Does money make us happy?
Most of the time when I talk about money, it's about how to spend less, save more, invest those savings, etc. Today, I decided to talk about something different: the things I have done with my money that were well worth it. Some of them even made/make me happy! As I wrote this, I also began to realize how these particular expenses and decisions have affected my life as a whole.
Think for a moment about what would be on your list. What are the things you have used your money for that you feel were well worth it? Use the Comment field below to share your thoughts.
Living in another country
When I had just graduated from college, I spent a year and a half working in a developing country. It was an awesome experience. I received a stipend that was enough to cover my basic living expenses, but I came back to the US with less money than I left with. After I came home, I told people that I was "rich in experiences but not in money." While technically I didn't purchase this experience, there was a cost: I could have been working in a regular (salaried) job for those 18 months instead of being a volunteer. But I have never regretted the decision. The effects of that experience still regularly impact my life now, decades later.
Pets
In the early years of our marriage, my husband and I worked together in the same business. It seemed like the job was the only thing we talked about. So we got a dog. My husband actually told people it was so that we had something else to talk about besides work.
Over the years, we've had a total of three dogs and four cats. They have each enriched our lives in different ways. Was there a cost to having those pets? Yes. And sometimes it was unpredictable. But this is another type of expense I was always happy to incur.
Education
Over the course of my life, I may have spent more on education than anything else except perhaps my home. (I'm not even going to try to figure to figure out the inflation-adjusted numbers to answer that question.) Either way, that's a lot of money! It has also probably had more impact on my life than anything else – with the possible exception of those 18 months I worked overseas.
For me, education was almost always a means toward a goal. When I was in eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to be an Extension Agent, as we called them in my home state. Here in Illinois, they're known as Extension Educators. I knew that it required a Master's Degree, so my educational goals were set. I loved my four years of college. Graduate school was more stressful, but still rewarding. And it allowed me to eventually (10 years later) meet my goal of becoming an Extension Educator.
A few years later, I took additional classes toward my Certified Financial Planner designation so that I could do my job better. Ever since, I've had to report continuing education classes to maintain that designation. But I'm apparently a continuing education junkie. I usually have about double the amount that's required.
My college experience, doing the research for my master's thesis, the challenge of passing all the tests that were part of my CFP coursework – together those experiences have really determined who I am, as well as enabling me to work in this field. Was it money well spent? You betcha.
Screen porch
Nearly ten years ago, my husband and I decided to demolish our deteriorating deck and replace it with a screen porch. The process was stressful, the cost was significant. And we keep paying in the form of higher property taxes, since the assessed value of the house increased.
I am a mosquito magnet. The porch allows me to sit outside whenever I want and enjoy my garden, the rain, or the lightning bugs without having to put on mosquito repellant first. The cat can even join me. My husband regular works from home and on those days, you'll generally find him sitting on the porch with his laptop.
Other than buying a house, it was our biggest housing expense ever. But now, when we contemplate eventually selling this house, it is the thing I will most hate to leave.
Trips with my extended family
Over the past several years, my extended family has taken two trips together. For one, we rented one big house that we shared and from which we did day excursions. My husband and my nephew headed up meal prep for the nine of us. For the other one, it was a driving trip that involved three vehicles and many changes of passengers and drivers so that we all got time with everyone else. Now, one of my family members has moved to another country where she will be getting married and living for the foreseeable future. My aunt and uncle are getting older and may not be doing these kinds of trips much longer. I am so thankful that we all made the time to do these things together and built shared memories.
Putting it all together
I'm no authority on the research about happiness, but I have seen articles in the popular press about how it's the experiences that money buys that impact our happiness, rather than the owning of things. As I wrote this, I felt that I saw the same thing. It isn't the owning of the porch that makes me happy – it's what the porch enables my husband and me to do. With pets, it was the companionship and being able to tell stories about their antics to my family and friends that has added to my happiness.
As I said at the beginning, please share your thoughts or feedback on this post by using the comment field below. I'd love to hear what you think.