its not a rushed thing, I don't need it NOW, but I will need it later on and I just considered if it would be too expensive due to inflation. In any case, spending money is difficult, but you need to do it sometimes in order to further along your life, that way you can be in debt, but at least have what you need to be happy.

[imamusma]

Good financial management is always expected when we have money.
Whoever they are needs to maintain cash flow income and expenditure so that it is not disturbed between needs, pleasure, health and investment. Everything has to be pretty even and I don't think we should get any of those points higher. Money may never guarantee happiness when users do not have the right way of managing it.

Reality is quite harsh, but we need to accept and adapt.

Your last point is quite interesting. I agree that money can buy everything that makes sense, but money can never guarantee reality the same as expected. But the best thing is, life costs money but don't waste life only for money.

[southerngentuk]

Hmm ... I think simply satisfying short-term desires or acquiring material possessions can provide a temporary sense of satisfaction, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee long-term happiness or satisfaction. So finding joy and happiness in the way we spend money can be an individual journey. It's about understanding our own needs, values, and the relationships we cherish and using our financial resources in a way that aligns with those factors.

[Silberman]

I was torn in between today. I need new rams and one external hard drive, I already have a lot of debt, but there is inflation as well, so I wasn't really sure if I should get it or not. If I got it today, then I would be even more in debt, and would be hard to pay it back, but at the same time I would have to pay more for them in the future. These type of things matters when we are talking about happiness and other stuff. These are things I use in my work, I need that ram and I need the storage for storing my work as well. Its not a rushed thing, I don't need it NOW, but I will need it later on and I just considered if it would be too expensive due to inflation. In any case, spending money is difficult, but you need to do it sometimes in order to further along your life, that way you can be in debt, but at least have what you need to be happy.

This is a point that is not brought forward often and yet it is important, while buying some stuff could bring us some small joy, if you do it by relying on debt then this is going to bring you a lot of worries, especially if the debt keeps growing and you cannot pay it, so whatever joy we may derive from such purchases is nowhere near enough to offset the unhappiness that we get due to the amount of money we owe to the banks and other lending institutions.

[Russlenat]

Happiness will always depend on how you appreciate things regardless of its size or what, money is just an instrument but it will matter on how you will spend it. Remember that Money can be stressful, so know how to spend it wisely and live within your means.

There’s a lot of people who are not happy even if they have the money, I guess you need to seek professional advice and know how to live peacefully and happy. Spending money should not be an issue, appreciate small things matter as well.

True. Money does not totally mean happiness as there are some who have money but still feel unhappy. And even if you spend your money wrongly, that does not mean why you live your life not happy at all. People spend money wrongly because they don’t have the solid plan to follow on what, where and when to spend it. And people never know how to utilize their money well not because their unhappy, but because they lack the focus and goal on what and how to spend it according to its purpose.

[bbigtart]

True. Money does not totally mean happiness as there are some who have money but still feel unhappy. And even if you spend your money wrongly, that does not mean why you live your life not happy at all. People spend money wrongly because they don’t have the solid plan to follow on what, where and when to spend it. And people never know how to utilize their money well not because their unhappy, but because they lack the focus and goal on what and how to spend it according to its purpose.

Good financial management is necessary to ensure our financial balance in everyday life. Of course we also have to have a plan for our finances to manage money well, especially in terms of expenses, investments and savings.

And indeed it is humane if we are tempted to spend money on unimportant wants and forget to allocate money for more important needs, especially savings for urgent things. We must hone ourselves from good money management habits, such as budgeting, saving, and investing. It is true that happiness is not measured by money, but if we manage it well, of course there will be happiness.

[superman184]

Good financial management is necessary to ensure our financial balance in everyday life. Of course we also have to have a plan for our finances to manage money well, especially in terms of expenses, investments and savings.

If it's necessary, then do it properly and correctly so you can have a plan when you want to use money at a certain place in your own life. Because balance in spending money in life really has to exist so that you are far from conditions that can make you make it difficult for yourself in life.

And indeed it is humane if we are tempted to spend money on unimportant wants and forget to allocate money for more important needs, especially savings for urgent things. We must hone ourselves from good money management habits, such as budgeting, saving, and investing. It is true that happiness is not measured by money, but if we manage it well, of course there will be happiness.

Every human being has the property to be tempted by beautiful luxury goods, even though in general these items are not what he needs in his life. So I think it's also a very normal thing if it happens to everyone, but making financial allocations in life is very important. Because usually successful people start from their intelligence in keeping spending money and allocating it to things that are important and not overusing it on things that are less important to them.

