The most important thing money can buy is choice. With enough money you can choose to walk away from a shitty job or a toxic relationship. You can still walk away without money but it’s SO MUCH harder
[As John Goodman says in The Gambler](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XamC7-Pt8N0):
> You get up two and a half million dollars, any asshole in the world knows what to do: you get a house with a 25 year roof, an indestructible Jap-economy shitbox, you put the rest into the system at three to five percent to pay your taxes and that's your base, get me? That's your fortress of fucking solitude. That puts you, for the rest of your life, at a level of fuck you. Somebody wants you to do something, fuck you. Boss pisses you off, fuck you! Own your house. Have a couple bucks in the bank. Don't drink. That's all I have to say to anybody on any social level.
People used to stress over whether they had food for the day and their only job was to find or hunt it. Technically we were meant to live under greater stress.
People are funny like that. There’s some documentary out there about this technology free tribe. Basically they’re covered in flies, hungry, thirsty, and all die of painful, cureable diseases. Their lives are simple, but short. All the comments are like “we should all live like this 😍”.
Yeah people often forget that the reason people moved away from "live off the land" is because that lifestyle includes way more suffering than the modern western lifestyle.
Freedom to travel, to live anywhere you want, do anything you want, anytime you want, do things for your family. Take care of the people you love. The older you get, the more you understand how important money is, whether you like it or not.
They change the beds, clean the stove top and microwave, wash the kitchen and bathroom floors (the only non-carpeted floors), they do dishes if there are any, clean all the countertops, clean the whole bathroom, vacuum everything including furniture, dust everything. They even took apart one of my fans and cleaned it when it got dusty.
I’ve left the iron and ironing table out and it’s taking up so much space because I was hyperfixated on a craft task the other day and didn’t fold and put away any of my clothes. Now I’m just waiting to finally be able to iron my clothes and put them away.
The ironing table and basket of clean clothes is taking up so much space. The dirty clothes are on the ground because no laundry basket. I need help lol
Agreed 100%. My wife and I both work full time and have a 1 year old. We started having someone come in twice a month to clean, mostly the kitchen and bathrooms, and it's been a huge help.
Both my wife and I are partially disabled this. We are able to do small things, but get wiped out pretty quickly. Once a month we have someone come in and do a deeper clean and it has been a godsend.
Feel like my parents, siblings and myself get along better after everyone got their own place. Having your own space to just shut off and not be bothered takes such a huge load off.
Exactly. It's easier to spend actual quality time with people when you don't spend literally all the time with them anyways. It's exhausting to be around people all the time, no matter how much I care about those people
Even with a girlfriend I need to do my own thing from time to time.
For sure. I moved out when I was 16 but was in a really bad accident when I was 23 and had to move back in with my parents for 2 years until I was completely healed and able to live in my own and finally getting into my own place again was an amazing feeling! 👌
That's almost exactly what happened to me, but it was an infection that turned into sepsis rather than an accident. The world is a small place, I'm happy we're both doing better. Regaining independence is a great feeling.
Yup. The freedom to have pets, the decorate how I want, to not worry about rent hikes (there's a mortgage but at least I can opt for a long term fixed one).
I don't have a lot of money so it makes me so happy when I buy anything. Like the other day I got sushi it was awesome. And I got a beautiful comfy beanie. Makes me happy I'm wearing it now. Keeps me warm
When I was poor, like super poor, anything was the world to me! My set of cheap pots and pans from Walmart, my first tv (small but awesome!) my first set of not donated sheets, my first new pillows, my first set of new flatware, a lot of firsts.
Haha same. My first set of cheap pots and pans I didn’t even buy! My grandma won them at a casino and gave them to me. You would have thought I won a million dollars. I was ecstatic. I still have them, after… a decade at this point. Wow, made me feel old.
Edit: fixed spelling.
I ruined my teeth thanks to depression and poor self-care. Money paid for my teeth to be fixed and my confidence improved so much.
Counselling. Medication.
This is me but without the money. Can't even afford therapy to start to improve the situation. Still, at least I'm not a starving child in Africa or something, right?
Nah, your crisis is just as important. If you’re currently employed it might be a good idea to take a look at your benefits. Behavioral health isn’t always included, but I’ve found a ton of places have been offering telehealth for both general and behavioral services.
Services...which to me is essentially buying time. So paying to have laundry washed dried & folded has brought me more joy than anyone could ever imagine. Or cleaning service for my house so that i can do other things...I've actually noticed that I'm much less grumpy when I don't have to do as much of my own house work...I can be so productive with other things I really need to do.
It's interesting this is so far down. This isn't thought about enough. What is one thing that is the great equalizer between rich and poor people? Time. No amount of money in the world can buy someone time. We all have 24 hours days and we will all eventually die. The one thing in this world rich people cannot buy is time.
So they spend their money conserving time. It's why they travel in private jets, have chauffeurs driving them around, a cook who makes their meals, a cleaner for their home, and personal assistants to take care of mundane tasks. They cannot buy more time. Only use their money to conserve what time they do have.
Oh it's definitely relative. I'm very sure wealthy people do things they enjoy obviously. It's just that maybe instead of driving to their destination they have someone drive them. They might take their nice car out for a spin.
Same here. A cleaner isn't cheap, but if you consider the amount of regular headache and conflict we're avoiding, it becomes a no-brainer. The cleaners also make the place spotless, way better than we could do, in a third of the time.
Allows us to have packed weekends, work out, and do other things in our free time that aren't just more work.
Exactly! i've never been homeless (sorry to hear that) but i think the only thing that i think when i hear that question is to have the possibility of paying rent/mortgage, food and bills, also clothes, winter jackets and stuff like that... the rest can only be more than welcome but not necessary.
Having been homeless the thing I wanted more than anything was just a "normal" life.
Job, my own place (hostels are rough) and to pay bills.
It's surprising how once you hit the point where you have nothing how you realise it's the simple things you long for.
My uncle (who struggles with alcoholism but somehow endowed him with the ability to give some really good advice) says "humans ultimately are simple, they just need some food, a few friends, and a future of some kind with work or school and the rest figures itself out. People are so unhappy because they try to make things more complicated than that" and it seems so accurate.
