Would you rather earn more, or use less? Make better use of what you have, or acquire things? Answer honestly - we are not here to judge each other.

I'd rather earn more--not to acquire more but to stress less about every penny I have (or don't have)! I hate that what we eat in any given pay period is based on how much we have left after our utility bill is paid, for example. I feel like if I just had an extra, say, $25 a pay period, the worry level would lower.

I would rather earn more because of earning more intelligently. My day job is classified, and capped off salary wise. I could get further education, slightly increasing my debt, to make my paycheck up to 2x as large, but I know the stress level would more than double,as well as the burden on my family, and I would increase my risk of layoff as well.
I live pretty frugally already. I could make some improvements.
My big goal is finding the outside the box ways to get ahead. I know I won't stay in my day job until I retire, so it is all about creating my next opportunity.

Both. I've found over the years when I earn more I spend and acquire more. When I earn less, I'm good at being frugal but do feel stress and worry. I would like to earn more, but not spend or acquire more. Just haven't ever done it!

I would like to earn more but not be in a high stress job to do it, and only because I struggle now just to keep my horses and dogs fed, and I want to be comfortable. I will always be a frugal person who does not waste and recycles as much as I can. I just want to be able to afford my basic needs without stress.

We have lived on very little for a long time and it has not affected the state of our happiness. However, I prefer to earn more for one reason: You can't give what you don't have.

I love to share what I have with others, and the more I have, the more to share. It brings me joy. Plus, so many others cannot earn or attract money and resources for themselves for a variety of reasons. My feeling is that we are each other's keeper.

Because of several life changing events that have happened over the past several years, I have grown used to living with much less, and I am ok with that.

Hello Everyone,

Debbie and Lori and all, it all makes so much sense! I would say I would like both too but with an extra thought too - for a person not to rail against having to live more frugally suddenly.

You know, things happen, life happens and out of the blue your whole approach to living, to shopping, to stuff you own or used to own, to giving and receiving, to just plain doing and being and having HAS TO CHANGE very quickly.

The longer you take to find equalibrium again, the harder it is. Let old habits go quickly if any of this is any part of you.

When you think of it, it must be devastating to lose everything plus everything precious in a tornado/flood/fire and etc. That is surely when re-establishing a life must be a terrifying prospect. My heart goes out to many in that kind of position.

A list of what you are grateful for in life goes a long way to help with finding your feet again I say.

And then there is that Brendan Croker (sp?) 80s song 'Some people got no money at all'

Cheers now

Yes, when life's events happen you do have to adjust quickly. From getting divorced I lost the financial help of my ex-husband and I was already unemployed. I'm still looking for work and not having much luck. I lost my home, several of my pets, my health insurance, and many possessions. Since I moved out of my house I have had to sell off my collectibles just to stay above water. With nothing left now to sell, I worry about just buying groceries and keeping my animals fed.

I learned quickly to part with material possessions in order to survive. I've come to realize that you should not get too attached to things that don't love you back. When my boyfriend passed away this year I also came to realize that you can't take these things with you when you die anyway, so the pursuit of material things does not interest me anymore.

All I want is to be able to afford my basic necessities and be comfortable without worrying. The extra things don't matter to me.

I've been thinking and thinking about this thread. My emphasis, as the editor of the Frugal Living site, is to live on less. To see the most you can do with the money you have.

But i read all your comments and asked myself if I really didn't want more money if I could have it.

With more money, you pay more taxes. It's harder to budget because there is extra money kicking around and you feel like it's okay to buy yourself treats...not judging; just making a statement based on my own experiences.

I have to be more mindful this way, and more creative. I can treat living well on a small amount as a fun project.

The problems lie in those unexpected expenses, like a car breaking down, a health issue cropping up, a computer dying, a tree falling on your house. And then what about wanting to take a simple vacation and you don't even have money for gas?

I think the best compromise has to do with the happiness studies I've been reading. All of these sources seem to agree that if you can make just what you need to live on, and then $15,000 a year over that, you will be as happy as money can make you be. People over that amount in fluid income are not any happier.

The $15,000 amount is of course relative to your buying power. some places are more expensive than others to live in. Keep in mind the studies are showing that this money is EXTRA to your living needs. So take the exact amount with a grain of salt and think about the idea that is being conveyed.

Personally, once i have my living expenses covered with a degree of certainty, I don't need much extra on top. I think it would be nice to have an emergency fund of $10,000. I don't have that now (nor anything close to it) and I am pretty happy with my fixed income situation. I just don't need much.

What I would like more of is gas money. I'd like to visit friends in Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City, and camp outside Las Vegas again.

These are not needed expenses. For things like this, I plan to sell off my things as i go along and save that money for trips. I also sell recyclables and get some cash each month to add to the kitty.

So that's what I am thinking right now. I really appreciate reading everyone's comments! I'd love to see more thoughts from you guys.