[Vishnu.Reang]

"Delay consumption, use our money to benefit other rather then yourself" aforementioned points only looks perfect example in textbook not in real life. We can get best example from flight put on your oxygen mask before helping your neighbor. Help yourself first. Everyone have different choices and there is a chance to be happy in different way not not every one get happiness from donation only. I just want to say spend wherever you want, If you will be enough happy while doing shopping then go ahead you don't have to follow textbook's rule only.

[Zilon]

• buy more experiences and fewer material goods

It depends on how much the individual can afford. One can as well gather material goods as much as the gather  experiences, it is about knowing ones limit and what extent our earnings can be adjustable to. When it has to do with spending and investing we shouldn't deny ourselves things that will help us enjoy life and make it more easier for us when we can comfortably afford them because at the end we will all die and leave the investment we are glamouring for behind.

[irhact]

These suggestions are not mine but are from the scientific findings of EW Dunn et al. They are valid suggestions which even without reading have been practicing.  What are you take on these suggestions? Do you have more to add to what the researchers have discovered about this?

I started doing more expensive than material things and my life has became a little more happier so they aren't lying with the first point. Instead of buying something for yourself during your birthday, take a vacation to go see places around the world and see the difference it adds to your life, whenever you remember those experience you'll smile.

If you want to become more happier in life, make others happy and you'll be happy too. We're in this world to make others happy not only ourselves. Don't be selfish, concentrating on yourself can be very toxic. Always make people's day and your day will be filled with happiness.

[Crypt0Gore]

If helping people is like spending money the wrong way then I am a big victim, I love helping people way more than asking them for help, it's not showing off or bossing around, it's what makes me happy, and that's why I will keep doing this.

When you make some life changing money do not forget that some people grown up with you, some people within your household are suffering from that same thing you beat when striving, there is nothing bad if you can give a helping hand.

You can't go through a lot in life and find it difficult to spend on yourself, always remember yourself after every success, when you are lifting others up make sure you are taking care of yourself too, life is too short and those who you helping might not do the same if you are in their shoes, but we help to make us feel better with ourselves and be happy.

[diminizio]

Money can't always buy happiness. if money is used to buy happiness it is said that the money will surely run out because we will never be satisfied with the happiness that comes. if you want to pursue happiness then don't just focus on money, but there must be fun things we do in life that make us happy.

[Jawhead999]

Money can't always buy happiness. if money is used to buy happiness it is said that the money will surely run out because we will never be satisfied with the happiness that comes. if you want to pursue happiness then don't just focus on money, but there must be fun things we do in life that make us happy.

With the reality of most people are lack or don't have any money, that's correct to say money can always buy happiness isn't?

We're live in modern era, all people already know how money can buy happiness, how money can control everything and how money can help you in anything. I don't think if you're lack of money, your wife will be happy because a women tend to follow or have anything that her friend have.

[fuguebtc]

Money can't always buy happiness. if money is used to buy happiness it is said that the money will surely run out because we will never be satisfied with the happiness that comes. if you want to pursue happiness then don't just focus on money, but there must be fun things we do in life that make us happy.

With the reality of most people are lack or don't have any money, that's correct to say money can always buy happiness isn't?

We're live in modern era, all people already know how money can buy happiness, how money can control everything and how money can help you in anything. I don't think if you're lack of money, your wife will be happy because a women tend to follow or have anything that her friend have.

No offense, and I'll be blunt, the people who say money can't buy happiness are people who don't have money and want to be happy. I was in that situation when I was a worker, didn't have much money in my pocket, and always yearned for love without money. But that didn't happen, not a single girl dated me knowing I was a worker. So far, I'm married and if I don't have money, my children are not as complete as their friends, and my wife can't be prettier than other women, so I can't be happy with those things. This may sound very harsh, but I think we should accept it in today's society.

[BRINIRHA]

Money can't always buy happiness. if money is used to buy happiness it is said that the money will surely run out because we will never be satisfied with the happiness that comes. if you want to pursue happiness then don't just focus on money, but there must be fun things we do in life that make us happy.

But there are many things we can do with the money we have to make other people happy, namely by helping people who are in trouble and really need our help. Giving free food and drinks to people who live on the streets, or giving help to our brothers and sisters who need money. This logically makes other people happy. but in reality it also brings happiness to us as givers.

the point is that there are many things that money can do that we use as a tool to achieve happiness. money is not a source of happiness but only a means to achieve it. The simpler way is to always be grateful for every achievement we have got. whether it's big things or small things.