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How important is money for you?

lunanto

lunanto

Banned
Dec 1, 2017
7,648
I have been thinking about this lately.

In fact, I was talking about this particular topic with one of my students the other day and he told me he is unable to save money cause he tries to live in the present moment.

I obsess over the idea of being paid not enough money. I am not happy with my salary, but if I briefly analyse my current lifestyle/situation, and funnily enough, I don´t need more really. I think I have these ideas because I compare myself with people that have more money than me and that could be a mistake.

What importance do you give money in your life?
 
Manmademan

Manmademan

Election Thread Watcher
Member
Aug 6, 2018
15,988
lunanto said:
I have been thinking about this lately.

In fact, I was talking about this particular topic with one of my students the other day and he told me he is unable to save money cause he tries to live in the present moment.

I obsess over the idea of being paid not enough money. I am not happy with my salary, but if I briefly analyse my current lifestyle/situation, and funnily enough, I don´t need more really. I think I have these ideas because I compare myself with people that have more money than me and that could be a mistake.

What importance do you give money in your life?
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The way I'm reading this- money isn't the problem or the issue. Being unsatisfied because you need to keep up with the Joneses is. No amount of money would ever fix that.
 
Astronut325

Astronut325

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,948
Los Angeles, CA
Very important. I'm trying to get to financial independence. In minimizing my expenses and trying to invest as much as I can to get to my retirement number.
 

cecilpaladin32

Member
Apr 24, 2018
3,605
I don't have to deal with a major burden that others may have to in that my parents are completely secure, financially. I often wish I got paid more, but whenever I start griping, I realize that I am much better off than many people. I also have ample savings - the biggest motivation I have for accumulating wealth now is to be able to retire earlier than planned retirement age.
 
yumms

yumms

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,156
Money worry the cause for most of the anxiety in my life.

So hugely important.
 

Deleted member 41178

User requested account closure
Banned
Mar 18, 2018
2,903
Hugely important, it basically dictates the quality of life I can lead, the experiences and advantages I can give my children etc.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,020
It's important. I'm barely getting by right now. I've always been poor and I'll always be poor. I'll be glad to die so I don't have to worry about stuff like money anymore.
 
Teenage Fansub

Teenage Fansub

Member
May 24, 2019
22,180
As long as I have a job and savings, I don't like to think about it. I don't even invest.

edit: That somewhat changed in covid, but luckily I'm back working after six months off.
 
meowdi gras

meowdi gras

Member
Feb 24, 2018
12,611
Back before I lost my career due to disability, it was important, sure, but not critical. Now, it's critical. Particularly as America's safety net is pretty shit.
 
Camwi

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
Extremely? Literally went and got a degree in my late 20s because I met a woman that I wanted to raise a family with, and that shit requires money. Own a house now thanks to a decent paying job, and that has been such a huge quality of life improvement over sharing walls with loud people in a small apartment.
 
SwampBastard

SwampBastard

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
11,009
The more you have, the less important it is. It's important to me, but not to the extent that I'm going to try to keep climbing the corporate ladder doing work I hate just for a bigger paycheck. I had a friend tell me once that her mentor's best career advice was to make as much as you can without managing other people, and that has become my goal. Our CFO recently announced some restructuring with a couple new, higher-paying roles above the one I have now and I'm not interested in them even though it would be an appreciable pay increase.

I want to have enough to live comfortably and retire by 60, even if doing so means living more modestly than I do now. I don't care about expensive cars or clothes or any of that stuff.
 
Jakisthe

Jakisthe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,558
Money is *unbelievably* important.
-Stay alive
-Raise a family
-Facilitate experiences and assistance to better reach happiness for yourself, your family, a
-Stay healthy
-Drive change in the world

Anyone who claims "money doesn't make you happy" is actually only referring to people's lack of ability to get creative with what money can do.
 
gozu

gozu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,312
America
Money is only second to health and family in importance in today's world.

Sometimes it's not even behind family 😓
 
Viewt

Viewt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,799
Chicago, IL
It's really easy to get caught up in this sliding scale of what you think "enough" is as your salary goes up. You're always just close enough to see what the next step up might be like and it can be addicting to experience the "finer things in life." And distasteful as it may be, money is the ticket. So, so many inconveniences can be completely squashed by throwing money at them. Real problems to some become trivial to solve.

I crossed the 6-figure line a few years ago. By any practical estimation, I don't need to make more money - especially because my wife and I don't want kids. And yet, embarrassing as it is to say, I sometimes fantasize about what it might be like to make 50K more, 100K more, etc. We could get a nicer home, go on more elaborate vacations, etc. I don't *need* any more money, but I'd definitely *like* some. Greed is a hard thing to shake.

