Money Isn’t Worth Much If You Never Get To Enjoy It


Many things frustrate me. One of those things is that so many people emphasize earning money over everything else, including personal time for self development, hobbies, relaxation, philanthropy, vacations, family, etc. I want to talk a bit about this obsession with earning more and more money and spending less and less. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for saving, investing, building for the future, but at what point are you too stingy with your money?

Money isn’t worth much if you never get to enjoy it.

Put simply, Money: Enjoy It.

We only live once so it would behoove all of us to take time out of our ever-busy lives to stop and smell the money. I’ve come up with a few Do’s and Don’ts that we could probably all benefit from once in a while.

Don’t be a workaholic

Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge: Rich. Lonely. Mean.

Some people have to work 80+ hours a week between two or three jobs just to get by. If you don’t have to work that often just to put food on the table and pay your bills then why would you? I’m not saying to be lazy, I’m just saying you should step away from your desk and let yourself do something else besides work every once in a while. Don’t be a workaholic, because you might end up like this guy if you are:

Don’t be too frugal

You work hard for your money. There are probably things that you really enjoy, and things you don’t care much about. Spend your money on stuff you enjoy and cut back on stuff you don’t. Why cut back on everything when it’ll only make you miserable? If you can do without your morning Starbucks but really enjoy going to the movies, bars, etc then skip Starbucks and go out!

Do take a holiday

Make it a point to see the world, or at the very least something outside of the town or city you live in. I make it a point to go somewhere I’ve never been before at least once a year. It’s not always something crazy or exotic, but for the most part I’ve managed to stick to this ‘rule,’ and I plan to continue doing so. I think everyone could benefit from a little time away from home once in a while, so that’s why I brought this up.

Do donate your time and money

While spending money on yourself is absolutely important, I think donating your time and money is of equal importance. My wife and I make it a point to donate to charities regularly (although we could do better). We also enjoy doing service through places such as Habitat for Humanity, etc. Honestly I thought about not even bringing this up, because I hate feeling like I’m tooting my own horn, but ultimately I thought philanthropy is too important (in my eyes at least) to not mention.

Would you add anything to my list of Do’s and Don’ts?


One response to “Money Isn’t Worth Much If You Never Get To Enjoy It”

  1. Oh I so agree! Yes we need to be wise with what we do with our money, we need to prepare for the future (save) and set up goals.. but while you’re doing all of those things, we need to live. Not live beyond your means, but still live!

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