How Money Buys Happiness From the WSJ

Can money really buy happiness? Yes! But hint: we've got to have it & save it before carefully spending it. That's the verdict from a recent column in the Wall Street Journal.

The column by Jonathan Clements featured several so-called Happiness Experts from academic circles. The experts concluded that money can finance happiness.
Here's are a few examples:

"Take your dad to the Super Bowl. Buy a home near the office. Get married. Go out to dinner with the family. Take a memorable vacation, and be sure to buy souvenirs." --WSJ

Bottom Line: When we mindfully spend our money, we create concrete memories that enhance our lives. I call it making a deposit in my memory bank account and I don't have to spend a lot to make a small defined contribution to that account.

Here are two of my memory account deposits over the last year:

*$12 Standing room tickets to see first-round Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls 2006 NBA playoff game with my sons. We spent $36 for three playoff tickets. That's way less than some people pay for one playoff ticket. Plus, the Heat won and we had a great time.

*Gourmet ice cream on Lincoln Road. It's weird, I know, but a scoop of cappucino/ chocolate chip ice cream on a sugar cone makes me feel so rich, especially when I'm walking with my kids & husband on Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach.

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