These are such good questions and I wonder them often myself. The first one about people downsizing, working less hours, etc. reminds me of that commercial of the guy that says he has a brand new car, belongs to the country club, has a pool, and is in debt. up to his eyeballs...please help me. It really makes me wonder why he got that way in the first place. Who was he trying to impress? He was obviously miserable, yet, he continued his downward spiral. It really makes you wonder what truly makes a person happy and why so many people try to find happiness in "things". Now, this is not to say that being financially comfortable is a bad thing. Dh has a comfortable income and it does reduce daily stress, but I don't think that is why we are happy...it definitely doesn't hinder our happiness though. Having a wonderful daughter, a comfortable home, a healthy family, food to eat, and being happy with each other are really what makes dh and I happy. I do think the financial aspect of our particular situation makes it easier to stay content and happy though. With less stress to focus on, it is easier to give our attention to things/hobbies/activities/time as a family that we enjoy.

I am anxious to read what others have to say about this...

I do think financial security can lead to happiness, or rather a lack of stress about money can make you happy. HOwever, I think you can feel financially secure making $40K/year or you can also feel financially stressed making $1 million/year. If you have lots of debt, it doesn't really matter how much you are making. It's how much you keep.

That said, I think these things do lead to happiness: close relationships with family, having a support network of friends, doing something with your life that you find fulfilling.

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what makes us happiest in my house, is all the bills being paid. we don't care if we have enough for extra or not. in my experience the more you own, the more you want, and yo uare never happy with what you have. at my house, we are happy with what we have. and we by no means have everythi8ng that we want. we don't overspend on unnnessary crap. we just make it by paying our bills, and as long as the stay paid we are hapy wiht that.

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Kimberley

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