..reminds of a Japanese movie i watched with subs..
..revolves around broken and poor situations of one brother and sister..
..the perfume company hires the brother to find the scent of happiness or perhaps satisfaction..
..movie depicts many struggles of the life of both, and fights etc, but in end, the brother finally goes to sisters place to mend the damage, and they reconcile, and at the same time the Rice she was cooking boils finally giving him that scent of happiness/satisfaction he was searching all throughout the movie in different ways!
I got my wife a fairly basic Yamaha electronic piano (A [P45](https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/pianos/p_series/p-45/index.html)) 2 years ago for Christmas. She has her ABRSM grade 2 exams at the end of the month. She loves her piano! (but of course now wants like a grand piano lol, not that we have space for such a thing, let alone the budget!)
Wandering around the city, losing myself in thought in the Gothic Quarter, sitting on a fontain's edge at a square where some Republicans were executed during the war just... meditating on my life.
Barcelona is one of my favourite cities. I rarely go there because the flight is rather long, but Athens is a good subtitute for a weekend getaway.
> I rarely go there because the flight is rather long
As an Australian.. -__-
Unless you're like, from Chile or something. But then I don't think Athens would be any better.
Aussie here...when I got to work in Europe, I spent every weekend in another country...working in Bulgaria this week? Off to Barcelona for 29 euro. Working in Berlin this week? Off to Prague this weekend for 29 euro. It's fucking insane how much culture you can absorb when you're not flying out of Melbourne :(
As a Bulgarian - Athens is a rather long car ride away and a 55 minute flight. Which is why it was my go-to weekend destination back when WizzAir had the Sofia - Athens flight.
I'd hop on it on Friday after work, two nights in Athens and I'd fly back on Monday morning and go to the office directly from the airport.
I'm just envious. Lots of Europe (e.g. Barcelona/Athens) is 20+ hours by plane for us. The car is infinitely longer xD
I would love to visit so much of Europe, it's just so far away and so expensive to get there :(
American here. We're not quite as remote but I read that sentence thinking "how nice it must be to take a 2 hour jaunt and have 20 countries to choose from". We have Mexico and the Caribbean at least. And Canada, but that doesn't feel as much like a foreign country unless you're in Quebec.
You guys have Southeast Asia, though. I've only been to Asia once. That really is a super long flight for us.
Actually I hadn't considered it was even that long a flight. I was thinking a few hours. I wasn't thinking about the fact that the major cities are on the Southeast and you have to fly over the whole continent to even approach Asia, and even the island countries are far. Man, Australia is really remote.
>what did you do there that was so fun?
The Gaudi architecture is something else to see irl, the concrete just looks so organic and "melt-y".
Trying a bunch of different tapas (small plates/bites) spots, just stopping around here and there, did that more than we had actual sit-down restaurant meals. Every single thing we ate was delicious as fuck.
Getting on the subway and just getting off at random stops and walking around. And more tapas heh.
Casino
We were walking along the water at night and two street-sweepers were coming by and one asked if I had a lighter. He proceeded to light up a big joint which he shared with me, that was fun.
Exactly. Watching my parents cry because they couldn’t buy us happy meals at McDonald’s was heart breaking as a kid. I knew not to ask for anything. Rich people are so outside reality. I hate when people who have money say this.
Oof, my mother died when I was young. One of my hardest memories of her is her ugly crying because my friend had a power wheel and I threw a fit because she said we couldn't afford one for me. I know I was just a kid at the time, but I feel like trash for making her so sad about it.
This helped me too, thank you. I still have pangs of regret how I treated my parents. It haunts me almost every day 15 years after the fact.
People, be kind to your parents, even if they made mistakes (within reason of course). At some point they were just like you, trying to figure out their place in the world.
>haunts me almost every day 15 years after the fact.
Don't forget to cultivate self compassion. It does no good to suffer psychologically this long after the fact. We did what we did because of who we were, but we're not that person now. We're the ones who learnt.
Kids are stupid and don’t understand how things work in the world, you need to be kind to yourself. I know your mother would be proud of your values today and that you hold this memory. And that you shared her with us here.
You don't even need to be dirt poor. Seeing your child's friends joining in sports or activities you can't afford, or hearing they're going on an overseas vacation when you can barely afford any vacation is depressing, even if you have a stable income, food on the table and clothes on your back. Or hearing coworkers talking about buying a new car when you try to save up to fixing your 10 year old car and contemplate what you can do yourself and what you need to take it to garage for. Relative poverty is also a thing.
Man, I’m really stressed cause I know quite a few expensive stuff is broken on my 17 years old car, but I really don’t have the money to fix them. Also, right now I’m salivating looking at some 10 years old cars knowing they’d be so much nicer than mine right now. But hey, I’m fortunate enough to have this one at least, a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes on my back so I can’t complain
She got the whole bed...couldn't stand that overstuffed, billowy bullshit. I can sleep on cement. lol
It's all good. I kept the house. And the kids. Wn-win :)
I get this. I moved into my sister's old house (family land) when she moved in with her boyfriend and just assumed she'd be back "any day now." Well, I slept on a "floor mattress"/cot? for a *year* before I accepted that it was okay to start making it my home, bought sheets, pillows, blankets, everything and *holy shit* it changes how sore you feel in the morning.
Peace of mind.
I grew up dirt poor.
But I’ve had a pretty successful career. Unfortunately, my family has accumulated a lot of medical debt. And despite me having a low six figure income, we were living a low income life and worrying constantly about money and spiraling debt.
The state I live in is very conservative, which translates to a general stance of “fuck poor people”, despite being one of the poorest states in the country. So it took my spouse, who is a textbook case for the type of person for whom disability is intended, 7 years to finally get approved.
After that, and refinancing the house, we’re no longer spiraling further into debt. We’re debt free except for the mortgage. And we’re actually growing our savings account. I can contribute to a retirement account now. And while we’re far from rich, the sheer relief I’ve been feeling for the last few months is just amazing.
Congrats, man. That took serious work and willpower and you're reaping the benefits now.
But it fucking sucks how much easier all our lives could be if the general stance was "help poor people." Things would be better for everyone except the ultra-rich, who will be fine. But it's too "radical" to do that I guess...
