Yes, Money Can Indeed Buy Happiness!

You’ve probably heard the many phrases surrounding money being tied to happiness. Money can’t buy happiness. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Money is the root of all evil. There’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding money and happiness. The truth is, money can’t buy happiness. But money can help lead you to happiness.

Money and Goals

Many people believe that more money will make them happy. People say, “if only I made more money, I would be happy.” Or “if only I made more money, my wife would be happy.” People often think, “if I made _ amount, then that’s it! That’s how much I need to be happy.” The truth is, unless you can manage money, no amount of income will lead to happiness. If you can’t manage $10, you won’t be able to manage $100, and so on. Another phrase I’ve heard is applicable here as well, it says, “wherever I go, there I still am.” Meaning that when we try to run from our problems, they’re still there because we are the root of them. The same applies to money – no matter how much you make, you’ll still be there.

Money and Stuff.

Another misconception people have, that leads them to believe money can buy happiness, is the link between stuff and happiness. A lot of the culture says that “he who dies with the most stuff, wins”. With this belief, the idea is the more stuff I have, the happier I will be. Again, bad money management can also contribute to this, whether it’s the root of the problem or the symptom. Regardless, the problem comes from the mindset, the belief that money and stuff can solve all of our problems.

The Truth.

The truth is, a certain income, more stuff, a bigger house, none of it truly leads to happiness. What does lead to happiness is contentment. Being content with where you are and with what you have. Struggling financially can of course make this difficult. Which is why it’s our belief that financial freedom leads to happiness. In order to achieve this, it starts with a budget. You have to live within your means Living within your means, and on a budget, will allow you to better learn to manage money. It can lead to true financial freedom, where there is no debt and the freedom to make financial decisions based on goals, rather than needs.

What do you think about money and happiness? And what do you believe will lead to true happiness? Let us know in the comments!