Thoughts on the changing value of money

[Alphathree33]

When I was little, I thought $20 was an amazingly large amount of money.

With $2, I could come back with tons of candy from the candy store, and that's all I wanted.

In high school, I thought $100 was a lot of money; enough to buy a lot of Magic Cards (hehe) or a few computer games.

In university, I thought $1000 was a lot of money.

Now I drop $1000 without really thinking about it.

But I still think $10,000 is a lot of money. I'm sure I will pass that barrier too.

I often wonder what the limit is... how much money is "enough"?

For a while, I thought $1 million was enough. You could live off that amount for the rest of your life. I made a plan to get there and am moving nicely along that plan.

But then I started getting greedy -- I want not just a house, but a beachfront castle. I want a cook and a housekeeper and fancy cars.

$1 million isn't enough. Maybe $10-20 million? So now I have a plan to get there.

But when I do get there, I wonder if it'll be enough?

Maybe then I will want a private jet, or 2-3 beachfront houses...

I know money can't buy happiness, but it sure does buy a whole lot of comfort and freedom to let you do the things that do make you happy. So when should you stop pursuing money and start pursuing those things that truly make you happy?

 

[PrinceofWands]

I've never pursued money in my life, and I think I'm better off for it. I've only made 30k in a year like once or twice, but I live very comfortably, with lots of toys, and have no complaints. I think the pursuit of money is probably about the most fruitless waste of a human life that one can contemplate. For me. I realize others find true happiness by doing it, and that's fine too. Whatever makes you happy.

 

[Canai]

Ah greed, the American way. :laugh:

But once you stop chasing the dollar and start doing the things that make you happy, that's when you're rich enough.

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I've never pursued money in my life, and I think I'm better off for it. I've only made 30k in a year like once or twice, but I live very comfortably, with lots of toys, and have no complaints. I think the pursuit of money is probably about the most fruitless waste of a human life that one can contemplate. For me. I realize others find true happiness by doing it, and that's fine too. Whatever makes you happy.

It should be noted that I'm deriving enjoyment from my pursuit of money. Not happiness, but enjoyment.

I make $70K at age 24 and I'm on track to make a lot more, but it seems like so little. It's crazy how my perspective differs from yours.

I really value liberty and freedom and I feel like money is the only way to obtain those things.

 

[destrekor]

Having a drive with goals is far from greedy, merely good planning. What you do when you reach that level is different though. For example, I think striving high from the start is extreme... desire a decent size house that you can afford either in the present or at the next level, one in which you feel you can live comfortably. Any excess funding after time can then be used as you desire, or you can strive higher from that point. If you aim extremely high from the start, you may be doomed for failure. Instead, take it in steps.

I desire a decent size suburban home, with a muscle car and maybe an older beater, or a wife that has a nice car that handles weather extremes better. I think that would be good enough for me. Pay off the home, and fill it with things that take up my time if I want to... such as a home theater, maybe a game/rec/sports room, and a dark room for my continuing film photography interest (to turn it into the true hobby I enjoy, not handing off the negs and hoping some machine gets the prints right).
As I'm hoping for a military career, that may not be possible at first, as base changes would screw that all to hell. But with early retirement, that'd be possible, enjoyable, and a comfortable life. That's all I want in the end, to have a comfortable life for my family as well as for myself.

+

 

[darkxshade]

Why make money in the real world when you can make money in the world... of warcraft!!!

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I've never pursued money in my life, and I think I'm better off for it. I've only made 30k in a year like once or twice, but I live very comfortably, with lots of toys, and have no complaints. I think the pursuit of money is probably about the most fruitless waste of a human life that one can contemplate. For me. I realize others find true happiness by doing it, and that's fine too. Whatever makes you happy.

It should be noted that I'm deriving enjoyment from my pursuit of money. Not happiness, but enjoyment.

I make $70K at age 24 and I'm on track to make a lot more, but it seems like so little. It's crazy how my perspective differs from yours.

I really value liberty and freedom and I feel like money is the only way to obtain those things.

I'm 35, I've supported a wife and child on 20-30k a year with ease. Hell, even after all my schooling (many degrees worth) I never aspire to make much more than 50k a year. I go to places of culture and entertainment, I have a half dozen computers in my hobby server cluster, I just got back from 10 days in London and Ireland, I've given a speech before a Senate Committee to enact political change, and so on. I find the pursuit of money takes away my liberties and freedoms, making me a slave of the society which provides the money while not allowing me the time and energy to act to shape it. *shrug* Like I said, I don't think it's necessarily wrong for some people to go after wealth, it's just not for me. I certainly don't think people with money have necessarily done anything better than I have in life.