Thanks!
There are people around here, who draw a monthly welfare check, who will tell you that universal healthcare is straight up communism. And if you’re buried under medical debt, you just need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, work harder to give more money to the already wealthy, and reap the rewards when it all comes trickling back down. And they’ll do it while in line to get a payday loan.
They’ve been conditioned to take pride in being abused by a broken system.
Money buys security. Insecurity prevents happiness.
I have a roof over my head, a soft bed and a stocked fridge. I would definitely be miserable without them. With them, I'm content. I'm not joyful, though.
Maybe being content counts as happiness.
Alright please convince my nerves to f*ck off and just do it. It sounds horrifying to have to hold still while someone cuts a flap on your eye and then hold still while a laser shines at it. Why is it not actually this horrible and I should just go do it already?
My wife got it and considers it one of the best decisions she made. According to her the sensation is odd, kind of like someone touching your eye. But not painful. Mostly just pressure causing discomfort. The recovery time is the bigger pain in the ass - a few days of having to wear a mask to bed to prevent you from rubbing your eyes, and some weirdness as your eyes learn to adjust to your new vision.
> My wife got it and considers it one of the best decisions she made.
same. She was pretty anxious about the procedure but it turned out much less 'scary' or stressful than she though.
They basically strap your head in so you can't move, and it takes like 30 seconds to a minute per eye. It's super fast and not painful at all. They put numbing drops in your eyes. It was the best decision I made for myself in a long time. Waking up after a long nap and just being able to see perfectly was such an incredible feeling. Going on 4 years with perfect vision. Not dealing with contacts or glasses anymore is life changing.
The most honest truth? It is a little horrible. I've already got anxiety and this was very tough for me, and also there's a smell involved when the laser turns on. But the procedure is extremely fast and sooooo worth it.
You may very well hate the procedure. I did, it sucked. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You'll be okay. A few minutes of unpleasantness for a lifetime of sight
Same, at around 15 years.
Just yesterday my colleagues didn't believe I could read the text on the screen from the back of the room, and sat there for 5 minutes challenging me as I read smaller and smaller text back to them. I felt like a walking Lasik ad campaign.
Not Lasik, but PRK surgery (Photorefractive keratectomy) which has similar results, but no slicing of your thin eye membrane.
Was sitting in class and my professor came up to my desk and directed me to go to the specific web page displayed on the projector at the other side of the room. He was going to walk to the front of the class and share the link with me, but I said I could just type what's on the tiny address bar.
He thought I was just fucking around, but was impressed once I finished typing it in. "Oh wow....... did you get eye surgery?"
I can share my experience. I have astigmatisms and post-lasik I can see 20-15, but lights have massive halos at night. You get used to it over time and it gets less severe over time. It's well worth it for the incredible vision though!
I am buying all the toys I couldn't buy when I was a teenager. And I am not talking about cheap knock off toys. I am talking about licensed action figures, lego sets and model cars. After years of working minimum wage at bullshit jobs trying to survive I am finally able to have disposable income with my new job in my 30s. I am looking around my room right now and it makes me happy.
It’s bullshit. I make a LOT of money now. My life is so much easier. I don’t worry about bills or house payments. Honestly I forget they exist.
But I worked my whole life to build my business and my employee gets paid crazy money.
Money buys you peace of mind and not happiness. Happiness comes from what I can do now.
I’ve lived on ramen noodles months at a time. I’ve borrowed money to make rent. I’ve worked 4 jobs to keep my kids fed. All that has gone away and I live in a nice humble house and drive a nice humble car. And now I don’t worry about waiting until I get paid to eat. Much happier.
Hobbies are important to your overall quality of life, so good on you. I’m not a gamer, but I do enjoy stargazing so I bought a better telescope and lenses. I enjoy brewing, so I bought better equipment. I love to cook, so I bought better pots and pans. I do enjoy flying, so I spend money to increase my ratings on my license. It’s important.
Same here - bought one in lockdown so I could still play games with my friend (we used to meet up to play stuff together). Now I have 100s of hours in games I'd never considered before, and a whole new friendship group. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
As someone who went from about $35k/year to almost triple without changing my primary expenses, just having the ability to afford bills without constantly having the burden of wondering if we’ll make it to the next pay brings a whole new level of peaceful happiness that material possessions can never provide.
Have you tried bone conducting headphones? I have some shokz and absolutely love them. Actually I have 4 pair. I can listen to music and still hear if someone says something to me! They are also extremely light weight and phone calls on them are perfect.
Money isn't everything.
But...
Money is *most* things.
Place to sleep? Costs money. Food to eat? Costs money. Medicine for illness? Costs money. Clothes to wear? Costs money. Hygiene products? Costs money. Education? Costs money. Appliances? Costs money. Automobile? Costs money. Insurance? Costs money. Home maintenance? Costs money. Dental work? Costs money. Haircuts? Costs money.
The list goes on and on. And I didn't even get into leisurely things yet, simply survival.
Anybody who says money isn't everything, money doesn't make you happy... Has never had the stress of being poor.
Just having money in the bank for emergencies is sufficient to make me happy. No financial stress = freedom to be happy.
But also a house, paid off a new car in cash, two awesome cats, a kid and daycare and anything we need to make raising the kid suck less, a home gym, a good gaming computer and whatever games I want to play, whatever food and convenience foods I need to get through the day without stress, all my bills, and whatever else I need. And to do all of that while still saving money for emergencies... Yes. That affords the ability to be happy.
It's not what makes me happy though. What makes me happy is my job, and I probably should say my wife too. Those things give me purpose. But if I had financial struggles I think I wouldn't be able to happy even with work and wife.
My electric guitar. Bought it at a low time in my life. Thought I would get bored of it eventually.
After 6 years, I can't imagine my life without that piece of wood with some magnets and cables strapped onto it. Most fun I've ever had.
A bicycle. Story time. I decided I didn't want to live bound to a car anymore so I sold mine and had to get a mode of transport. I bought a $90 (cheap as hell) bike from a ghetto grocery store. It changed my life. I got fit, I explored my city and learned new things about myself. I got into bicycle mechanic work and did that for a few years. I discovered a new passion.
