Can Money Buy You Happiness?

The question is, 'can money buy you happiness or not?' We are all familiar with people saying to us 'money can't buy you happiness', but is that really true? I am inclined to think that maybe we tend to look at the obvious aspects of having plenty of money e.g. big houses, fast cars etc, and then we base our opinions on these instead of looking in more depth at what having money could do to change a person's life in ways which would actually make them very happy indeed.

Partly due to ever increasing costs of living, stress related illnesses are on the rise. It is not surprising that people have committed suicide over financial problems that leave them finding their debts are spiraling out of control, and unable to see any other way out they take the only way out they can see left, suicide! Money can buy you happiness, it can buy you happiness in lots of basic ways even if you don't have a small fortune to play with, (think choices, options and financial freedom). It goes without saying that not having enough money can certainly make you very very miserable, possibly with dire consequences.

My Mother used to have a very wise saying with regards to relationships. She said "When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window". Of course what she was actually saying was that the pressures of struggling to survive financially, and the arguments this can cause within even the most loving marriages, can cause couples to split up. Many couples do split up when not having enough money to cover the day to day bills becomes a major issue, often with each blaming the other for their financial problems. Yes you will hear lots of true stories of couples who survive these tough times and stay together, but whether or not they are the majority I will leave you to decide.

Well to understand how money can indeed buy you happiness you need to think outside of the box. Forget luxury holidays, sports cars, casinos etc, and start thinking more towards the basic necessities of life, like food, clothing, a roof over your head, medical cover etc. If you have enough money to cover all your basic costs and live comfortably then you are generally fairly contented, and contented usually equates to being happy.

• Money can give you freedom, the freedom to have a meal out every now and again, or an annual vacation/holiday with your family.
• Money can allow you to enjoy hobbies you might not otherwise have been able to, such as horse riding, stamp collecting, mountain climbing etc.
• Money in your pocket can allow you to make spontaneous romantic gestures like buying your wife a bunch of flowers or your Husband a new fishing rod.
• Money makes it possible to afford to have pets, and stroking dogs and cats is proven to lower blood pressure and relax us, not to mention the rewards of the unconditional love they offer, which in itself makes us feel happy and contented.
• Money allows you to afford to pay the vets bills associated with having the aforementioned pets.
• Money can allow you to donate to charities that you want to support.
• Money can allow you to help out other family members who are in a less financially stable situation.
• Money means being able to buy your children the presents they really want at Christmas, and not having to get them cheaper alternatives.
• Money can make more money if invested correctly.
• Money means being able to eat the foods you really like at meal times, which can mean something as simple as being able to eat a better cut of beef or being able to afford ethical foods such as free range or organic products which are usually more expensive.
• Money means being able to get a taxi home at the end of a night out rather than walking or risking drink driving.
• Money means being able to have a hair cut when you need one rather than leaving it until you vaguely resemble a Yeti.
• Money makes it possible to have more children than you could have afforded otherwise.
• Money allows you to pay for medical treatments like IVF if you are struggling to conceive.
• Money means being able to take a day off to look after your partner or child if they are sick, or even just to have a bit of time to yourself when you need it.
• Money means being able to pay for a round of drinks in the bar without feeling embarrassed about not being able to afford to.
• Money means being able to repair your car or household appliances when they break down, or replace them when something major goes wrong with them.

There are many more examples I could add to the list above, but hopefully you already see the point I am trying to make. Money can buy you happiness, or at least it can help prevent misery. Money can't buy you love, but it can stop the pressures not having enough money puts on even the strongest of marriages. Money can make the difference between simply existing in this life, or truly being able to live it. Money gives us choices and options that can improve our quality of life and therefore make us happier and less stressed as a result.