# How much money would it take to change your life? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886 "2011-03-24T20:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/61 "2011-03-26T05:12:45Z")
If I have Multiple Sclerosis, about $5000 would radically change my life. With $5000 I could get officially diagnosed. I might be able to get Medicaid or Medicare. I could get treatment that would get me out of bed. If I don’t have MS, if it’s really Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, then 100 billion dollars wouldn’t change my life much. I’d still be stuck in bed, having days where I can’t remember how to spell my name. Sorry to be so depressing, but for some people, it really doesn’t take much money to completely change your life. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/62 "2011-03-26T06:49:12Z")
5k would be enough to make some real changes in my life. Maybe 4, heck 3 would be enough. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/63 "2011-03-26T15:26:12Z")
$2,500 extra per year - roughly $50 more per week - and I would be one happy camper. I simply can’t get by on my household allowance, about $200 a week, and be expected to buy gas for the car out of that, and the occasional Burger King/Starbucks/slice o’ pizza, or a magazine, bottle of good shampoo, or box of Girl Scout cookies (in season). I’m a really good penny pincher, but enough is enough. $50 extra per week would give me such a nice added cushion, and I could still put aside some spare cash to send to the charities I support. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/64 "2011-03-27T00:28:36Z")
I suppose it depends on how I gained that money how it would change my life. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/65 "2011-03-27T06:56:04Z")
$100k would get me back on my feet and would serve me well for a long time, but it wouldn’t change my life. I’d just be the same as I am now, but stress-free for a short period. I’d need to be financially secure for that phrase to apply, and I’ve worked that out to be minimum $750k, but generally round it up to $1million. Which is a lot of money and unlikely to come my way via a windfall or otherwise. This is Australian dollars, if that makes any difference. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/66 "2011-03-27T13:06:40Z")
This reminds me of something someone told me along time ago. If you eat whatever you want without even pausing to consider or worry about what it costs, your rich. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/67 "2011-03-27T18:42:04Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > This reminds me of something someone told me along time ago. > > If you eat whatever you want without even pausing to consider or worry about what it costs, you’re rich. {Spelling correction mine} I don’t do this, but my husband does - I look after the money in the family, and he doesn’t. Where does that put us? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/68 "2011-03-27T18:53:49Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > {Spelling correction mine} > I don’t do this, but my husband does - I look after the money in the family, and he doesn’t. Where does that put us? 🙂 Well, it DOES assume you are a person with some financial prudence. Seriously, I thought of putting that in my post originally 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/69 "2011-03-27T18:59:34Z")
I’ve been thinking. My new mortgage is for $62,000. I owe a bit under $7,800 on my car. Seventy thousand dollars would not change my life in the way I described upthread, but those are my only debts (aside from credit cards, which I pay in full every month). It would, however, free up about $950/month. With that, I could fly a helicopter a couple hours every couple of weeks, or a fixed-wing twice that. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/70 "2011-03-27T19:03:04Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > no matter where I go, I can’t get away from the contents of my own head. Much of my life has been a struggle to make myself a better person, and that struggle goes on, difficult as ever, no matter how much money I have. That’s why these exercises are in many ways futile. Most of the ways you think and approach money do not change despite your actual bank account numbers. The purchases you make are bigger but your fears stay the same; after being solidly middle class there’s no evidence that people that are upper middle, upper or extremely wealthy are any happier. Sure, X number of dollars would solve problems but it won’t change the way you think and feel and your level of happiness. It’s the same situation when you buy a home and people are draw to homes that are clean, clutter free and staged with expensive furniture - they assume once they buy the house that _that will be their life_. And nothing could be further from the truth. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/71 "2011-03-27T19:07:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > {Spelling correction mine} > I don’t do this, but my husband does - I look after the money in the family, and he doesn’t. Where does that put us? 🙂 Upon futher reflection, I decided this needs a better answer. He is rich. You are both in trouble 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/72 "2011-03-27T20:13:09Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > This reminds me of something someone told me along time ago. > > If you eat whatever you want without even pausing to consider or worry about what it costs, your rich. But in what context? I guess I’m rich at BW3’s because there’s no cause to worry about what anything costs there. On the other hand, I guess I’m not rich when I go to wine aisle at the store, because I get a little more price conscious. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/73 "2011-03-28T04:58:36Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Upon futher reflection, I decided this needs a better answer. > > He is rich. You are both in trouble 🙂 Oh oh. ---
**Author:** ![Crackrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Crackrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crackrat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/74 "2011-03-28T14:17:05Z")
$200k would be enough to pay off my student loans, find a place to live when I move home this summer, and to cover my long enough to find a job without having to worry about money for a while. I haven’t actually sat down and calculated anything, but I think $5 million should be enough to allow me to essentially retire. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886/75 "2011-03-29T09:51:57Z")
Right now I am a full-time PhD student, I consult part time, and I have a new baby. One of these things is not like the others. With a bit over $1m invested conservatively, I could dial down the hours I spend consulting and spend it with family, get more research done, or fuck it, play an occasional video game. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-it-take-to-change-your-life/575886.md?page=3)