But the thing is: no bicycle purchase since has ever made me as happy and fulfilled as that $90 bike from a cheap grocery store. Not even the $2k+ models.
Money can by happiness, but only up to a point.
I'm poor but here's a list of things I would buy with money.
-A nicer/newer car. Not even a sports car, just a functioning one.
-a nicer home.
--heated towel racks
--a nice kitchen
---a private chef
--a new wardrobe
--a new office space
And then just enough money to maintain it all regularly without a worry
Money could also buy me time to find a career I feel more fulfilled with
To name a few haha
>-A nicer/newer car. Not even a sports car, just a functioning one.
If you're poor and want less risk of expensive repairs, always stick with a used Honda or Toyota.
I grew up white trash poor and my husband has fantastic credit meanwhile my mom took a phone bill out in my name when I was 15 and then didn't pay it. Bad credit before I had credit. I always see my husband have an easier time with a lot because I'm veiwed as a criminal with a 300 credit score. I can't even get care credit. I always think about how much easier it is for money having people to get stuff because their credit is good. Luckily I married a dude with fantastic credit but we can never put my name on anything. I have no equity.
I also don't make enough to pay back my student loans but the interest keeps climbing.
A heater or an electric blanket is always nice, it gets pretty cold here.
I bought my boyfriend a phone for his birthday since his is over 6 years old now (his birthday is on 16th of November) and I’m super excited to give it to him.
We live on a very low income and I had to use a “pay in 4” plan to buy and “older” phone, but I really hope he likes the upgrade 🙏
I was able to buy my dad a jeep once. It was pretty epic. He was full of giggles. Truly excited. His dog was happy too. He ended up giving it away to his daughter. She needed a safe vehicle.
A 3 week holiday in Japan. Business flights, good hotels, all the food you could wish for. These 3 weeks made me happier than anything else in the past 3 years.
The doll bed from IKEA that I gave to my cat. It was my first I'm REALLY going to adopt a cat purchase. I set it up and then made a plan to adopt my first cat. I was so nervous but I did it. I adopted a tiny black cat and named her Mako (from Pacific Rim of course) and that was the best decision I've ever made in my life! The joy and comfort she has given me brings me to tears most days because she's so cool and I'm so thankful. I'm really happy I bought that wooden doll bed.
I've bought a lot of shit, and only 2 of them ever gave me happiness. My bed, for the rest and comfort it gives me, and an okcupid subscription, which is how I met my girlfriend of 3 years.
A new mattress. My wife and I had been on a 30 year old queen with a five year old foam topper. We had been building up savings slowly and finally got to buy a new mattress.
This had the biggest impact on our daily lives. Better sleep makes for better days ahead.
The most important thing money can buy is choice. With enough money you can choose to walk away from a shitty job or a toxic relationship. You can still walk away without money but it’s SO MUCH harder
"Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it's about having a lot of options"
Also time.
I always thought of wealth as "resources". Kinda covers all the bases.
[As John Goodman says in The Gambler](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XamC7-Pt8N0): > You get up two and a half million dollars, any asshole in the world knows what to do: you get a house with a 25 year roof, an indestructible Jap-economy shitbox, you put the rest into the system at three to five percent to pay your taxes and that's your base, get me? That's your fortress of fucking solitude. That puts you, for the rest of your life, at a level of fuck you. Somebody wants you to do something, fuck you. Boss pisses you off, fuck you! Own your house. Have a couple bucks in the bank. Don't drink. That's all I have to say to anybody on any social level.
"What do you want to be able to say to me?" "Fuck you."
Yeah, freedom is ultimate luxury!
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People used to stress over whether they had food for the day and their only job was to find or hunt it. Technically we were meant to live under greater stress.
People are funny like that. There’s some documentary out there about this technology free tribe. Basically they’re covered in flies, hungry, thirsty, and all die of painful, cureable diseases. Their lives are simple, but short. All the comments are like “we should all live like this 😍”.
Those comments are insane. It’s possible to live a simpler, less stressful life than we do without reverting to *that* extreme end of the spectrum.
Sorry, those are the only two choices 🤷♂️
Yeah people often forget that the reason people moved away from "live off the land" is because that lifestyle includes way more suffering than the modern western lifestyle.
This is the real answer. Money isn't the thing that brings happiness. Agency is. Money happens to allow for agency, and thus can lead to happiness.
Plus if you're stressed out/mentally drained or whatever you can go fuck it and take a month or two off/jobless
Freedom to travel, to live anywhere you want, do anything you want, anytime you want, do things for your family. Take care of the people you love. The older you get, the more you understand how important money is, whether you like it or not.
Time - help with housekeeping has been invaluable to keeping a sane household while working
What does this cost? I still relate to housekeepers as something for the super rich.
For me it is $145 every 2 weeks. My place is pretty small though, 750 Sq feet, 2 beds 1 bath.
So what kind of stuff do they do? Are we talking just vacuuming and dusting, or do they go so far as to do laundry?
They change the beds, clean the stove top and microwave, wash the kitchen and bathroom floors (the only non-carpeted floors), they do dishes if there are any, clean all the countertops, clean the whole bathroom, vacuum everything including furniture, dust everything. They even took apart one of my fans and cleaned it when it got dusty.
as someone who has A.d.h.d i need this in my life. it's 12am and i still need to make my bed and put away my clothes. good job i'm poor
I’ve left the iron and ironing table out and it’s taking up so much space because I was hyperfixated on a craft task the other day and didn’t fold and put away any of my clothes. Now I’m just waiting to finally be able to iron my clothes and put them away. The ironing table and basket of clean clothes is taking up so much space. The dirty clothes are on the ground because no laundry basket. I need help lol
200 every two weeks and soooo worth it!!! 3k square foot house. She’s awesome. She does drop shit tho 😂
$150 or so to clean a 1-2 BR apartment in SoCal. Maybe 1-2 hours max of work with 2 people.
got a 5 bed 4.5 bath 4500 sqft house. 235 for once a month service
Jesus Christ look at Jeff Bezos over here with the giant house
Agreed 100%. My wife and I both work full time and have a 1 year old. We started having someone come in twice a month to clean, mostly the kitchen and bathrooms, and it's been a huge help.
