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28 tales of real financial freedom and the joy that comes with it.

Anything related to matters of the mind

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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Have a story where real financial freedom and abundance brought you joy and happiness?

Share your story here.

If you don't have a story, I will share many from my life. These are stories where having real financial wealth had a direct and meaningful impact on your happiness and/or lowered stress.

Background:

If you ever hear anyone say, "money doesn't buy happiness," you're talking to a fool. You can immediately presume the following about anyone who parrots such a tired cliche:
  1. This person is broke and has given up on obtaining true financial freedom. The old Fox and Grapes parable comes to mind where the Fox refuses to admit defeat and instead lies to himself, proclaiming, "Meh, I never wanted those sour grapes."
  2. The person has deep psychological issues; in many cases, money might not have a meaningful impact.
  3. That person inaccurately deploys binary logic and presumes that having tremendous financial resources involves working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and therefore, the money has less utility value.
  4. That person is trying to sell you something, often a financial plan of lowered expectations, minimalistic standards, and mediocrity. Settling for less is not a financial plan; it's just a Scripted plan that doesn't want to BEAT the system; it wants to DENY it and suffer the consequences. The World Economic Forum approves.

You know that old platitude that more money beyond $75K a year doesn't impact happiness? Ha Ha, what a joke. Don't believe that ancient bullshit that propagates the mediocrity agenda.

With the emergence of smartphone technology, scientists now (finally) admit that money indeed impacts happiness, and FAR BEYOND levels previously thought.

If anyone tells you they enjoy standing in line for 5 hours at a crowded airport while being stuffed in economy class on an airplane, they're liars.

If anyone tells you they enjoy inhaling diesel fumes in their 30-year-old truck, they're liars.

In anyone tells you they enjoy passing that nice restaurant for the umpteenth time because "it's not in the budget," they're liars.

Beware of liars.

Here are some stories that demonstrate how money directly impacts happiness. I plan on adding several per week from my life.

TALE #1 OF REAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM


In 2018, Hachi, our rescue puppy we adopted and saved many years ago (he was 1 day away from euthanasia), suffered multiple ACL tears in both his hind legs.

He was unable to walk, play, or do his business.

The prognosis was to put him down as his quality of life would have been eliminated.

Or, I could pay for 2 costly surgeries involving screws and metal implants in an attempt to repair his legs. One surgery, wait 8 weeks and do it again.

hachi.jpg

I thought about this expensive decision for 1.3 seconds.

Here's my credit card: how fast can we get it done?

Both surgeries were successful, and years later, I'm happy to report Hachi is as playful as ever, even as an old man! Having Hachi in our family's life has brought us tremendous happiness.

And it all was made possible because I had money, not just "I can pay my bills" money, but an abundance of it.
 
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biophase

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I think I might start a thread on all the real stories in my life where having real financial freedom has brought me joy, lowered stress, and contributed to life experience.
I have a similar story to yours. When my dog's spleen burst and I rushed her to the vet. The vet came in and said, she needs emergency surgery and blood transfusions. There's a high chance she could die in surgery and if it's cancer she would only live 2-3 months afterward. It was surgery or put her to sleep. The estimated bill was $12,000. I had to make a decision within 5 minutes. I said here's my credit card.

I told this story to one of my friends and she said, my dog would be dead at that price.
 

Belesarius

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Because of the recent invasion of mediocrity seekers, penny pinchers and general People that think earning 100k per year (not hating on it I don´t make near that, but the general level of hype for this amount of money in the general society is absurd) is like the second coming of Jesus.
My Idea would be to collect memories that you had, that brought you immense feelings of happiness BECAUSE you had a lot of money, or are rich.

I am not rich yet I am still a student, however my father is a doctor which earns a decent amount of money, and he payed for a kind of expensive LASIK Operation (5k) on both of my eyes, and now I never have to wear glasses again and have the maximal human possible eyesight.

This would never have been possible with a lack of money. I am thankfull everyday for my new earned freedom

Money braught me happiness.

What are your stories of money bringing happiness?
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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Because of the recent invasion of mediocrity seekers, penny pinchers and general People that think earning 100k per year (not hating on it I don´t make near that, but the general level of hype for this amount of money in the general society is absurd) is like the second coming of Jesus.
My Idea would be to collect memories that you had, that brought you immense feelings of happiness BECAUSE you had a lot of money, or are rich.

I am not rich yet I am still a student, however my father is a doctor which earns a decent amount of money, and he payed for a kind of expensive LASIK Operation (5k) on both of my eyes, and now I never have to wear glasses again and have the maximal human possible eyesight of way above the average eyesight.

This would never would be possible with a lack of money. I am thankfull everyday for my new earned freedom

Money braught me happiness.

What are your stories of money bringing happiness?

