Good times…bad times…money plenty…money scarce.
I’ve been though it all and when it’s good, you save and when it’s bad you still save.
(I’m a miser)
Since things have been bad…we’ve given up the fun nights out we used to have. Dinners, drinks, theater, adventures, trying new restaurants….
I could say it’s been a rough few years financially or I could say, “Well…sometimes you have to hunker down and make it though the storm…” Cause we all have storms.
It’s been years since we’ve had a proper date night. I was thinking that it was okay…we were saving money and that’s what it important right now. Then I read the article by M. Gary Neuman. (I am pretty sure I am his biggest fan)
Suddenly I have a new perspective. Read the below. Maybe you’ll get one too?
“What Makes Us Happy?”
Elizabeth Dunn, a university professor and the co-author (with Michael Norton who teaches at Harvard Business School) of the book, Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, noted that experiences not material objects correlate to higher levels of happiness. They explain that couples who give up vacations, eating out and other pleasurable experiences for the sake of buying a home often are unhappy with their lifestyle.
The authors were quoted in The New York Times discussing whether or not buying a home results in greater happiness. They caution couples against buying a more expensive or dream home or even giving up renting for ownership if the result is a significant reduction in money for good experiences together. Dr. Dunn notes that “people still view housing as a central component of happiness and a critical aspect of the American dream…but there is little evidence to support that.”
–M. Gary Neuman