Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does buy time. Time to do the things that make you happy.
Edit: I’ve gone from living in my car with no hope to 3600 square foot house and a realistic goal to retire early. I know have my groceries delivered, my too big of a house cleaned by a house cleaning service, my car maintained by the dealership. These are all things I can do myself, but I have enough resources to have someone else do it while I enjoy my time off.
Money also buys things that enable you to explore things.
Like if you buy an instrument you’re usually out $100-200 at a minumum especially if you add on books and accessories. but learning it can be super rewarding for years.
Honestly, and I think this is part of what the comic is getting at, spending money to buy a new shiny can deliver a hit of dopamine at the moment. But once that hit fades, a variety of other feelings about that purchase can set in.
So it’s not as simple as whether buying something makes you happy, it’s whether the act of purchasing the thing, experiencing the newness, actually owning and using the thing, all bring you happiness. And on top of that, whether the things you could have bought instead would bring you more happiness.
I actually relate pretty hard to this, if it’s not obvious lol
Follow up question: why spend money if it doesnt make you happy?
Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does buy time. Time to do the things that make you happy.
Edit: I’ve gone from living in my car with no hope to 3600 square foot house and a realistic goal to retire early. I know have my groceries delivered, my too big of a house cleaned by a house cleaning service, my car maintained by the dealership. These are all things I can do myself, but I have enough resources to have someone else do it while I enjoy my time off.
Money also buys things that enable you to explore things.
Like if you buy an instrument you’re usually out $100-200 at a minumum especially if you add on books and accessories. but learning it can be super rewarding for years.
as long as you dont have adhd and think this time you will invest in that hobby and thats the one thats going to keep you hooked for years to come
Looking at my guitar, 3d printer, drawing notebooks, balls of yarn, flute and god knows what else I have buried in my many junk drawers…
Every one of them came with that feeling….
I feel like having a little cry right now 😭
You can draw a 3d printable guitar then knit a gigbag for it.
Finding a way to make my hobbies collide helped me a bit.
Honestly, and I think this is part of what the comic is getting at, spending money to buy a new shiny can deliver a hit of dopamine at the moment. But once that hit fades, a variety of other feelings about that purchase can set in.
So it’s not as simple as whether buying something makes you happy, it’s whether the act of purchasing the thing, experiencing the newness, actually owning and using the thing, all bring you happiness. And on top of that, whether the things you could have bought instead would bring you more happiness.
I actually relate pretty hard to this, if it’s not obvious lol
You actually summed it up pretty well! The few things I buy for myself are mostly “tools” to do/learn something that indeed fit your comment.