How money can make you sad, unfulfilled and unhappy
Okay, I admit it. I have an MP Dunleavey addiction. MSN Money has always been good, but MP speaks right to my personal finance soul. Anything pertinent, accurate or helpful contained in this article was probably in large part inspired by her genius.
Happiness is hard to come by. It sneaks up on us when we’re least expecting it, and the moment you notice it, it’s gone. You’ll be quite calmly sitting on your back porch, watching the sun set and realise you’re feeling indisputably happy. Then off it flees again.
Misery, on the other hand, is pretty easy to come by and impossible not to notice. Once you’ve noticed you’re not feeling so crash hot, the misery doesn’t leave- it deepens. It’s just one of the many things that prove that life is essentially unfair. If we know now that money can’t buy us happiness, is it possible it can buy as misery instead? You better believe it.
Splurge O’Clock
That’s right, you’ve been saintly when it comes to money for a week now. No lattes in the afternoon, no late night K-mart purchases. You’re basically Mother Teresa when it comes to unnecessary spending. And then you think you’ll reward yourself for all your hard work, and three hours later, you leave the store with $400 worth of purchases and zero self esteem. Mother Teresa no longer, you’ve become a personal finance version of Mugabe.
How to save money
That kind of spending sure can make you feel miserable. The only way to cure it is balance. Ensure that your budget isn’t so strict that it’s actually untenable. When you’re rewarding yourself, give yourself a $30 budget. You can still buy yourself a new CD with that money.
The Little Things
The little things count, and they also count up. The countless purchases that you never remember and yet drain your wallet can make you feel pretty sorry for yourself. For instance, all the ‘cheap’ meals out (thanks MP) that end up costing you thousands every year. There’s a couple of months travel that you can’t do, a significant chunk of a deposit that you don’t have, and all because of dim sims and discounted carbonara.
How to save money
Make eating out a rarity for special occasions, and eat in the rest of the time. Learn how to cook all your favourite restaurant meals, and you’ll end up with a great cooking repertoire, more money in your wallet and an absence of the miserable moments.
Trapped by the Trappings
Money can’t buy us happiness, but it can buy as Plasma televisions and stainless steel fridges. Deluded by advertising and the allure of the lifestyles of the rich of the famous, it’s easy to spend money on useless items in the hope they will make us happier. In usually seems to end up that all it buys us is credit card debt and the sulks (don’t I know it, I have an entire box of Revlon and still don’t have lips like Halle Berry).
How to save money
Acknowledge that your fridge works fine, you don’t need a Burberry trench coat when there are cheaper ones that look just as nice, and that a big purchase when you can’t afford it can buy you misery in a second. The sooner we stop spending on the tangible in the pursuit of the impossible, the sooner that old happiness will come flowing in.
How has money bought you misery?
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