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| Sign I found at a store in Savannah, GA |
So I was thinking about money and happiness earlier this morning and wanted to see what y’all opinions were on the topics. I am in my mid-twenties and this is about the time that people are figuring out what they want to do in life, with who they want to do these things with, etc. Most of my friends are either back in school or pulling a Dolly Parton working 9-5, but either way they are all working toward making money and having a career. If you're friends with or dating someone in their mid-twenties you should definitely be prepared to encourage and support his/her current career and life decisions because that's just the stage we are in in life.
Then I started thinking about the topic of people my age working hard to get to the top to be successful. I don't think it’s a bad thing to want to/have to work hard to get to where you want to be especially now because you can enjoy the benefits later (a la with your future family/kids). A friend of mine thinks the opposite - that I will be sad and lonely because either my future husband will be working all the time and/or I will be working all the time. I disagree. (The people I know who have the $ to do fun things with their families take the time off to do them - not saying they don't spend an hour or two a day on work stuff while on vacation though. They won't remember the hour they spent working, but they will remember building sand castles or their kids meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time.) At the root of both of our opinions is that family and relationships come first. It’s just my opinion that one has to work hard to play hard with the family/significant other/friends.
So, that brings us to the big question: Does money buy happiness???
My personal opinion is - yes, to a certain extent money can buy happiness. People with money can go on memorable vacations with their families and friends, throw fun birthday parties for their kids, and do exciting new things together. Do I think you can be content without money? Of course, but if offered a million dollars I believe every single person would gladly take it because they are going to spend it on something that makes them happy whether it be a shiny fast Lambo, a European vacation, a piece of art, a donation to a favorite charity, etc.
Now as mentioned previously, I'm not saying jobs and money are the end all be all. Maybe I am being naive and you can't have both money and a stong family, but I've seen it work. My goal is to be a teacher which obviously isn't a job that rolls in the big bucks, but I really enjoy social studies and spending time with the kids. On the other hand, I am encouraging everyone to go after what YOU love - and if by chance you/your significant other/your friends work a lot to make money then be proud because you/he/she worked hard for it! Just be sure to spend it well and with the people you love. In the end, we all need someone to spend retirement with anyway. Our relationships with friends and significant others are what we are left with in the end :o)
EXHIBIT A: I also read that there are three things that help increase the chances of one’s marriage staying together and one of them is being wealthy. (The other two: both partners having college educations and both getting married after the age of 25.)
Then I started thinking about the topic of people my age working hard to get to the top to be successful. I don't think it’s a bad thing to want to/have to work hard to get to where you want to be especially now because you can enjoy the benefits later (a la with your future family/kids). A friend of mine thinks the opposite - that I will be sad and lonely because either my future husband will be working all the time and/or I will be working all the time. I disagree. (The people I know who have the $ to do fun things with their families take the time off to do them - not saying they don't spend an hour or two a day on work stuff while on vacation though. They won't remember the hour they spent working, but they will remember building sand castles or their kids meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time.) At the root of both of our opinions is that family and relationships come first. It’s just my opinion that one has to work hard to play hard with the family/significant other/friends.
So, that brings us to the big question: Does money buy happiness???
My personal opinion is - yes, to a certain extent money can buy happiness. People with money can go on memorable vacations with their families and friends, throw fun birthday parties for their kids, and do exciting new things together. Do I think you can be content without money? Of course, but if offered a million dollars I believe every single person would gladly take it because they are going to spend it on something that makes them happy whether it be a shiny fast Lambo, a European vacation, a piece of art, a donation to a favorite charity, etc.
Now as mentioned previously, I'm not saying jobs and money are the end all be all. Maybe I am being naive and you can't have both money and a stong family, but I've seen it work. My goal is to be a teacher which obviously isn't a job that rolls in the big bucks, but I really enjoy social studies and spending time with the kids. On the other hand, I am encouraging everyone to go after what YOU love - and if by chance you/your significant other/your friends work a lot to make money then be proud because you/he/she worked hard for it! Just be sure to spend it well and with the people you love. In the end, we all need someone to spend retirement with anyway. Our relationships with friends and significant others are what we are left with in the end :o)
EXHIBIT A: I also read that there are three things that help increase the chances of one’s marriage staying together and one of them is being wealthy. (The other two: both partners having college educations and both getting married after the age of 25.)
