How much do you need to be happy

elaine373

This sort of question is only ok if you havent any non financial unhappiness in your life.i.e.a bereavement,personally for me, i could have all the money in the world, it wouldnt make me 100% happy.and thats coz i have lost some-one dear to me,and no amount of money will make up for that.

Spendless

We can now live comfortably on hubbys wage and afford to pay DD nursery fees for me to attend college. Where we struggle is if it comes to anything 'big' eg holidays, replacing car, decorating, home improvements.
I'm hoping to return to work within next couple of years to pay for these things but they are a 'want' not a need.
So looking at the 'need' yes we are earn enough to be happy. If we look at the 'want' no we don't earn enough and won't be happy until our finances increase enough to cover these things.

comping_cat

Im happy as long as my children and i are healthy!!!! As long as i can pay our bills, anything else is a bonus!!!!

intel

Millions and Millions.. As then I can secure Family, Friends, and Charities, and Hospital Equipment.

tanith

I have a 'tiny' mortgage compared to most people but if I just was Mortgage free I would be happy to live on whatever we had coming in.... there were never truer words spoken than 'MILLSTONE ROUND YOUR NECK'..............

margaretclare

elaine373 wrote:

This sort of question is only ok if you havent any non financial unhappiness in your life.i.e.a bereavement,personally for me, i could have all the money in the world, it wouldnt make me 100% happy.and thats coz i have lost some-one dear to me,and no amount of money will make up for that.

Hi Elaine

You're right. But one of the worst things is having money worries AND a bereavement at the same time. Which happened to me when my first husband died in 1992 coincidental with redundancy. As a young guy he 'didn't believe' in life assurance, then when he did, his health was so bad that he was uninsurable. I had to struggle to keep the roof above my head, and as tanith says, the mortgage really was a 'millstone'. Whereas, when my daughter died 3 years ago, at least her husband didn't have worries of that kind - she had a pension plan with life assurance and the mortgage was paid.

Aunty Margaret

Tondella

Robbie Williams earns £30,000 per day, but he think's he'd be happier with less than £100 in his pocket?

http://www.sky.com/showbiz/article/0,,50001-1212036,00.html

grex9101

All very interesting answers.

I asked mainly because I wondered how many of us find that our debt is a cause of unhappiness. I guess it was a very subjective question, but thank you

mummytofour

Not sure how u can put a price on it? the cost of living is more down south that up north for a start and as we are a larger family I think we need more than a single person, not that our income in very big mind you. I would be happy with enough to pay the bills and have enough left over to have some fun and same some, much nicer that just having enough to pay the bills, but then there is a lot to be said for having enough to keep the roof over your head.

toozie_2

18 years ago, I worked in a bank, OH in construction industry. We had a happy and nice lifestyle, not extravagant, but could afford a holiday a year, and a meal out now and again.

Then we had our first DD, I left work to be a house Mum, mortgage doubled as I was on staff rates. Life was much harder, but still happy and exhausted, I was doing most of what's brought up on the Old Style board to make ends meet...rubber chicken etc! Then 20 months later DD2 came along, OH changed job, money was slightly less, but works van was taken away as well. OH now worked lots of O/Time to make ends meet, I was left at home all day with 2 babies, couldn't afford to go out much during the day apart from walks, even struggled to find the money to go to Mother & Toddler sessions each week.

Hubby was coming home after the girls were in bed, exhausted, I was also knackered after looking after them all day on my own, with not much contact with any other adults. Remember 15/16 years ago, there wasn't Family Tax Credit etc to top up low wage.

OH & I argued alot, mainly because we were so tired, and at the weekend I wanted to maybe just go out for a drive to the beach, but he was tired and also wanted to be at home, as he didn't see much of it between Monday to Saturday.

Money was very very tight when DD2 had her first birthday, and I decided I had no option but to go back to work-part time. This was the turning point, more money was coming in, I wasn't as bothered to have a day out, as I was getting out during the week to work.

Things are absolutely fine now, we just trundle along happily-all still together. But I don't look back at those times when my girls were babies with happy memories, my thoughts are blighted with the constant struggle to keep our heads above water financially.

Happily eldest DD might be going to uni in 18 months time, and OH I have have just started to have the odd weekend away on our own-in true moneysaving style of course, like £10.00 Travelodges!!!