Money vs. Happiness

Have any of you ever found yourselves struggling with that internal debate?
Shouldn't it be easier choosing between loving your low-paying job or hatin the high-paying one?
Just stuck wondering if anyone else has taken a step back in their professional career in order to achieve personal happiness?

 

I will always choose money.

Money can buy therapy. Happiness won't pay the electric bill.

 

Money buys security. Security provides a level of contentment.

 

It's been my experience that the slaps who say "money can't buy happiness" weren't in a position where they were living paycheck to paycheck and hoping to God the gas in the tank lasts four more days because they only had $5.98 left in the bank after buy groceries and paying the light bill.

 

Good point! Made I need to start investing in the therapy now that the electic bill is paid.

 

I guess it depends on the level of poor-ness we're talking about.

I've never been so poor that I couldn't afford a house, a car, food, clothes ... just not that Hawaiian vacation.

I've had jobs where I could afford all of the above ... but the stress levels were so high I wished I could go back to the lower-paying job.

 

I think you need a certain level of money to survive. Without that, you'll never be happy.
That said, I have poor relatives and rich ones. Without exception, the poorer ones are happier.

 

I echo 2muchcoffeeman and imjustagirl.

Security is good. Being able to afford things is good.

 

My thing is, I grew up without much money. And I have been fortunate enough to have decent jobs in journalism.
But now that I have one of those "dream jobs," nothing about it feels as rewarding as working some of the smaller papers i enjoyed.
Have any of you ever made the decision to find happiness at the smaller paper? To leave a summit you thought you were working years to reach?

 

I've been without money. And I've had lots of money. Then I was without the money. Then I had lots and lots and lots of money. One will always spend what one makes. Go for happy. Trust me on this one.

 

That last post made me seasick.

Anyhoo, I find that your budget always manages to somehow swallow up about all you make, no matter how much you make.

 

Welcome to my life now.

But, I'm making money here I could never make at the paper I wish I'd never left. So I'm caught in the middle. But with six credit card payments, car insurance, storage unit, cell phone, student loans, gas, etc...I simply can't move back.