Over and over again it’s been said that money can’t buy happiness. I think a more accurate statement would be that money can’t buy fulfillment.
I think that money can buy happiness quite a bit. It can buy a life changing experience on a trip that you’ve always wanted to go on. It can buy a new computer that you use for your creative work that makes you happy every time you use it. It can buy you new clothes that make you feel nice when you’re dressing up for a date.
But it can’t buy fulfillment.
Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs back in school? So as money buys shelter and basic needs and you move up the hierarchy, you have to have connection and meaning to live a fulfilled life.
That’s why people say money can’t buy happiness. Because when people are unfulfilled and they have a bunch of stuff, the stuff doesn’t make them happy.
But when you get to go on an unforgettable trip with your spouse, then yeah, money really played a huge factor in contributing to your happiness on that trip.
So first, we have this guilt associated with wanting more. In our culture, we tell you to just be thankful and satisfied with what you have.
Which you should. In fact, it’s a good idea to start a practice of gratitude if you have issues with being thankful with what you have.
But it’s also ok if you’d like to earn more.
Margin is the tool that we use to get ahead with our finances.
Margin is what is left over after we have taken care of our obligations with our spending.
It’s what we use to pay down debt, save for a new car, save for a trip, and use as our monthly spending money.
If you’re so tight that you don’t have any margin, it’s going to feel like you can’t breathe.
Katie and I have experienced this in our own lives. We are both teachers, so as you can imagine, we make good money together, but we don’t live on huge salaries.
Back when we were first married, we were able to save half of our income each month.
But then we bought a house, and that took out a lot of our margin. We were still able to save, but just a lot slower of a rate.
Then, we had our first son. That’s when things started to feel way tighter.
After having our daughter and then having two kids in daycare, it’s really wiped out our margin.
You may be feeling the same way.
You may be feeling like you don’t really have any margin to really get ahead, pay down debt, or save for your retirement like you’d want.
Chris Guillebeau hosts this great podcast that’s all about finding and starting a side hustle. It’s called the Side Hustle School. I’ve been following Chris for a while now but have only recently started checking out his podcast and it’s really cool.
What’s great about his podcast is that he explores a ton of different ways that his readers and listeners are finding success with a side hustle without having to quit their jobs or spend a ton of money to get started.
There’s a new episode each day. For 2020, he’s also taking listeners that haven’t started a side project through the process of selecting a project and seeing it through to making some money on the side. With each episode lasting 10 minutes or less, there isn’t really a downside to checking it out.
You can find his podcast by searching for Side Hustle School wherever you listen to your podcast or you can click here. I suggest starting with episode 1101.
So today I want you to consider starting something on the side. It doesn’t have to be big, it doesn’t have to be expensive.
You reading this blog is the result of me starting a side hustle. I’m taking something that I love (talking with others about personal finance) and combining it with something that I enjoy doing (writing, learning how to create a blog, building social media accounts, ect.).
So I encourage you to have a curiosity about the things that interest you. Pursue those interests and you never know where it might lead you.
If you knew that no one would laugh at you, what do you wish you could make money on the side doing?
Leave a Reply