How little $$$ for you to still be happy???

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Charlie D.

Trad climber

Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra

Jul 31, 2014 - 07:48pm PT

I'd trade all the money in the world to have good health and vitality for the rest of my days. It is our banking on the potential risk that creates the desire to accumulate. How much do you need? It's anyone's guess.

Jon Beck

Trad climber

Oceanside

Jul 31, 2014 - 08:01pm PT

Okay, I tried to educate myself on Maslow, but trying to understand even the wikipedia explanation was making my life more miserable. The cool chart reminded me of the Fish Products t-shirt, which is much easier to understand.

http://www.fishproducts.com/catalog/tshirts.html

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Jul 31, 2014 - 11:41pm PT

please show me the measured statistics of lottery winners and unhappy lives.

I have no statistics, but I do have a personal anecdote. About 12 years ago, give or take a year, I represented the Creditors' Committee in a Chapter 11 case filed by a California Lotto jackpot winner. He was a farmer, and bought more land just before the farm price crash in the early part of this century.

The Lotto winnings paid the unsecured creditors in full, and enough left over for him to do OK. I haven't read or seen anything about him since, so I hope he's made it back to some sort of personal equilibrium.

John

pyro

Big Wall climber

Calabasas

Aug 1, 2014 - 05:51am PT

money money the more the better!

im saving for a house in malibu!

i wanna feel and be one with rich malibuites...

i wanna buy a yaht and park it right at surfrider beach..

Bad Climber

climber

Aug 1, 2014 - 06:23am PT

This is a really interesting and important question. The answer is a moving target depending on whom you ask. I suppose the bare minimum is enough money so you're not stressing much over the basics--food, shelter, health care, etc. I personally feel like I won the employment lottery as a community college instructor. I've been at the game for decades now, and, when I don't want to kill my students or the system or myself, I find my job quite rewarding. I love the challenges of cracking open young minds and the joy of meeting new, interesting people. Besides that, I make about $80K a year as a tenured prof. + health benefits. And I get butt loads of time off. A damn sweet deal.

I've asked some colleagues about how little pay they would accept to do this job--teaching at a C.C. Theoretically, this low number should be the amount offered for a tax payer funded position. I certainly can't see myself doing it for $30K given all the schooling required. I think, back in the mid-90's when I started my current full time position, I began at about $36K, so obviously that was high enough. But if the salary never increased? That's tougher. For sure I'd do it for $45K, but a lot depends on what my options would be.

The short answer for the OP question is: It depends....mostly on where you live/want to live and the cost of living there. And your tolerance for living under highway overpasses and such.

BAd

skitch

climber

East of Heaven

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 1, 2014 - 08:44am PT

I keep thinking that I can live simpler and cheaper, but then I see the next retardedly expensive thing I want and. . .it still doesn't make me happier or more content.

Just bought this stupid thing: