Budget Snob

Passion isn’t Found – It’s Pursued

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I write quite a bit about side gigs, starting a business, and other related topics. At least more than I thought. Here’s a sampling:

Stop Job Shopping, Start a Business
Multiple Streams of Extra Income
Why Not Start a Business?
5 Ways to Generate a Second Income

More than likely, you want to pursue your own gig doing something you’re passionate about. Which is another buzz word that’s been a lexicon of the business startup vocabulary for years.

So, that’s all good and well, but what does that mean? According to recent studies, your best option is not necessarily to go with your gut.… Read the rest

Those Pesky Obstacles Are Your Life

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Smile

Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, I went through a period where I felt like my future self was just over the next hill. Just past the next obstacle, which there always seemed to be plenty of. I wanted to start a business so bad I could barely hold back my enthusiasm for when it (self-employment) would deliver itself into my lap.

I spent a lot of time “getting inspired”. I would read books about entrepreneurs. Then I would switch to the writing aisle and read about writing. Then I found the self-help section. And, oh boy, did I have a hay day with that one.… Read the rest

The Money and Happiness Relationship

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I have an unexpected fascination with money and happiness. Unexpected because I didn’t realize how far my quest to learn about the subject would take me. I’ve written about it before here, here, and here.

A recent Bucks Blog article by Carl Richards resumes my fascination with money and if/how it impacts our overall happiness.

Mr. Richards cites a recent study by Princeton University quoted in Time magazine.

According to the study,

people reported an increase in happiness as their incomes rose to $75,000 a year. Then, the impact of rising income on happiness levels off.

What’s odd about this statement is that it pegs happiness at a specific number—75K per year.… Read the rest

Make Money or Be Happy?

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Most of us (I think) would agree we don’t have to choose between money and happiness. But money consumes nearly our entire awake lives. When we have it, we’re trying to protect and maximize it. When we don’t have it, we’re figuring out how to make more of it. Or make the best of what we do have.

Stop and think about a normal day. We are absolutely overwhelmed with money thoughts—spending it, saving it, investing it, and earning it.

And everything is measured in monetary terms. Gas went up 10 cents in 2 days. I saved $50 on groceries. I will get a 3% raise.… Read the rest

Can Money Buy Happiness?

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We’re supposed to say no but, according to a recent Gallup World survey, most people think money can buy happiness:

“Pulling in the big bucks makes people more likely to say they are happy with their lives overall—whether they are young or old, male or female, or living in cities or remote villages, the survey of more than 136,000 people in 132 countries found.”

But this may have more to do with our perception of how we think people with more money that us should feel and act:

“…people may initially define their happiness by income because they are comparing themselves to the ubiquitous Joneses…But here’s something to consider: Many of the people you envy for their outward appearance of wealth are probably just as jammed up with debt as you are – or a paycheck away from being broke.”

So our answer to the “money and happiness” question may be based more on what we think money will do for us at some point in the future rather than how money actually affects us today.… Read the rest