I make far less than half of what I used to... back in the day.
I love what I do for work.
I own nothing, struggle , go hungry sometimes...... but to me that is worth it. I have a choice every paycheck. Either I buy meds or I buy food. I choose meds. My car needs an exhaust and tags. Maybe next month. ........if nothing else goes awry.I need to buy winter shoes again as the ones I bought
last year are worn out and not fixable.Something good will happen regarding that I have confidence!
I have a roof over my head,friends that love me,health and my happiness. I have everything I need to survive on the little blue dot.
Money is nice to have but I dont need it to be happy I have learned. Happiness comes from within and you should never relay on anyone else to make you happy. Things dont make you happy.For me, seeing the natural beauty of our world makes me happy, knowing that people care about me makes me happy. Seeing the sun makes me happy. There is happiness when it rains as well. Rain makes the flowers grow and the keeps Oregon green. Life is how you percieve it to be. I am a happy girl.
Be well friends be well,
BGB

I retired early at the age of 52 through health issues, the lump sum I received was invested and just like Dolph I lost out but 15 years later I'm still having fun... [moto]

I get a small company pention plus my OAP off the government, no morgage, no debts, just have to be careful and life couldn't be better, all I can say is retire as soon as possible because lifes to short...

We live on quite a nice estate and when we go for a walk we pass all the houses with new up market cars and SUVs and Babs always comments as to how we are now poor but I say we're not poor we just have more time to do stuff...

So I say if you have to take a drop in income don't worry just cut your cloth appropriately in live life to the full...

Interesting reading so far and interesting voting results.  The 90% option - that seems like not a lot of margin.  To me, 10% is noise - it could come or go, but wouldn't affect my decision one way or the other. 

80% is definitely not noise, and might be getting close to my personal threshold.  My expenses are not huge - 2 kids & a house, but my wife is a stay at home mom by choice. 

The 60% option is close to what I am seeing on a interesting job opening.  That would take me back to 2002 salary wise, and back then we had no kids, and my wife was working full time as a licensed landscape architect.  I am struggling to see how it would work today and not even sure what math to run to say it would or wouldn't.

mitt

it is an interesting question....but it depends on your current cost of living for the necessities...( and how happy you are at your current job-which begs a follow up question, of how do you guage how happy you really are?)

me personally, I couldn't say for sure as to how much of a cut I could take, because what I make is variable due to my pay being salary/draw + commision...on a good month I could say that I could go without  percentage, but the next month could go into the shitter and I am left trying to string things together on a wing and prayer like I have practically had to do over the last 2 years on more than an occasion or 2...figuring out who I can string along till next month and who had to have their money in priority, much like what badgalbetty was saying...

It's not just the percentage... As 40% of one million per year would be just fine for most people.   

Quote from: MrIncredible on September 13, 2010, 06:41:25 PM
Depends on how miserable you are, and where else you are in life, really. Can't say I'm happy with my job. Can say I'm happy that I could pay the mortgage if P lost her job.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that my job satisfaction is low on the priority list.

That's where I sit too.

I hate where I work, I hate my job, but I like the pay.

It allows me to provide for my family, go on vacations, etc etc.

My happiness sits outside of the workplace........not in.

Quote from: Statler on September 14, 2010, 04:33:27 AM
It's not just the percentage... As 40% of one million per year would be just fine for most people.   

True - hard to represent in a poll though, especially when I never talk about money quantitatively with anyone buy my wife 

mitt

All you people are Commies.

Quote from: duccarlos on September 14, 2010, 05:03:48 AM
All you people are Commies.

bullshitting Bolshevik.

I am absolutely, unshakeably, deeply convinced that money is no substitute for happiness.

I base this on 18 years of practice as a psychiatrist with some extremely wealthy and very poor patients and everything in-between.

I like money and all the shit it can buy me. I love my wife and kids.

Quote from: duccarlos on September 14, 2010, 06:22:11 AM
I like money and all the shit it can buy me. I love my wife and kids.

+1

I'll be miserable 60hrs a week just to be happy the remainder of the time.


Call it greedy, worthless, whatever, I don't care.

It is nice to have money to spend with your wife on nice vacations, a nice motorcycle, a dinner, whatever.

I am happy as a clam when I walk out of this building, of course I curse the entire way out, but get in the car, throw on Shiny Happy People, I get greeted by my dogs first when I get home, then a hug and kiss (I get those nice big boobs against my chest carlos, I sometimes squeeze them) from my wife........and my happiness begins.

Tonight I am finishing up that food station; Tag's bowls won't fit, so I am making it for my brother.

Then I'll cook steak and have dinner with the wife.

Putting up with a shitty job and a nice salary allows us both to live the life we like.


Happiness is all good.


I am not sure how one could be happy when you don't have money for food, but hey.......I am not you and if you can live being happy that way........good for you!

The question as posed can't be answered because we have no idea of the financial situation, so the % choices don't mean anything.

Like the others I think happiness is more important than money, but when you enjoy doing things that cost money, having a certain amount becomes necessary.

I'd take a 95% pay cut to have a job I loved if I was still guaranteed enough money to do the things (or most of them) that I like. That isn't happening unless I win the lottery though.  

Quote from: Triple J on September 14, 2010, 06:44:09 AM
I'd take a 95% pay cut to have a job I loved if I was still guaranteed enough money to do the things (or most of them) that I like. That isn't happening unless I win the lottery though.  

I'd be a worthless non-contributing member to society if I magically had the money to do things we like!


but then again.....I am pretty worthless as is.

Quote from: cyrus buelton on September 14, 2010, 06:28:52 AM
(I get those nice big boobs against my chest carlos, I sometimes squeeze them) from my wife........and my happiness begins.

Pics or it didn't happen.