I'm Not Convinced Money Won't Make Me Happy

"Went around with Hennessy's sister Margie for a time, then broke it off when he met Jane

Drake, the one he married. She came from money."

 With a smirk, Charlie rubbed his thumb and fingers together. 

"Old money. Man needs money to buy up land and build houses. She was a looker, too. Snooty with it."

"I remember her. She always looked pissed off. I guess money can't buy happiness if you shop in the wrong places."

Tribute

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By Kenny Louie from Vancouver, Canada - Good health and good fortune, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24336372

I Took A Happiness Course, And I'm Not Convinced Money Won't Make Me Happy

At the same time, researchers also speculate that becoming wealthier makes you more isolated, which can lead to unhappiness. It seems like you can’t win here: Being financially unstable or being rich, either one can lead to discontentment for different reasons.

The Yale class goes over the misconceptions of what we think will make us happy versus what actually will. One of the first misconceptions listed is the topic of money.

MSN

The best pieces of advice about money

Self-consciously she lifted a hand to finger the silver-and-gold twists that dangled from her ear. "But I have to think about what's going to happen when I turn that page. I can't keep buying new clothes and earrings, and living in the moment. Money's a responsibility, isn't it?"

He leaned back, lips pursed as he studied her. Delicate she might look, he mused, but there was nothing delicate about her brain. He had a feeling it was both strong and flexible. All the better, he decided. The wife of his grandson should possess a nimble mind and not a shallow one.

"That it is," he said, and smiled at her.

The Winning Hand

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BUSINESS INSIDER

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"I don't know how it's done, though. I thought you would."

"I'd be happy to help you with it." When the waiter came to remove their plates, Daniel waved a hand. "Leave hers," he ordered. "She hasn't eaten enough. Now," he continued as Darcy and the waiter exchanged resigned glances, "you'll have your time, your opportunity, and you'll have given something back. Unless you intend to toss around money like confetti, and you don't strike me as an idiot, you'll have quite a bit left over. What do you want from that?"

She bit her lip, easing forward. "More," she said, then blinked when he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Now there's a lass with a head on her shoulders. I knew it."

"It sounds greedy, but—"

"It sounds sane," he corrected. "Why should you want less? More is better, after all. You want your money to work for you. I'd call you a fool if you wanted otherwise."

"Mr. MacGregor." She took a deep breath and rolled the dice. "I want you to take my money and make it work for me."

The blue eyes narrowed. "Do you now? And why is that?"

"Because it seems to me I'd be a fool to settle for less than the best."

The Winning Hand

"How I Recognized (and Left) a Financially Abusive Relationship"

Like a traffic cop, Mac threw up her hand. “You paid her bills?”

He shrugged. “Initially she was trying to save for her own place, then . . . 

It got to be a habit.”

Vision in White

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I remember the first time my then-boyfriend asked me for money and I didn't feel like I could say no. We were parked in the lot of a train station where he often picked me up. Since he'd recently quit a job he hated and was only working part-time, he needed extra cash for gas to keep picking me up and visiting me, he said. He'd calculated that half the cost of the drives he took for my sake came out to $20 a month.

Nobody other than a cab driver had ever asked me to compensate them for a ride, and the exchange felt oddly transactional for two people who had been dating for a year and a half. Plus, I paid for my own train tickets, which I thought made us even. But he said it would be hard for him to see me as much if I didn't pitch in that monthly $20, so I did.

But it didn't stop there.

GLAMOUR

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Mac took a moment to absorb. “Let me just sum all that up, take it down to its basic formula. Because its one I know very well. She maneuvered you into providing her with housing—for which she paid nothing.”

“I could hardly ask her for rent.”

“She shared none of the household expenses, and in fact sweet-talked you into fronting her for her expenses. You probably lent her cash from time to time. You'll never see that again. You bought her things—clothes, jewelry. If you balked, she used tears or sex to smooth that out and get what she was after.”

“Well, I suppose, but—”

“Let me finish it out. When she got tired of it, or saw something shinier, she lied, cheated, betrayed, then laid it all out as your fault for not caring enough. Would that be about right?”

Vision in White

Money can buy happiness

"“I remember her. 

She always looked pissed off. 

I guess money can'’t buy happiness if you shop in the wrong places."

Tribute

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By Emilian Robert Vicol from Com. Balanesti, Romania - Coins-Money_Romanian-BANI-LEI_142846-480x360, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38383421

It's the age-old question: Can money buy happiness? 

Much of the time, our energy and focus is on work and career, which primarily is about the chase for the almighty dollar. Generally, people want more for basic needs, including a roof over their heads, food, clothing and maybe a car. 

And we all want more of the fun things money can buy, including vacations, entertainment and the latest high-tech toys. 

It can be a valuable exercise to take a step back from the daily grind to examine what money means to you and how you spend it.

YAHOO! FINANCE

Happy Valentine's

 Cal sent a dozen Pink Roses to his Mother.

She liked the traditional flower for Valentine’s Day, and he knew his father always went for the red. 

If he hadn’t known, Amy Yost in the flower shop would have reminded him, as she did every blessed year.

 “Your dad ordered a dozen red last week, for delivery today, potted geranium to his grandma,and he sent the Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Special to your sisters.”

 “That suck-up,” Cal said, knowing it would make Amy gasp and giggle. “How about a dozen yellow for my gran. In a vase, Amy. I don’t want her to have to fool with them.”

 “Aw, that’s sweet. I’ve got Essie’s address on file, you just fill out the card.”

 He picked one out of the slot, gave it a minute’s thought before writing:Hearts are red, these roses are yellow. Happy Valentine’s Day from your best fellow.

 Corny, sure, he decided, but Gran would love it.

Blood Brothers

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Romance That Doesn't Break the Bank: How to Save on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Cupid has his bow pointed right at you— or rather, right at your wallet.

According to a recent study by the National Retail Federation, 54.8 percent of consumers are expected to celebrate the lovers' holiday, and spend a total of $19.7 billion.

Here are some tips on getting the biggest bang for your V-day buck. 

NBC

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“You sent me flowers on Valentine’s Day.”

 “I hear my mother calling,” Layla announced. “Coming, Mom!” She made a fast exit.

 “You sent me tulips that look like blooming candy canes on Valentine’s Day.”

 “They looked like fun.”

 “That’s what you wrote on the card. ‘These look like fun.’ Wow.” She scooped a hand through her hair. “I have to say that I’m a sensible woman, who knows very well Valentine’s Day is a commercially generated holiday designed to sell greeting cards, flowers, and candy.”

 “Yeah, well.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “Works.”

 “And I’m not the type of woman who goes all mushy and gooey over flowers, or sees them as an apology for an argument, a prelude to sex, or any of the other oft-perceived uses.”

 “I just saw them, thought you’d get a kick out of them. Period. I’ve got to get to work.”

 “But,” she continued and moved toward him, “strangely, I find none of that applies in the least in this particular case. They are fun.” She rose up on her toes, kissed his cheek. “And they’re beautiful.” Then his other cheek. “And thoughtful.” Now his lips. “Thank you.”

 “You’re welcome.”

Blood Brothers