The wisdom we often hear is, “Money can’t buy you happiness.” There are those who agree but add that it is a lot easier to be happy when you don't have all the stress that not having money can cause.

Studies have shown that yes, having enough money to meet your needs and those of your family does bring happiness. People living in poverty are generally less happy than those whose needs are met. Being able to pay for your bills and having enough to get by financially will help you succeed in feeling happy.

However -- and this is a big however, having more money than you need will not make you happier than anyone else.

Back to the question, can money buy you happiness or not? I always believed that it was not necessary. Yesterday my sister sent me this picture of our getaway place in the woods. To her this is complete happiness. She restores her soul here. In the summer, so do I. My cabin is off to the left, out of sight.

She needed money to build her cabin. So money does give you a choice of happiness. She could have gone out to the woods with a tent but having the cabin means she can head there with her friends in the middle of February and spend the day.

Having more money than you need, however, will not bring you extra happiness. Money and happiness are not proportional. Someone with enough money to buy a large house and several cars will not necessarily have more happiness than another individual with exactly what they need.

For me, money is stressful. A lot of that has to do with my wish to live a simple life without too many possessions. There is stress that goes along with having money. Whether you have a little or a lot, you likely know about this stress. There is the stress of knowing you need to spend what you have wisely, as well as the fact that people with ulterior motives are drawn to those who are financially wealthy.

Hah! Wealthy? It's a relative thing. I once rented an apartment in an old renovated house and the building caretaker was an odd creature, I called her Mrs. Budgell. I can't remember her real name. She gambled and was always trying to hit me up for money. I lived in a third floor walkup in a wonky old house. I didn't have money -- but I had more than Mrs. B.

It's really about what you spend your money on. There are some principles for using money that can help you to feel more satisfied. Where you put your money and who receives it can make a difference as to whether you gained something by having had it.

Spend Money on Experiences, Not Things

Buying more things is not proven to make a person happy. Although investing in items that will last seems like a wise move, studies show that we tend to adjust to what we obtain. Having these things doesn’t continue bringing unlimited happiness. I love having a car that I can trust to get me from point A to point B. It's a 2012 Jetta. It will do me for years to come.

We are more likely to have long-term happiness when money is spent on experiences which will give us lasting memories. I love days when I can sit in the sun and play games.

This is a summer picture of my -- our -- spot in the woods. My husband and I play cribbage. I sometimes sit at this table and write. It's a perfect place to write because there are no distractions.

Money and Writing

I do write for money -- but not all that much. I need some money for gas for the Jetta, groceries, and bingo. When I decided to write fiction, I had this notion on my mind that writing had to translate to money. I had to have all the tools that would make that transition happen.

I had to learn how to market my fiction and I had to just crank out the stories. Well, since I started writing about writing here on Steemit, I have begun to release that old captivity. Writing is fun again. Speaking of which, I better get away from this post and get to words on paper.

Previous Posts on Writing

Writing an Episodic Novel Day 1
Writing an Episodic Novel Day 2
Writing an Episodic Novel Day 3