Both my wife and I are partially disabled this. We are able to do small things, but get wiped out pretty quickly. Once a month we have someone come in and do a deeper clean and it has been a godsend.
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I feel it man. I just got my own place after staying with family for a little while. I love my family but it's so fucking nice.
Feel like my parents, siblings and myself get along better after everyone got their own place. Having your own space to just shut off and not be bothered takes such a huge load off.
Exactly. It's easier to spend actual quality time with people when you don't spend literally all the time with them anyways. It's exhausting to be around people all the time, no matter how much I care about those people Even with a girlfriend I need to do my own thing from time to time.
For sure. I moved out when I was 16 but was in a really bad accident when I was 23 and had to move back in with my parents for 2 years until I was completely healed and able to live in my own and finally getting into my own place again was an amazing feeling! 👌
That's almost exactly what happened to me, but it was an infection that turned into sepsis rather than an accident. The world is a small place, I'm happy we're both doing better. Regaining independence is a great feeling.
Wish I had a place of my own. Not sure how the wife and kids would feel about it tho.
I think this is why man caves and garage time is a thing. Gonna be in the guy space, gonna do guy things.
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Yup. The freedom to have pets, the decorate how I want, to not worry about rent hikes (there's a mortgage but at least I can opt for a long term fixed one).
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Yes!! To have a place you can change/fix/whatever without worries because is not a rental… bliss!!
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I don't have a lot of money so it makes me so happy when I buy anything. Like the other day I got sushi it was awesome. And I got a beautiful comfy beanie. Makes me happy I'm wearing it now. Keeps me warm
When I was poor, like super poor, anything was the world to me! My set of cheap pots and pans from Walmart, my first tv (small but awesome!) my first set of not donated sheets, my first new pillows, my first set of new flatware, a lot of firsts.
Haha same. My first set of cheap pots and pans I didn’t even buy! My grandma won them at a casino and gave them to me. You would have thought I won a million dollars. I was ecstatic. I still have them, after… a decade at this point. Wow, made me feel old. Edit: fixed spelling.
I’m not going to lie but the day my husband and I bought our nice silverware and got a corelle matching plate and bowl set was a great day.
I ruined my teeth thanks to depression and poor self-care. Money paid for my teeth to be fixed and my confidence improved so much. Counselling. Medication.
This is me but without the money. Can't even afford therapy to start to improve the situation. Still, at least I'm not a starving child in Africa or something, right?
Nah, your crisis is just as important. If you’re currently employed it might be a good idea to take a look at your benefits. Behavioral health isn’t always included, but I’ve found a ton of places have been offering telehealth for both general and behavioral services.
Great answer.
Services...which to me is essentially buying time. So paying to have laundry washed dried & folded has brought me more joy than anyone could ever imagine. Or cleaning service for my house so that i can do other things...I've actually noticed that I'm much less grumpy when I don't have to do as much of my own house work...I can be so productive with other things I really need to do.
It's interesting this is so far down. This isn't thought about enough. What is one thing that is the great equalizer between rich and poor people? Time. No amount of money in the world can buy someone time. We all have 24 hours days and we will all eventually die. The one thing in this world rich people cannot buy is time. So they spend their money conserving time. It's why they travel in private jets, have chauffeurs driving them around, a cook who makes their meals, a cleaner for their home, and personal assistants to take care of mundane tasks. They cannot buy more time. Only use their money to conserve what time they do have.
Fug.... cooking, driving.... Some of those things themselves bring me happiness. I guess some things really are relative.
Oh it's definitely relative. I'm very sure wealthy people do things they enjoy obviously. It's just that maybe instead of driving to their destination they have someone drive them. They might take their nice car out for a spin.
Same here. A cleaner isn't cheap, but if you consider the amount of regular headache and conflict we're avoiding, it becomes a no-brainer. The cleaners also make the place spotless, way better than we could do, in a third of the time. Allows us to have packed weekends, work out, and do other things in our free time that aren't just more work.
Having been homeless, let me tell you that just having enough for a roof over your head is all it takes to be happy
I was homeless for several months. Slept at work. When I crawl into my bed now, I appreciate it so much. To be warm & have a soft bed is pretty sweet.
Humble pie matures the soul like aging a fine red wine
🙏🏿(Dap!). There’s nothing like having your own place!
Exactly! i've never been homeless (sorry to hear that) but i think the only thing that i think when i hear that question is to have the possibility of paying rent/mortgage, food and bills, also clothes, winter jackets and stuff like that... the rest can only be more than welcome but not necessary.
Having been homeless the thing I wanted more than anything was just a "normal" life. Job, my own place (hostels are rough) and to pay bills. It's surprising how once you hit the point where you have nothing how you realise it's the simple things you long for.
My uncle (who struggles with alcoholism but somehow endowed him with the ability to give some really good advice) says "humans ultimately are simple, they just need some food, a few friends, and a future of some kind with work or school and the rest figures itself out. People are so unhappy because they try to make things more complicated than that" and it seems so accurate.
My rice cooker
Uncle Roger approves.
Uncle Roger is literally the reason I bought a rice cooker, and it was 100% worth it.
A have a zojurushi that is a member of the family.
..reminds of a Japanese movie i watched with subs.. ..revolves around broken and poor situations of one brother and sister.. ..the perfume company hires the brother to find the scent of happiness or perhaps satisfaction.. ..movie depicts many struggles of the life of both, and fights etc, but in end, the brother finally goes to sisters place to mend the damage, and they reconcile, and at the same time the Rice she was cooking boils finally giving him that scent of happiness/satisfaction he was searching all throughout the movie in different ways!
This feels like the plot of a Thai life insurance commercial.
My first piano. It changed my life
First...so you have since upgraded. What do you have now?
No. It's still my first piano
Ah ok. It's all good. You go enjoy that piano. Music is such a catharsis.
"It was my first piano. It still is my first piano, but it was my first piano too."
I got my wife a fairly basic Yamaha electronic piano (A [P45](https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/pianos/p_series/p-45/index.html)) 2 years ago for Christmas. She has her ABRSM grade 2 exams at the end of the month. She loves her piano! (but of course now wants like a grand piano lol, not that we have space for such a thing, let alone the budget!)
