Am I the only one who wants to have enough money for necessities and a few luxuies, but doesn’t want to be filthy rich? When I tell people this, they laugh at me as if I’m crazy. Am I? Are there other Dopers who don’t want to be rich?
You’re not alone. The curse of great weath would be miserable. From what I’ve seen, if you make great wealth, that means you have to be the kind of person I wouldn’t want to be; and if you inherit great wealth, you often act like the kind of person I wouldn’t want to act like.
Me, I’ll happily opt for comfort.
I think I’d probably feel better about myself if I were extremely wealthy.
Well, I’d be happy both ways. But if I was filthy rich, I could give to others so that we’d all have “just enough” and that would make me even happier.
I don’t want to be filthy rich.
I wouldn’t refuse 80 billion dollars if offered, but that’s not what I strive for.
I could honestly use a little more money than I currently have, and I think it would be kind of neat to be able to do unnecessary things like, say, fly to the French Riviera for lunch because I have nothing better to do today … but I’m not chewing my cheeks in agony because I can’t (and probably will never be able to) do that.
I’d be just as happy to meet necessities and have a few wants, considering we can’t even afford to fix a vehicle or appliance lately. Not having any debt at all would be nice, and an account that actually collects interest.
Being filthy rich would just be too distracting. I want a manageable sum where I don’t need an accountant.
I wouldn’t mind being filthy rich. That doesn’t mean I would live like it. I would still want a job and everything. However, being able to buy whatever I want definately wouldn’t be a problem; also, I would frequently donate to all sorts of charities. Although I already do the donating thing, it would be nice to be able to increase the amount.
I don’t think being filthy rich would be good for me. We’re also aiming for ‘pretty comfortable.’ Of course, no one ever thinks they have quite as much as they’d like, but I’d like to be able to afford to take a trip abroad now and then.
I think I wouldn’t mind being rich. I’d live in the same house, the same suburb, but I’d be able to see my dreams come to fulfillment faster. And make other people’s dreams work, too.
There was an interesting study (sorry, i don’t have a cite) which asked people how much income they wanted to have. The answer was usually about 30% above their current income.
It seems to be make sense to me. I could do with a little more money, but i don’t want to be filthy rich or anything. If i had more income though i would probably develop more expensive tastes, and wish for just a little more income. And so on and so on…
Topaz asks,
<Am I the only one who wants to have enough money for necessities and a few luxuies, but doesn’t want to be filthy rich? When I tell people this, they laugh at me as if I’m crazy. Am I? Are there other Dopers who don’t want to be rich?>
Hmmm. Well, ideally I’d have my necessities and a few luxuries without having to go out to a freakin’ job and deal with people and their crap every day. If that’s possible without being rich, then I don’t feel like I need to be rich. 
There’s also the matter of what it takes to GET rich, too. For instance, I’m also not willing to jump on the stress-yourself-to-death treadmill or the corporate bullshit ladder or join in the let’s play all the games/politics nonsense, which means that I’ll never be “successful” in any job no matter how well I can do whatever the task is that I’m hired to do. In fact, I was once let go for refusing to play the games, although I showed up for work every day on time and did all the actual work I was supposed to do, including OT and Saturdays when the situations called for it. I also worked as a temp in one place with a few other temps. I was the most qualified one there in terms of job skill and experience, but the one who got hired as a permanent employee was the one who played the games.
But anyway, I digress. You seem to be interested in comfort, not excess. If that’s how you feel, then yes I feel the same way you do.
I have NO desire to be rich. I would like to be able to retire and have health insurance. No big goals, but they make me happy.
heh.
A friend and I were discussing this the other night, and we came to the conclusion that no matter how much we have, we just need a bit more!
Sad but true.
I don’t aspire to filthy richness, nor do I want the hassles that would go along with it. I would go with butrscotch’s goal of “comfort” instead.
Filthy rich? No.
I’d love to be upper middle class though. $50,000 or so a year? Yeah… that’d be nice.
Yersinia nailed it, being rich would be fine except I’m not willing to do any of the normal tasks that make it happen. I love having a job, not a career. I glory in being a faceless cog in the great machine because I don’t want any pressure.
Nope, no aspirations to be rich here, you are certainly not the only one.
I don’t want to be filthy rich. Enough to get by on and buy the stuff I want. Though it’s amazing how the cost of “getting by” goes up as your income goes up.
I’d like to be well-off enough to have a modest house and a bit of land, a couple horses and a new car, plus enough in the bank to not worry about bills. Beyond that, I’m really not concerned with wealth.
I agree…I want to have a nice home, nice car, but I don’t want so much money that I don’t know what to do with it.