How much money do people need to be happy?

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Mar 01, 2018, 1:35 AM UTC

cortesoft wrote: post #23

Nition wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect there is another level above that at financial independence, where you have enough wealth that you don't have to work. Where you can lose the fear of losing your job, or go off and work on what you want even if it doesn't make much or any money.

There might be a fine line there; humans need a sense of purpose, and for many people, purpose is tied up in our job. If you no longer have to work, and you choose not to work because your current job isn't ideal, it can be hard to get the motivation to search for a new job. At the same time, without work, it can be hard to find purpose. So you might be stuck in a situation where you aren't working and struggling to…

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Mar 01, 2018, 1:44 AM UTC

Qwertious wrote: post #95

dreamfactored wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a level you can contribute to by being frugal. It's tough to get to but easier than you'd think. The barriers to moving to this level tend to be as much social and psychological as financial e.g. families, mortgages, need for security. The next level above financial independence is financial freedom (you can just get whatever you want, from shoes to houses) - off the top of my head I would guess this is probab…

>That's a level you can contribute to by being frugal. J suspect that ceteris paribus, being frugal reduces happiness - by definition, it's not getting things you want to get.

Post by tachyoff » Thu, Mar 01, 2018, 1:50 AM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #98

derekp7 wrote: post #4

Is this net income (after taxes, and possibly after 401k [or equivalent] savings)? I would say that having no debt, or at least having manageable debt, along with knowing you are saving enough for retirement, and making enough that you don't have to second-guess if you can afford every purchase you make, is the real cutoff. For example, if you don't have mortgage debt then you are probably renting. So I consider mort…

I would not be surprised if you were exactly right with this: I would say that having no debt, or at least having manageable debt, along with knowing you are saving enough for retirement, and making enough that you don't have to second-guess if you can afford every purchase you make, is the real cutoff. Many people I have talked with about happiness are really talking about non-anxiety. Basically defining being 'happ…

Post by bunfunton » Thu, Mar 01, 2018, 2:02 AM UTC

tmnvix wrote: post #97

rconti wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well, I take "folding" to mean "putting away". Eg, putting your socks in a drawer (usually balled up together, but I guess you could just toss individuals in there).. hanging up tshirts and sweatshirts, putting away your jeans and workout clothes.. Some kind of organization is ideal, because I often live out of the clean laundry hamper and it's a chore to hunt for stuff every time you need clothes.

When I'm not living with others, this problem goes away. I start out with things in the wardrobe and drawers but as I get distracted by the things I actually want to do I gravitate towards a sort of inbox(clean)/outbox(dirty) 'floordrobe' system. It's surprisingly efficient.

Post by tachyoff » Thu, Mar 01, 2018, 2:10 AM UTC

mancerayder wrote: post #86

People need enough to not feel, or be, materially insecure. It's somewhat subjective (I might have high demands with regards to caviar and champagne) but usually not (groceries, roof, education, doctor). What's interesting is that there's no mainstream concept for not-materially-insecure. Perhaps, if there were, it would turn into a demand by the population. And we can't have that.