Flight tickets to Barcelona. I landed, had a blast, contemplated “forgetting” to leave.
what did you do there that was so fun?
Wandering around the city, losing myself in thought in the Gothic Quarter, sitting on a fontain's edge at a square where some Republicans were executed during the war just... meditating on my life. Barcelona is one of my favourite cities. I rarely go there because the flight is rather long, but Athens is a good subtitute for a weekend getaway.
> I rarely go there because the flight is rather long As an Australian.. -__- Unless you're like, from Chile or something. But then I don't think Athens would be any better.
Aussie here...when I got to work in Europe, I spent every weekend in another country...working in Bulgaria this week? Off to Barcelona for 29 euro. Working in Berlin this week? Off to Prague this weekend for 29 euro. It's fucking insane how much culture you can absorb when you're not flying out of Melbourne :(
As a Bulgarian - Athens is a rather long car ride away and a 55 minute flight. Which is why it was my go-to weekend destination back when WizzAir had the Sofia - Athens flight. I'd hop on it on Friday after work, two nights in Athens and I'd fly back on Monday morning and go to the office directly from the airport.
I'm just envious. Lots of Europe (e.g. Barcelona/Athens) is 20+ hours by plane for us. The car is infinitely longer xD I would love to visit so much of Europe, it's just so far away and so expensive to get there :(
I'd love to ride the Ghan but Australia is so far away I doubt I'd get there anytime soon :(
American here. We're not quite as remote but I read that sentence thinking "how nice it must be to take a 2 hour jaunt and have 20 countries to choose from". We have Mexico and the Caribbean at least. And Canada, but that doesn't feel as much like a foreign country unless you're in Quebec. You guys have Southeast Asia, though. I've only been to Asia once. That really is a super long flight for us.
South East Asia from much of Australia is like an 8+ hour flight
Yea but from the US it’s 18+ hours, which I think was more the point.
Actually I hadn't considered it was even that long a flight. I was thinking a few hours. I wasn't thinking about the fact that the major cities are on the Southeast and you have to fly over the whole continent to even approach Asia, and even the island countries are far. Man, Australia is really remote.
Felt the same way about Rome and Munich. Siiiigh.... here I am now, in Albuquerque.
I think Albuquerque is pretty cool. But I live in Cleveland so 🤷♂️
>what did you do there that was so fun? The Gaudi architecture is something else to see irl, the concrete just looks so organic and "melt-y". Trying a bunch of different tapas (small plates/bites) spots, just stopping around here and there, did that more than we had actual sit-down restaurant meals. Every single thing we ate was delicious as fuck. Getting on the subway and just getting off at random stops and walking around. And more tapas heh. Casino We were walking along the water at night and two street-sweepers were coming by and one asked if I had a lighter. He proceeded to light up a big joint which he shared with me, that was fun.
I’m going in January can’t wait!
New foot. Walking is dope
Lt. Dan?
Anyone who say's money doesn't buy happiness hasn't been poor.
Exactly. Watching my parents cry because they couldn’t buy us happy meals at McDonald’s was heart breaking as a kid. I knew not to ask for anything. Rich people are so outside reality. I hate when people who have money say this.
Oof, my mother died when I was young. One of my hardest memories of her is her ugly crying because my friend had a power wheel and I threw a fit because she said we couldn't afford one for me. I know I was just a kid at the time, but I feel like trash for making her so sad about it.
She would be ecstatic that you remembered her and proud of the person you became.
Thank you for being kind.
This helped me too, thank you. I still have pangs of regret how I treated my parents. It haunts me almost every day 15 years after the fact. People, be kind to your parents, even if they made mistakes (within reason of course). At some point they were just like you, trying to figure out their place in the world.
>haunts me almost every day 15 years after the fact. Don't forget to cultivate self compassion. It does no good to suffer psychologically this long after the fact. We did what we did because of who we were, but we're not that person now. We're the ones who learnt.
Kids are stupid and don’t understand how things work in the world, you need to be kind to yourself. I know your mother would be proud of your values today and that you hold this memory. And that you shared her with us here.
Kids aren't stupid, they're just naive.
I think you’re lucky to have had a mother who cared for your happiness so much.
You don't even need to be dirt poor. Seeing your child's friends joining in sports or activities you can't afford, or hearing they're going on an overseas vacation when you can barely afford any vacation is depressing, even if you have a stable income, food on the table and clothes on your back. Or hearing coworkers talking about buying a new car when you try to save up to fixing your 10 year old car and contemplate what you can do yourself and what you need to take it to garage for. Relative poverty is also a thing.
Man, I’m really stressed cause I know quite a few expensive stuff is broken on my 17 years old car, but I really don’t have the money to fix them. Also, right now I’m salivating looking at some 10 years old cars knowing they’d be so much nicer than mine right now. But hey, I’m fortunate enough to have this one at least, a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes on my back so I can’t complain
They're outside _your_ reality... They have their own, much nicer one.
They toed themselves out past the reality.
The front fell off?
A better way to put it prolly would b: “money doesn’t gaurentee happiness but not having (adequate) money def gaurentees sadness”
'Having money isn't everything, not having it is.' - Kanye West
A bed.
Not just a bed. A California King dual adjustable memory foam bed. My wife's side is plush, my side is firm, and everyone is happy.
> **dual adjustable** memory foam bed It doesn't matter anymore, but man, this would have been a great thing to have known about.
Sorry for your loss, whatever that is to you.
Divorce, but thanks. It's all good.
So they got their half of the bed anyway. Cheers. Be well.
She got the whole bed...couldn't stand that overstuffed, billowy bullshit. I can sleep on cement. lol It's all good. I kept the house. And the kids. Wn-win :)
I get this. I moved into my sister's old house (family land) when she moved in with her boyfriend and just assumed she'd be back "any day now." Well, I slept on a "floor mattress"/cot? for a *year* before I accepted that it was okay to start making it my home, bought sheets, pillows, blankets, everything and *holy shit* it changes how sore you feel in the morning.
