Having money can make life easier. Some people are concerned about saving up for a summer vacation, but others just want to pay their medical bills and not have to worry about not being able to pay rent. People who grew up without a lot of money consider luxuries. Some of the responses are great reminders to never take what we have for granted. Let us know what little things feel like luxuries to you by upvoting the answers you found most powerful.
1.
After growing up in a home with a lot of financial emergencies, my idea of wealth became “I just want enough money that if something breaks I don’t get anxiety about how to deal with it”.
Money can buy many things that make our lives easier. Money buys us full stomachs, which allows us to function properly and avoid feeling like we’re in survival mode. We can nourish our bodies with fresh produce and healthy foods if we have enough money. Money gives us shelter and warmth. Money buys us experiences that add to our quality of life, like going to see a movie or taking a vacation. It buys us help when we need it, whether it is a tutor for our kids to ace their SATs or therapy to keep our mental health in check. Money allows us to get around. Money gives us resources.
It can buy us happiness, according to a 2010 study. The researchers found that people are happier if they make more money. There is no significant increase in happiness levels after that. The topic is more complicated because more money seems to buy more life satisfaction.
2.
Towels. I was almost 10 when I realized people didn’t just put back on their dirty clothes after a shower because my family was so poor and I didn’t think towels were for hotels or for television. I went to a friend’s house and helped her fold her towels. Thought she must be rich. So, I begged my mom to buy the towels after I told her that my friend, Simone, had them.
I would have to agree if you said that life satisfaction and happiness are synonymous. The researchers in the original study said that well-being can be broken down into two aspects. Life evaluation and emotional well-being. According to the study, happiness is not likely to increase even if someone’s salary is well above $75,000 a year, but life satisfaction can continue to increase with higher income levels.
3.
I could afford to pay the vet, so I saved the pet’s life.
The 2010 idea that happiness related to income reaches a cap was challenged by a 2021, study. In fact, this study found that “there was no evidence for an experienced well-being plateau above $75,000 [a year]”, and “no evidence of an income threshold at which experienced and evaluative well-being diverged, suggesting that higher incomes are associated with both feeling better day-to-day and being more satisfied with life overall”.
The concern that happiness is determined by what you spend your money on is addressed in a review by Giving What We Can. It is recommended to be a conscious purchaser, spending less money on material items and more money on enriching experiences. Buying many small pleasures may be beneficial. The review warns readers to be aware of how purchases affect them and to pay close attention to the happiness of others. If you’re buying an expensive car because you don’t like comparing it to your neighbor’s new car, you won’t be satisfied. If you go to New Zealand for a month to experience a new culture and explore the country’s nature, your happiness will increase.
4.
Man, just getting some crafts. You could entertain me with popsicle sticks, glitter, and glue the rest of the night. Do you know what I have to do? Makes, in light of the fact that the main popsicle sticks we at any point got were NONE, the paste was for school just (“don’t allow your companions to acquire your paste/pastels/pencils we can’t buy more until pay tax!”), and sparkle implied greater power vacuuming it up.
I have a craft room that looks like it was created by a dragon. I make Martha Stewart cry.
5.
I am from a small island. I feel that a hot shower is the finest luxury one can experience, even though I still take cold showers. When I was 22 years old, I had my first hot shower.
6.
I used to be able to afford pads. I used to steal toilet paper from my school at one point.
7.
$5 to spend at the book fair. I never let go of that one and presently I send my children off with $40 to spend at the book fair with the possibility that my children will leave their covered head to toe book fair dribble in the wake of telling their center school crush “simply get anything you desire, it’s everything on me.”
8.
I feel like I can buy anything I want at the grocery store.
I still compare the two brands. Do I really need the sale items though?
9.
Any school trips that had to be paid for were summer camps.
At my school the kids who couldn’t afford to go on trips that happened during school hours still had to come to the school, we just sat in a room and did extra work.
10.
When my grandma came to get me, I would get new clothes, video games, toys, and other things because my parents didn’t have a lot of money. My grandma had a stable income and I used to think she was rich.
Being poor has made the people featured on this list more appreciative of the little things in life, but it’s unfortunate that these luxuries couldn’t be common occurrences in their lives. Being a person is enough stress without having to worry about where your next meal is coming from or if your children can go on a school field trip. We all deserve more than that. Let us know in the comments what little things you are grateful for that you will never take for granted by reading the rest of this eye-opening list.