I've moved this topic into one central thread. Thanks for the prompt.
 

biophase

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I have a similar story to yours. When my dog's spleen burst and I rushed her to the vet. The vet came in and said, she needs emergency surgery and blood transfusions. There's a high chance she could die in surgery and if it's cancer she would only live 2-3 months afterward. It was surgery or put her to sleep. The estimated bill was $12,000. I had to make a decision within 5 minutes. I said here's my credit card.

I told this story to one of my friends and she said, my dog would be dead at that price.
F*ck, this was me in 2007. I just realized it.

I didn't realize it until yesterday that I was both the fisherman and the business man.

FISHERMAN DAYS

In 2004 I moved from Chicago to Phx. I purchased a $70k condo which had a $400 association fee. The association fee covered all utilities including electric and internet. My monthly expenses including food were around $1500! I had $100k in my bank account. I calculated that I could 5 years on this money.

I lasted 3 months before I became insanely bored. I also got a glimpse of retirement living where you spend little to preserve your money. I spent my days at the gym, seeing movies with a slim budget of $20 a day on food. I was living the FIRE life and I didn't know it. I actually went and got a job. Both, so I'd have something to do and also to have more money to spend.

In 2007 I started my ecommerce business. It was dropshipping and made around $30k a year. Working 2-4 hours a day, again I spent alot of time working out, biking and doing stuff that didn't cost alot of money. It was the FIRE life again, but much better than the 2004 FIRE life.

In 2007, my dog Maggie got sick with IMHA. She needed 2 blood transfusions and 24 hour care. One week at the vet cost $5,000. She didn't get better. In week two, the vet said we can continue doing blood transfusions and put her on a medication that costs $300/mo for the rest of her life. It may take 1-2 weeks for the medication to kick in. So I was looking at $5,000 to $10,000 plus medication. I elected to put her down.

Thinking back, if I was making the same amount of money I made now. There's no way I would have made that decision. However, I had just spent $5k and was about to commit another $10k. Making $30k a year, I just couldn't do it.

BUSINESSMAN DAYS

Now, I live the same lifestyle as in 2004. I still go to the gym, see movies, eat out, etc... However, budget is no longer a word in my vocabulary. I can tell you from experience that wealthy retirement is MUCH better than FIRE retirement.

As I stated before, my dog got sick last year and a $12,000 bill was not even a thought. I would have spent $10,000/wk to keep her alive. I'm kind of sad that I failed Maggie in 2007 because I didn't make enough money back then to give her a chance. :(

So yeah, having money is way better than not having it.
 

Goodfella999

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F*ck, this was me in 2007. I just realized it.

I didn't realize it until yesterday that I was both the fisherman and the business man.

FISHERMAN DAYS

In 2004 I moved from Chicago to Phx. I purchased a $70k condo which had a $400 association fee. The association fee covered all utilities including electric and internet. My monthly expenses including food were around $1500! I had $100k in my bank account. I calculated that I could 5 years on this money.

I lasted 3 months before I became insanely bored. I also got a glimpse of retirement living where you spend little to preserve your money. I spent my days at the gym, seeing movies with a slim budget of $20 a day on food. I was living the FIRE life and I didn't know it. I actually went and got a job. Both, so I'd have something to do and also to have more money to spend.

In 2007 I started my ecommerce business. It was dropshipping and made around $30k a year. Working 2-4 hours a day, again I spent alot of time working out, biking and doing stuff that didn't cost alot of money. It was the FIRE life again, but much better than the 2004 FIRE life.

In 2007, my dog Maggie got sick with IMHA. She needed 2 blood transfusions and 24 hour care. One week at the vet cost $5,000. She didn't get better. In week two, the vet said we can continue doing blood transfusions and put her on a medication that costs $300/mo for the rest of her life. It may take 1-2 weeks for the medication to kick in. So I was looking at $5,000 to $10,000 plus medication. I elected to put her down.

Thinking back, if I was making the same amount of money I made now. There's no way I would have made that decision. However, I had just spent $5k and was about to commit another $10k. Making $30k a year, I just couldn't do it.

BUSINESSMAN DAYS

Now, I live the same lifestyle as in 2004. I still go to the gym, see movies, eat out, etc... However, budget is no longer a word in my vocabulary. I can tell you from experience that wealthy retirement is MUCH better than FIRE retirement.

As I stated before, my dog got sick last year and a $12,000 bill was not even a thought. I would have spent $10,000/wk to keep her alive. I'm kind of sad that I failed Maggie in 2007 because I didn't make enough money back then to give her a chance. :(

So yeah, having money is way better than not having it.

Wow, I feel for you. Id spend anything to keep my dog alive. Money not only makes your life better, it can help save family members lives.
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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TALE #2 OF REAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM


My wife was recently saddened to hear an old childhood mentor (like a father figure) recently died. Instead of mourning and paying her respects 2,000 miles away in a text message or a Zoom call, she took a first class flight back to her childhood home and attended the funeral. She also took several days to do so. She also was able to reconnect with some loved ones from her childhood as well as give a personal "thank you" to those who impacted her life many years ago. Her sudden appearance was quite a surprise.

