How much less pay to be happy?

[mitt]

Like the question says hypothetically speaking, what is your stance?




mitt

[ItsaDuc]

The question isnt hypothetical to me. I can say that I took a job that paid about 40% less and my happiness doubled five years ago. I know some would say Im crazy, but...I had a wakeup call....

Family
Shelter
Food


The rest is gravy.

[erkishhorde]

I vote for happiness but I'm an idealistic, unemployed 25 y/o living at home with his parents until he can finish his damn MS project and get a job again.

It was nice making $28/hr at my first job out of school but getting yelled at almost every day when I didn't even do anything wrong pissed me the hell off and I quit w/o any plans. I was also working 45-50 hour weeks and I just plain wasn't having fun at my first experience in the real world. It was nice being able to buy anything I wanted but I just couldn't enjoy them because I was tired all the time or pissed off.

[Stinky Wizzleteats]

If you have no debts, no mortgage, no one to provide for but still have enough to be comfortable + drinkin' money....


I would say it's up to you.  

[ItsaDuc]

It was nice being able to buy anything I wanted but I just couldn't enjoy them because I was tired all the time or pissed off.

Bingo

[fastwin]

So many studies and surveys have said it's not the money, it's the personal satisfaction and happiness that make people love their jobs. So easy to say and so hard to do. So few people really do what they love regardless of the pay. The Life Is Good Company mantra says it all "love what you do, do what you love". It isn't as easy as it sounds. I've never found it and seriously doubt I ever will. Sad. Right now I'd just like a decent job. I don't need to love it.  

[Popeye the Sailor]

Wait....I can get paid to be happy?

[redxblack]

I took a huge pay cut to go from an IT sys/admin to a high school history teacher. After 8 years and 35 graduate credit hours, I'm back to what I used to make, but more importantly I'm much happier.

[Popeye the Sailor]

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.

[The Bacon Junkie]

I used to own my own business, but after 6 1/2 years I had had enough.  I sold my shares to my business partner, and found a job teaching again.  

It's a private school (less pay than public) but it's an amazing place, and I feel like I'm exactly where I want to be.  There's room to grow, and lots of fun employee perks.  

I'm not making bags of money, but I get to work at 8:30am, I leave at 5:30pm, I have an hour lunch, there's (good) free coffee, and I don't have to think about work at night or on weekends.  

I'm 100% happier than I was.  

[sbrguy]

i've taken jobs for 50% cut in pay and its good, so long as you are healthy and aren't in debt and i wasn't so it was a good tradeoff for quality of life.

but i have a caveat, those studies that say happiness is not multiplied by more money, obviously are studies in a vacuum.

ask anyone with serious medical  bills/problems if they would be happy if they had more money to pay for better care and you will hear a very different opinion.

happiness is great, but it doesn't pay the rent/hospital bills or gas.

[RAT900]

I'm 59 and spare time and quality of life are worth more than money to me

age has a way of shifting priorities

but then I made enough when I was younger to afford this attitude

[Speeddog]

Wait....I can get paid to be happy?

Of course.
You won't be paid *much*, however.

[il d00d]

I studied fine arts in college - I had a nice lifestyle as a starving artist laid out before me, and I threw it all away it by getting mixed up in IT.  (I kid IT, I really enjoy the work.)  Now that I have three other humans in my life that serve as happiness coefficients, I have to say how I calculate personal happiness is much different now, and will be for the time being.  My own personal happiness is not as important as the collective happiness of the household.  And what only makes me happy is not as satisfying as what makes everyone happy.  Money has a way working its way into the equation more often (but not always) when you are in this situation.

I don't love money, but I have figured out how to make it work for me.  And I am pretty happy, for reasons that have little to do with my job.  I said 80% because I would happily take a 20% cut if I could spend another full day per week with my kids.

[DoubleEagle]

I worked hard for 30 years , even was part owner of the Company when at age 56 said .......I've had enough of this shit.

When the Company went Public and I was allowed to sell all my stock I did so over the period of a couple of years.

Cost me a shit ton of Tax but there was plenty left over , even after the $$$$$$$ lost in the Stock Market crash of '07 to now, hopefully will last me until my time on this World is up.

So I say retire as soon as possible and have fun with the time you have remaining.

Try to save enough money to invest in something that will grow your money while you are working .

What has happened to our Economy in the last few years has been unprecedented in my lifetime which means pretty much all DMFers lifetimes.

The Stock Market has historically over the last 100 years returned on average 8%.

You have to be diversified and find a Financial planner that you trust to guide you w, your investing.

I was greedy, when the Dot.com bubble burst around 2000 I could have got out of the Stock Market and made a bunch of $$$$$$$ but no....I wanted to ride it out thinking it would come back stronger. No such luck until 2006 then things started to get better and then 2007 and the Stock market hit !4,000 and I was back in the high life ...but then that Fall things starting going bad and I could have got out and been sitting pretty ....but no....I was greedy and thought it was a short term blip.

Boy was I wrong ....and my Financial Planner advised me to sit tight.

Well I paid the big $$$$$$$ price.

Luckily I did finally get out while I still had a good chunk of change.

I have gone in a different direction w, my investing now.

I am in safer waters and can sleep at night knowing no more big losses.

Dolph