EXHIBIT B:
Let me know what your opinion is in the comments below!
Let me know what your opinion is in the comments below!
Oh boy. With those "stats" my marriage doesn't look too good! haha
ReplyDeleteI, actually, view differently than you, but am also middle-ground. I immediately would answer: "No, money doesn't buy you happiness." BUT, you still need enough. If you don't have a certain amount, it will simply cause more problems because of the stress it could cause! Clearly, we didn't go the "college degree, work 5-10 years, get married, work 5 more years, have 1-2 kids in your mid 30s" way. (I didn't do the math so forgive me if that's way off) I have my degree, I intend to work. I WANT to work. My hubby WANTS a degree, though we both know deep down we'll end up finishing a military career, degree in his hand or not. And while everyone thinks military people have a great deal, we really don't make much - we don't have many of the "things" we'd like in our house. I buy lots of used things, love coupon-shopping, and we even have months that really hurt, depending on what's going on. But, we have enough to save up, do some nice things once in a while, and we're given the chance for them, too. But, we will never own a huge house, fancy cars, and sadly, probably even have a complete college fund for our kid(s).
But, we're happy, healthy, pay our bills, and are given the chance to see the world. Can't complain about that!
Yay! I am so glad you commented because the whole point of my post was to hear other's opinions!
ReplyDeleteI totally see where you are coming from and agree with it. I am trying to be a teacher which I know won't make much money. Plus, I am already super frugal. If I don't love something then I won't buy it, but for the things I do love then I splurge (and a splurge is still like $50 on something I'll use everyday to me lol).
My view - Examples: If I don't decide to do the traditional wedding ceremony/reception then I would love to save the money on all of that, have a small wedding/city hall and spend the money that would have been used on the wedding on a trip traveling Europe or South America. Same with a house - I don't need a big house or cars or lots of things in them either. I'd rather spend money (if I have it) on traveling and experiences instead of material items.
All couples, families, and friendships are different and I don't think there is one cookie cutter path they must go down to succeed. I personally want to try to make many experiences with my future family by traveling the world. On my path, I need to save up lots of money to do this. On your path, you get to do it already with your husband's military career. So jealous!
So I just stumbled upon your blog the other day and I have to say, I completely, 110% agree with you on this. I too am trying to obtain a full time teaching position and I just turned 25 this past summer. My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years now and with the job market and the economy the way it is, we have had to stop and look at the big picture and realize that we have to be more mindful of our spending (and saving) to prepare for a future that will allow us to experience life's pleasures. We are by no means ready to be engaged- money is the root of all evil and probably the number one stressor that leads to separations. As much as we love each other and want to begin to build a future together, we understand that we both need to be financially stable and have a large sum of $ behind us before we embark on our life together. My bf is still in the midst of figuring out what exactly he wants to do with his life- right now he's in a position that doesn't thrill him, but works to pay the bills. So he may go back to school or just explore other opportunities within his field. I think your 20's are for you to be selfish (in the sense that you should use these years to discover more about yourself and what you want to do with your life- what's going to make you truly happy while being able to provide for yourself and your future family). I don't feel the need to rush my life or compete with anyone else who consistently feels the need to be a braggart and flaunt only the 'good stuff' on the fb or other social networks. Real life is messy and you have to be self-critical and be willing to sacrifice a lot to make bigger gains down the road. I think you're wise and I emulate you for thinking that way. The sad truth is that most people our age live in the here and now in a bad way. They flush all their money down the drain in order to achieve some feeling of superiority, when in reality they end up losing more and experiencing more setbacks. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good shopping spree and like you, I will splurge on items that I view as investments- things that are logical and will be used on a daily basis. I don't think frugal is the word to use your SMART spending- it's more mindful than anything else.
ReplyDeleteWell I wish you the best of luck in your teaching endeavors :) We have to stick together! I really enjoy your blog, too. Keep it up!
Thanks for commenting on this post! I feel like it is my "controversial" one. I agree with everything you just said.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot of people our age live (and spend) in the now and do not think about the future. We were discussing this over the holidays with my bf's dad and he told us you should be saving for three things right now: a house, your kid's college tuition and retirement. Those are obviously just the main three - kids themselves cost a bundle and there are a lot of other expenses in life! Overall, I thought this was good advice.
Good luck with finding a teaching job! Thanks for reading!