You'd rather freeze in a cardboard box than go home to a house every night? Somehow, I think given the option you'd choose the latter.

3 years ago, during the financial crisis, both me and my finacee got sacked and were unemployed for over a year. We barely made ends meet with loans, unemployment funds, welfare checks etc. We had about €1.200 a month for the two of us and our two kids. 18 months ago i finally got a job again.
I make €3.400 a month.

Ask me if i'm happier now than i was 2 years ago.

Money -DOES- buy happiness. End. Of. Story.

Uh... Is 3,400 a month a lot?

i did the maths properly with current exchange rates. I make €3700 or $4600 or Ѓ3000 (34.000 SEK). that's 55k USD a year.

If it's much or not depends on what country you're from. But in general terms, it's quite alot more than our basic needs.

Regardless, it's hella lot more than we had.

But Optical, what made you unhappy? Was it the lack of money, or was it the stress?

Glad you got back on your feet though Luckily the crisis didn't hit so bad here so we didn't have to go through that.

That's the thing, i was never really unhappy in that situation. at times i was concerned that we wouldn't be able to, for example, buy clothes to the kids. But i was always happy.

But now i'm happy*2 cuz i can buy stuff, stuff i need, or stuff i want.

The thing is, money in it self doesn't make you any happier when you reach a certain level. But a lack of money can cause stress and in extent unhappiness.

I think the problem isn't if money brings happiness or not. The problem is, where's our baseline?

If the baseline is set at a millionare level, then no. Money does not make you any happier.

If the baseline is set at a minimum wage income. or in my case, a level where every single coin is godsent, then money does make you happier.

I was happy when i bought my car.
I was happy when we bought the kids bikes.
I was happy yesterday when instead of macaronis and sausage we had filet mignon.
I was happy when...
etcetera ad infinitum (or close to).

You can argue this back and forth for eons, having money wont in it self make you happy. Spending that money can make you happy, thus a larger cache of money can buy you more happiness. But when you reach the level of multi millionaire, there's not much more you can spend your money on that makes you happy. Thus limiting the claim that money can buy happiness.

I might have lost the thread a few times there, i'm at work ;).

Anyway.

Lets say a median household got 1000 TC a month.
They've got expenditures of 750 TC a month.

If they go below 750 TC in incomes, they will gradually become less happy (although, not necessarily unhappy)

If they go up, they will become happier, not by the income itself, but by what they can get for it.

Suddendly their VW Golf -88 is replaced with a Audi A4 -08.
Their 3 room apartment is replaced with 6 room house.

Given the option, yeah. But perhaps that was a poor example.

How about this, what good is a warm house is if all you feel inside it is misery?

That is pretty much what I was getting at. I'd rather be freezing cold but want to live rather than be warm and want to die.

I think we've had this convo about money a dozen of times over here.Why do you have to feel miserable if you have money?It is not necessarily going to happen.It isn't a choice "get money" or "feel miserable".You can have both,you have no...so on.I don't agree with the OP about studying at school being the only mean to get money or live a happy life.

I agree fully with the above statment. "I don't agree with the OP about studying at school being the only mean to get money or live a happy life."

I'm totally uneducated and currently working a gig as sysadmin/L2/L3 support for two rather large automotive manufacturers.

Before that i've been on several high end IT jobs.

What's there to be happy about when you're freezing cold, have nowhere to live, wondering when your next meal will be (If you ever get one), having to take care of your family without any money to meet their requirements or desires (That's where most happiness revolves around, having a family). Maybe the wife will probably sell herself just to meet the family's needs, kids might be included.

Living on the street does not give happiness. I will admit, large amounts of money could turn your happiness to mental illness.

I think if you could find a balance (Like someone said earlier, I don't feeling like hunting for their post) then you could take care of yourself and your family while still needing to work and having something to do to get luxury. Though, I will admit, if you offered me 10,000,000 US C, I'd take it in a heartbeat. That's how most of our minds as human beings were set to be.