Thanks to money she can leave at a moment's whim, regardless of the cost of the flight.
Thanks to money she can fly in comfort, not jammed into economy-class like a sardine.
Thanks to money she doesn't have to worry about "OMG, I'll miss 4 days of work!"
Thanks to money she personally reconnects with some old childhood parental figures and can personally thank them.
Thanks to money she can mourn collectively with people, not disingenuously on a text or Zoom call.

Money made all of this possible.

Not, "Mexican Fisherman" I only have enough resources to satify my immediate needs!

Beware of liars who proclaim, MoNeY DoeSN't BuY HAppINeSS or that money isn't important all long as you walk the dog and play checkers all day.
 

ZackerySprague

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Have a story where real financial freedom and abundance brought you joy and happiness?

Share your story here.

If you don't have a story, I will share many from my life. These are stories where having real financial wealth had a direct and meaningful impact on your happiness and/or lowered stress.

Background:

If you ever hear anyone say, "money doesn't buy happiness," you're talking to a fool. You can immediately presume the following about anyone who parrots such a tired cliche:
  1. This person is broke and has given up on obtaining true financial freedom. The old Fox and Grapes parable comes to mind where the Fox refuses to admit defeat and instead lies to himself, proclaiming, "Meh, I never wanted those sour grapes."
  2. The person has deep psychological issues; in many cases, money might not have a meaningful impact.
  3. That person inaccurately deploys binary logic and presumes that having tremendous financial resources involves working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and therefore, the money has less utility value.
  4. That person is trying to sell you something, often a financial plan of lowered expectations, minimalistic standards, and mediocrity. Settling for less is not a financial plan; it's just a Scripted plan that doesn't want to BEAT the system; it wants to DENY it and suffer the consequences. The World Economic Forum approves.

You know that old platitude that more money beyond $75K a year doesn't impact happiness? Ha Ha, what a joke. Don't believe that ancient bullshit that propagates the mediocrity agenda.

With the emergence of smartphone technology, scientists now (finally) admit that money indeed impacts happiness, and FAR BEYOND levels previously thought.

If anyone tells you they enjoy standing in line for 5 hours at a crowded airport while being stuffed in economy class on an airplane, they're liars.

If anyone tells you they enjoy inhaling diesel fumes in their 30-year-old truck, they're liars.

In anyone tells you they enjoy passing that nice restaurant for the umpteenth time because "it's not in the budget," they're liars.

Beware of liars.

Here are some stories that demonstrate how money directly impacts happiness. I plan on adding several per week from my life.

TALE #1 OF REAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM


In 2018, Hachi, our rescue puppy we adopted and saved many years ago (he was 1 day away from euthanasia), suffered multiple ACL tears in both his hind legs.

He was unable to walk, play, or do his business.

The prognosis was to put him down as his quality of life would have been eliminated.

Or, I could pay for 2 costly surgeries involving screws and metal implants in an attempt to repair his legs. One surgery, wait 8 weeks and do it again.

View attachment 47522

I thought about this expensive decision for 1.3 seconds.

Here's my credit card: how fast can we get it done?

Both surgeries were successful, and years later, I'm happy to report Hachi is as playful as ever, even as an old man! Having Hachi in our family's life has brought us tremendous happiness.

And it all was made possible because I had money, not just "I can pay my bills" money, but an abundance of it.

Saving a life is much more fulfilling than worry about the cost of how much it would take to do the surgeries and thus money allows you to save people's lives.

I think your dog looks amazing!

I had to do something similar to a family pet her name was Arabel. She had this big lump that was life threatening, I didn't know TMF and was very young at the time around 21 years old. I paid for her surgery, despite knowing I would have owed money on my old Discover card. No regrets, now that I think about it.

Long live Hachi!
 

ZackerySprague

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Not necessarily a story, but a dream goal that I have always had when I was a bit younger a few years ago. My brother was wrongfully imprisoned for something he didn't do. He had to make a choice of either 10 years in prison on a 5 year parole or 20-30 years in prison. He choose guilty despite their having no physicals evidence of any kind except for statements of he said, she said.

He went in on October 31st, 2018 and my family has never been the same ever since. But he is now coming up on Parole, I have to write him a support letter to Parole officers as to why he should come out to society. In past, I won't lie to you I was money hungry because of my self-created situation. But I thought why not help him secure his life by buying him a home or an car so he wouldn't worry about what he could do when he gets out. Becoming self-less and helping him.

My old childhood home is a place he can stay, so my goal is to finish my parent's mortgage so that my brother has a place of permanent residence and doesn't have to worry about a thing and even buy him a car straight out.

When I was little he was the one who stood up for me when I couldn't and gave me the boost in confidence when I didn't have it.
 
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