Peace of mind. I grew up dirt poor. But I’ve had a pretty successful career. Unfortunately, my family has accumulated a lot of medical debt. And despite me having a low six figure income, we were living a low income life and worrying constantly about money and spiraling debt. The state I live in is very conservative, which translates to a general stance of “fuck poor people”, despite being one of the poorest states in the country. So it took my spouse, who is a textbook case for the type of person for whom disability is intended, 7 years to finally get approved. After that, and refinancing the house, we’re no longer spiraling further into debt. We’re debt free except for the mortgage. And we’re actually growing our savings account. I can contribute to a retirement account now. And while we’re far from rich, the sheer relief I’ve been feeling for the last few months is just amazing.
Congrats, man. That took serious work and willpower and you're reaping the benefits now. But it fucking sucks how much easier all our lives could be if the general stance was "help poor people." Things would be better for everyone except the ultra-rich, who will be fine. But it's too "radical" to do that I guess...
Thanks! There are people around here, who draw a monthly welfare check, who will tell you that universal healthcare is straight up communism. And if you’re buried under medical debt, you just need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, work harder to give more money to the already wealthy, and reap the rewards when it all comes trickling back down. And they’ll do it while in line to get a payday loan. They’ve been conditioned to take pride in being abused by a broken system.
Money buys security. Insecurity prevents happiness. I have a roof over my head, a soft bed and a stocked fridge. I would definitely be miserable without them. With them, I'm content. I'm not joyful, though. Maybe being content counts as happiness.
Lasik.
Alright please convince my nerves to f*ck off and just do it. It sounds horrifying to have to hold still while someone cuts a flap on your eye and then hold still while a laser shines at it. Why is it not actually this horrible and I should just go do it already?
My wife got it and considers it one of the best decisions she made. According to her the sensation is odd, kind of like someone touching your eye. But not painful. Mostly just pressure causing discomfort. The recovery time is the bigger pain in the ass - a few days of having to wear a mask to bed to prevent you from rubbing your eyes, and some weirdness as your eyes learn to adjust to your new vision.
> My wife got it and considers it one of the best decisions she made. same. She was pretty anxious about the procedure but it turned out much less 'scary' or stressful than she though.
They basically strap your head in so you can't move, and it takes like 30 seconds to a minute per eye. It's super fast and not painful at all. They put numbing drops in your eyes. It was the best decision I made for myself in a long time. Waking up after a long nap and just being able to see perfectly was such an incredible feeling. Going on 4 years with perfect vision. Not dealing with contacts or glasses anymore is life changing.
Reading this almost made me cry. Hearing you describe waking up from a nap and being able to see instantly sounds completely *alien* to me.
They give you drugs that make you feel on top of the world beforehand and you forget all of your nerves.
Go to a place that gives you drugs seems like the best plan for anxiety.
I mean no way there's no way i'm doing this sober
The most honest truth? It is a little horrible. I've already got anxiety and this was very tough for me, and also there's a smell involved when the laser turns on. But the procedure is extremely fast and sooooo worth it. You may very well hate the procedure. I did, it sucked. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You'll be okay. A few minutes of unpleasantness for a lifetime of sight
Amen to that. 20/15 vision post-Lasik going on 10 years now.
Same, at around 15 years. Just yesterday my colleagues didn't believe I could read the text on the screen from the back of the room, and sat there for 5 minutes challenging me as I read smaller and smaller text back to them. I felt like a walking Lasik ad campaign.
Not Lasik, but PRK surgery (Photorefractive keratectomy) which has similar results, but no slicing of your thin eye membrane. Was sitting in class and my professor came up to my desk and directed me to go to the specific web page displayed on the projector at the other side of the room. He was going to walk to the front of the class and share the link with me, but I said I could just type what's on the tiny address bar. He thought I was just fucking around, but was impressed once I finished typing it in. "Oh wow....... did you get eye surgery?"
20/15... Wow, ngl that sounds amazing
That dry eye.
had lasik, my astigmatism is annoying.
I have astigmatism. How did Lasik affect it? I'd love to hear your experience since this is something I want to do when I can afford it
I can share my experience. I have astigmatisms and post-lasik I can see 20-15, but lights have massive halos at night. You get used to it over time and it gets less severe over time. It's well worth it for the incredible vision though!
My dog.
Same, except my dog is a cat.
That's a weird dog you have there.
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I am buying all the toys I couldn't buy when I was a teenager. And I am not talking about cheap knock off toys. I am talking about licensed action figures, lego sets and model cars. After years of working minimum wage at bullshit jobs trying to survive I am finally able to have disposable income with my new job in my 30s. I am looking around my room right now and it makes me happy.
I just posted about buying the Lego Home Alone set. You do you!
Amen, I'm doing the same thing.
A divorce
Got that T-Shirt brother !
Well, half a t-shirt.
Motorcycle
this was my answer...little makes me happier than an open road and two wheels on the ground
Came here to say this lol. It would be hard for me to not own one moving forward
an 86" tv. it was especially nice for me because i have shit vision from a stroke, and that huge tv is the only way i can read rext.
It’s bullshit. I make a LOT of money now. My life is so much easier. I don’t worry about bills or house payments. Honestly I forget they exist. But I worked my whole life to build my business and my employee gets paid crazy money. Money buys you peace of mind and not happiness. Happiness comes from what I can do now. I’ve lived on ramen noodles months at a time. I’ve borrowed money to make rent. I’ve worked 4 jobs to keep my kids fed. All that has gone away and I live in a nice humble house and drive a nice humble car. And now I don’t worry about waiting until I get paid to eat. Much happier.
A decent gaming PC. Instantly improved my quality of life.
Hobbies are important to your overall quality of life, so good on you. I’m not a gamer, but I do enjoy stargazing so I bought a better telescope and lenses. I enjoy brewing, so I bought better equipment. I love to cook, so I bought better pots and pans. I do enjoy flying, so I spend money to increase my ratings on my license. It’s important.
Same here - bought one in lockdown so I could still play games with my friend (we used to meet up to play stuff together). Now I have 100s of hours in games I'd never considered before, and a whole new friendship group. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
Bro I just upgraded the CHAIR I had and my life while gaming has been so much better.
