You’ve heard it pretty much everywhere: money can’t buy happiness.

Really?

Money isn’t the sole factor contributing to happiness, but it generally allows you to be less stressed. I know, people are different, but I personally believe that nearly every tangible problem can be fixed with money; therefore contributing to relieving stress, and finally bringing the cycle back full circle to happiness. Let’s think some things over.

Living the Frugal Life

I do not want to have a frugal life, but it is pretty much a basic requirement for someone at my stage in life. I hate looking at price tags and subtracting the total cost from my current bank balance, or adding it to my credit card debt. Although I don’t need the latest fashion accessory, or the newest technology, I have grown up with an expensive taste. The majority of my life even until right now has been surrounded by wealth. I don’t come from a particularly wealthy family, but I have been raised in a generally wealthy neighborhood and provided with everything I needed and nearly anything I wanted. I refuse to say I’m spoiled because I am better with my money than a huge majority of the people I’ve met throughout all phases of life.

Stephanie from Poorer Than You talked about how her frugal lifestyle hasn’t made her less happy, but in fact allowed her to realize where true happiness is. I agree to it to a certain extent, but I can’t say that I will be happy without having a television, buying used clothes, or compacting (not buying any “thing”). I sure as hell can be content (my lesser version of happy), complacent, appeased, or comfortable, but I will not be happy. I’m a big sports fan. I love watching my Lakers or my Bucs play – televised on at least a 37″ LCD. This will make me happy for things that are tangible, which is nearly everything in life besides love, family, and other fruity stuff like that.

True Happiness

But guess what? Love, family, and friends can’t be bought with money, bartered, traded, stolen or given (well, not at least genuine love or friends). So they don’t even count as things that can be acquired with money. That puts true happiness on a whole different type of happiness, something even greater. So… money can’t buy true happiness because it’s not actually physically possible, not because having expensive things doesn’t equate to happiness. That means money can buy other types of happiness, things that are in a monetary category. Unfortunately, in this material world, I have found living life to be exponentially easier and more fulfilling when I have more, a lot more, money than I do now. Want to have a fun, memorable weekend? Sure, but it’ll cost ya. My trip to San Diego with my girlfriend last weekend cost us at around $400.

I have big dreams and great ambitions. I want to take my girlfriend out for vacations, do a lot of traveling, and buy her cool things she’s never had when she was growing up. At 23 years old, I think about being able to pay for my kids’ college tuition without them taking out loans. When I’m hitting mid-life crisis, I want to come home to a nice, big house after a long day of work. I want to be wealthy – being content just doesn’t cut it anymore.