For the record, I'm definitely not one of those high earners who doesn't want to pay taxes. Tax me 10 or even 20% more if it means everyone gets healthcare and a real safety net.
 
mistersensation

mistersensation

Member
Nov 11, 2017
1,041
me irl



I really just need enough to live comfortably and buy a fun thing every now and then, never been much for the pursuit of luxury or money for money's sake
 
Wackamole

Wackamole

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,932
Teenage Fansub said:
As long as I have a job and savings, I don't like to think about it. I don't even invest.
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This. Far from rich and far from poor. Don't want to be either. Have been poor for a short while, it sucks. And from what i have seen being rich fucks with your self image/ head/ ego too much. I'm fine where i am today.
 
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Pulp

Pulp

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,023
Money to pay rent, bills and food is very important. Beyond that I don't care that much. I don't aspire to be rich or anything.
 
Neo C.

Neo C.

Member
Nov 9, 2017
2,994
It's both important and not important at the same time, a constant paradox in my life. It's important because I want to be financially independent, but at the same time I don't need that much. The biggest expense outside of rent and car is travel, and that's it.
 
Baji Boxer

Baji Boxer

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,376
Extremely important. I don't need massive amounts, but it'd be nice to be able to take care of a family, not worry about being ruined by medical bills or debt, know I'll be able to retire if I want to, and be able to withstand economic downturns.
 
Platy

Platy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,634
Brazil
i struggle with it, but if i had enough to pay my bills and save an amount per month (like "one month of rent" amount) i would absolutely give the rest way with crowdfunding or giving gifts to friends
 

Deleted member 13188

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,970
Since we don't have to pay for air it's second to air as the most important thing. When we have to pay for air then I guess it's number 1?

Do I like that it's this way? No, I want a StarTrek future, so hurry up with that.
 
StreetsAhead

StreetsAhead

Member
Sep 16, 2020
5,021
The importance of money is inversely related to how much of it you have. Someone with less money has less freedom and options to choose from, which makes it more important to them.

I want to be able to live independently, not stress about bills, and have enough leftover to spend on my physical and mental well-being.
 
Nepenthe

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,674
If you don't have money, you just die. So it's pretty important.
 
Armoured_Bear

Armoured_Bear

Banned
Nov 17, 2017
1,140
If you don't have enough, it's incredibly important.
I'm pretty comfortable and as I'm getting older (now 48), it's important to have enough for a comfortable retirement.
I'd love to hit the jackpot with one of my stocks and help my family be able to put a deposit on the house, maybe get access to some other treatment for my terminally ill father, things like that. Beyond that I'd love to have enough cash to travel lots as that makes me happy.
 
Gvon

Gvon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,330
I've always been good with money. I've had periods that I've had to live off sod all money for a month when I was unemployed.
After paying rent and bills I'd end up with £80-100 to buy food for a month. It was a struggle at times but If I planned everything I could end up living off £20 quid a week or less depending on how well I'd bought during the previous weeks. Lots of veg, tofu, rice and stir frys became my staple.

Now I sit with a decent amount in savings that can cover me for a few months should anything to wrong or if I need to buy things. For example buying a PS5 and a 55" CX that I'd pre saved for by rounding down my main bank account. Depending on how much is that account I round down by £10 all the way down to pounds once that's getting a little low before pay day.


Ponyboy said:
fucking hate money, but somewhere along the line some schmuck decided we need it to live so here I am
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It was either money or carrying a load of chickens and hoping you could trade them for what you wanted. Hmm, doesn't sound that bad lol
 
Jeronimo

Jeronimo

Member
Nov 16, 2017
2,377
Money is important for now and the future because nothing is free, but not something I obsess over. Just working, budgeting, saving, and contributing to retirement. I realize that there is a level of privilege in being able to make enough to do those.

Comparing to others sounds like a source of your unhappiness.
 
Tremorah

Tremorah

Member
Dec 3, 2018
4,947
I play the lottery every week, so thats saying something i guess

Other than that, i need it to pay the rent and buy foor and beer and games and albums

So i guess the real question is how important is work to me?
 
Mukrab

Mukrab

Member
Apr 19, 2020
7,486
Very very important to an extent. Im not rich, i work 8-10h a day 5x a week. How important is making MORE money than i do now? Not at all. I would welcome it, but i wouldn't work a single minute more to make more money, i would not want a raise that trippled my income but had me work 2h more. I just don't care. Im happy with my humble life. Im good, don't get me wrong. I live in switzerland so even tho my wage is low for swiss standards, its still a pretty good live compared to the rest of the world doing the same job. What i do for a living is dishes in a restaurant btw. There is nothing i absolutely need or want. But like im not pretending to be super humble or anything. Like i said, to an extent it is very very important, but if i make enough money to pay my bills and have a few hundred bucks(again, switzerland.. this might be insane to someone else) i can save each month or spend on whatever i want, i don't really care about having more.
 
Dead Guy

Dead Guy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,597
Saskatchewan, Canada
Very important. I want to live, not just survive during my life and money is unfortunately a major part of being able to do that. Right now I've been unemployed and on EI since October though so it's not going well :(
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,135
I can pay the bills, but i gotta save because i'll have to move to a more permanent place and rent will be higher/or even consider purchasing a place.

That's it really. I don't think farther than that.
 
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