Money Can’t Buy You Happiness, BUT…

Ms 99to1percent

Blogging about Personal Finance along with a little touch of humor. Immigrant who started from the bottom and now I’m here…to tell my story, inspire and learn from others. Paid off $40K in student loans before graduating. CPA. Saved a $100K emergency fund in my 20’s. Hopping to pay off $500K+ mortgage within 5 years at 39. Hopping to become financially independent at 45. Happily married. Mom of 1.

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26 responses

  1. Kat Horn says:

    That’s great that you and your husband have formed such a solid team. My Dad was a psychologist who told me that most marriages end because of money. So it seems money really is at the root of our happiness and relationships!

  2. Nice post. All very good points. However, sometimes things change, and the other big caveat is extended family. I’ve often heard from people over the years…”I married you, not your family”. In today’s blended family situations that becomes something people really need to look at closely. Money can buy happiness, but you’ve got to be ok with yourself, first.

    • Yes, extended family can cause problems. One the reasons my parents marriage didn’t work out was because of extended family.

      • We had extended family stresses as well. Honestly, it contributed a lot to us almost ending our marriage years ago. We had been raised to put of families first, and as a married couple we were still doing that. Instead of putting each other first. Once we changed – it was a really tough run with each other and our families. Everything got a lot better. Now our marriage is stronger and our relationships with our families is healthier and happier

  3. Nice post, Tina. Having the right partner can make a significant difference in one’s happiness, whether in marriage, business, or both (in addition to other areas).

    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Getting married was THE best decision I ever made. From a financial perspective, we’re much stronger with combined finances. We’ve been able to tackle debt much more quickly this way, while relying on each other. For example, hubster earns less money but has health insurance and vacay days. I don’t get many vacay days but I do bring in a lot of cash to tackle our debts. It’s a great way to tackle debt!

  5. I really like this post, and very glad to hear you and your husband are a great team. Talking about money and marriage, this reminds me of one thing in China (where I grew up). I heard some girls’ philosophy of finding a husband is: “I would rather cry in a BMW, than smile sitting at the back of a bicycle”. Is money a miracle?

  6. Chris and I had money fights early in our marriage – I was a spender and he a saver. Once we got on the same page, after talking about our goals and values. It became a lot easier, to start working as a team instead of against each other!

  7. this whole FI thing is so much easier with 2 people. for me the big driver in turbo charging our finances had been not wanting to let mrs. smidlap down. when it was just me i would not have thought twice about flushing the opportunities. trust has been huge too. when i was working a lot of overnights and weekends for about 10 years i always said “go with your friends and have fun.” you can’t do that regularly without trust.

    • So true. Not wanting to let the other person down also comes into play. For example, I always think twice before doing something stupid that might disappoint hubby :-). We kinda bring out the best in each other.

  8. The person you marry is the most important decision you will ever make. It pays to get it right, literally! Glad yours is working out so well.

  9. Money will never make anyone happy. Having time and the freedom to be with the ones you love will. So at a base level and without getting to philosophical yes you need some money to be happy. If you are homeless and have no food you will not be happy. Once you cross a certain standard of living and know that you will not go back to being poor if something bad happens to you it will give you happiness. Everything beyond that is about who you are as a person. Being a great person and respecting others will make you happy.

  10. Thank you for posting this. The second my fiancée and I got 100% on board with each other financially (1 year ago), our net worth has increased at a dramatic pace. It doesn’t come close to the dollar amount you and your husband have achieved (CONGRATULATIONS by the way!) but in terms of percentages, we have increased our Net Worth by 287.5% since January 2017.

    None of this was possible though without the points you mentioned about being 100% together and supportive in your relationship. Those are the foundation tools to your financial house, and once they start to go then your financial house will eventually follow.

    I look forward to reading more of your future posts!

  11. Renie says:

    Great post and lots of truth! Thanks for sharing.

  1. January 30, 2018

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  2. February 1, 2018

    […] discussions and/or fights, and have them early.  Remember, money does not buy you happiness, but happiness can bring you money/financial freedom. Keep your marriage and bank healthy and happy […]

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