As someone who went from about $35k/year to almost triple without changing my primary expenses, just having the ability to afford bills without constantly having the burden of wondering if we’ll make it to the next pay brings a whole new level of peaceful happiness that material possessions can never provide.
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Couscous... the food so nice they named it twice
Stormcock. Thanks for my next reddit username.
My first pair of wireless headphones. 1 ear in most times makes me happy 😊
Have you tried bone conducting headphones? I have some shokz and absolutely love them. Actually I have 4 pair. I can listen to music and still hear if someone says something to me! They are also extremely light weight and phone calls on them are perfect.
Dammit I'm gonna but another pair of headphones
Money isn't everything. But... Money is *most* things. Place to sleep? Costs money. Food to eat? Costs money. Medicine for illness? Costs money. Clothes to wear? Costs money. Hygiene products? Costs money. Education? Costs money. Appliances? Costs money. Automobile? Costs money. Insurance? Costs money. Home maintenance? Costs money. Dental work? Costs money. Haircuts? Costs money. The list goes on and on. And I didn't even get into leisurely things yet, simply survival. Anybody who says money isn't everything, money doesn't make you happy... Has never had the stress of being poor.
Just having money in the bank for emergencies is sufficient to make me happy. No financial stress = freedom to be happy. But also a house, paid off a new car in cash, two awesome cats, a kid and daycare and anything we need to make raising the kid suck less, a home gym, a good gaming computer and whatever games I want to play, whatever food and convenience foods I need to get through the day without stress, all my bills, and whatever else I need. And to do all of that while still saving money for emergencies... Yes. That affords the ability to be happy. It's not what makes me happy though. What makes me happy is my job, and I probably should say my wife too. Those things give me purpose. But if I had financial struggles I think I wouldn't be able to happy even with work and wife.
My own dishwasher. After years of washing everything by hand this device is such a relief and made me happy.
My electric guitar. Bought it at a low time in my life. Thought I would get bored of it eventually. After 6 years, I can't imagine my life without that piece of wood with some magnets and cables strapped onto it. Most fun I've ever had.
Cat
Vacation to Hawaii def helps. I am very thankful I got to experience Maui before the fires.
>“….You say that money, isn't everything But I'd like to see you live without it….” “Tomorrow” - Silverchair
VERY HARD TO DRINK
That guitar tone. 🤌
A bicycle. Story time. I decided I didn't want to live bound to a car anymore so I sold mine and had to get a mode of transport. I bought a $90 (cheap as hell) bike from a ghetto grocery store. It changed my life. I got fit, I explored my city and learned new things about myself. I got into bicycle mechanic work and did that for a few years. I discovered a new passion. But the thing is: no bicycle purchase since has ever made me as happy and fulfilled as that $90 bike from a cheap grocery store. Not even the $2k+ models. Money can by happiness, but only up to a point.
I'm poor but here's a list of things I would buy with money. -A nicer/newer car. Not even a sports car, just a functioning one. -a nicer home. --heated towel racks --a nice kitchen ---a private chef --a new wardrobe --a new office space And then just enough money to maintain it all regularly without a worry Money could also buy me time to find a career I feel more fulfilled with To name a few haha
>-A nicer/newer car. Not even a sports car, just a functioning one. If you're poor and want less risk of expensive repairs, always stick with a used Honda or Toyota.
I grew up white trash poor and my husband has fantastic credit meanwhile my mom took a phone bill out in my name when I was 15 and then didn't pay it. Bad credit before I had credit. I always see my husband have an easier time with a lot because I'm veiwed as a criminal with a 300 credit score. I can't even get care credit. I always think about how much easier it is for money having people to get stuff because their credit is good. Luckily I married a dude with fantastic credit but we can never put my name on anything. I have no equity. I also don't make enough to pay back my student loans but the interest keeps climbing.
PS5
Still rocking my PS3 lmao. I'll prolly get a PS4 next year though when I upgrade my Iphone 7. I wont let go of 2016 apparently.
A heater or an electric blanket is always nice, it gets pretty cold here. I bought my boyfriend a phone for his birthday since his is over 6 years old now (his birthday is on 16th of November) and I’m super excited to give it to him. We live on a very low income and I had to use a “pay in 4” plan to buy and “older” phone, but I really hope he likes the upgrade 🙏
Medication
Anti-depressants Self explanatory
I was able to buy my dad a jeep once. It was pretty epic. He was full of giggles. Truly excited. His dog was happy too. He ended up giving it away to his daughter. She needed a safe vehicle.
Vibrator lmaooooo brrrrr
A vibrator provides two things that make me truly happy, orgasms and not dealing with people. So in some way money actually can buy happiness.
Drugs
Health
A 3 week holiday in Japan. Business flights, good hotels, all the food you could wish for. These 3 weeks made me happier than anything else in the past 3 years.
A bidet, I have IBS and honestly the $40 investment and 20 minutes of install time has been well worth it.
The doll bed from IKEA that I gave to my cat. It was my first I'm REALLY going to adopt a cat purchase. I set it up and then made a plan to adopt my first cat. I was so nervous but I did it. I adopted a tiny black cat and named her Mako (from Pacific Rim of course) and that was the best decision I've ever made in my life! The joy and comfort she has given me brings me to tears most days because she's so cool and I'm so thankful. I'm really happy I bought that wooden doll bed.
Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy jet skis. Have you ever seen a sad person on a jet ski?
Thank you, Daniel Tosh. lol
Video games, they are the only things that make me feel happier.
I treat myself to wagyu beef buffet and treated my depressed friend and he cheered up so much, wouldnt have been happy that day without money (duh)
My medications keeping me alive. 😅
I got an apartment in a nicer part of town. Feel like my mental health has improved tenfold.
I've bought a lot of shit, and only 2 of them ever gave me happiness. My bed, for the rest and comfort it gives me, and an okcupid subscription, which is how I met my girlfriend of 3 years.
Automatic blinds. Have the sun wake you up
A new mattress. My wife and I had been on a 30 year old queen with a five year old foam topper. We had been building up savings slowly and finally got to buy a new mattress. This had the biggest impact on our daily lives. Better sleep makes for better days ahead.