Why does everyone care so much about making a lot of money?

<p>The only people who don't care about money are the ones who come from families that are already pretty well off, so they lack the experiences where you feel you cannot have anything, you feel constrained by certain barriers, etc.</p>

<p>^^ that's a broad stroke... anyways, I think people do care about money to an extent, but to make it all that matters is imbalanced thinking, and I honestly can't stand to be around people that flaunt numbers on all their goods. For example, "That couch is nice, eh? It was $4500"... "I spent $12,000 on that, nice huh?" It's like their whole life is summed up by the amount of money they spend on their material goods, and somehow they think that it makes them more respectable or whatever. My response is "who really cares... i just farted on your couch!"</p>

<p>But it's a ****ing NICE couch.</p>

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It's a measure of happiness.

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<p>How is it a measure of happiness?</p>

<p>I think a lot of guys want huge amounts of money because they are insecure about their sex appeal and equipment, and they think a fancy car and house will make the women forget that they are boring guys with little *<strong><em>s. Every time I see a guy in a $100,000 car, I think, "Man, that guy must have a *</em></strong> the size of a peanut." It's like that old Hyundai commercial where the women were watching guys drive by, and speculated that the guys whatevers were in inverse proportion to the expensiveness of their cars. When the guy drove by in the Hyundai, they knew he had to be so confident that it didn't matter what sort of car he had.</p>

<p>^^ that goes with my theory of why guys drive really big trucks... and lift them all up with 40" tires and stuff.... it's all in proportion to the amount of tiny man's they suffer from.</p>

<p>Yeah, you're right. Rich guys have small dicks. /laugh</p>

<p>Jealous much?</p>

<p>neverborn, where did you get that one? Most wealthy people don't spend their money on fancy cars... just because that's what MTV portrays with their cribs episodes doesn't mean that all rich people want to flaunt their money and buy the most expensive car around, in fact, they do the opposite... the really expensive cars are usually bought by people who can barely afford them, so they lease them, and its their status tool.</p>

<p>yup yup, one of my friends who is VERY wealthy (her parents paid cash for a 6 million dollar home) is so modest she tells people she lives one town over, and works two jobs in college because she feels like she should make her own spending money even though she reallllly doesn't need to. My other friend who is even richer (family has billions, no exageration) is the sweetest person in the world and yes she has nice stuff, but she drived a GM truck, and would never tell you who she is unless you ask her directly. People with real wealth rarely flaunt it.</p>

<p>Flaunting wealth like a dick sucks, but I see no need to lie and pretend I'm poor. I see no virtue of being poor.</p>

<p>who's pretending to be poor?</p>

<p>dcfca, </p>

<p>I didn't come from money, and beyond a comfortable income ($50K+), I don't see the value in giving up my free time for more money.</p>

<p>neverborn,</p>

<p>There's a difference between "pretending to be poor" and not consuming just for the sake of consumption.</p>

<p>random story: I work as a receptionist at a giant mercedes dealership (they have 3 maybach's there. . . yeah), and one of the people from the enterprise desk came over to me and pointed out this guy. Aparently when she told him it was about an hour wait for a rental mercedes, he said something to the effect of, "I don't want to wait, I'll just buy one" so he just on the spot bought an 80k car. . . all because he didn't want to wait an hour for a rental.... yeah that's crazy money.</p>

<p>There's a difference between being humble and pretending to be poor... I think what equine99 is saying is that her very wealthy friends are humble, not necessarily pretending to be poor. Hard work is a virtue, as is delayed gratification, and earning your own way. More true self-esteem is built by working for what you have, and by making necessary sacrifices to get where you want to go without having it all handed to you.... whether you have really rich parents or not, it's always good to know what it takes to earn it yourself. Sincere appreciation goes a long ways in making a person likable to many.</p>

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I don't see the value in giving up my free time for more money.

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<p>Time is a much more valuable resource than money, in my opinion.</p>

<p>I'm of two minds with the "money is everything" thinking on CC.com</p>

<p>On one hand, I think it's a natural extension of the extreme competitiveness that is a hallmark here. Everyone on this site (with a few notable exceptions) is very ambitious. The idea that money = recognition for ambition is a very logical conclusion to come to, if you are young.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I think that many people on this site, while very intelligent, are also inexperienced with what actually constitutes a decent salary, how people are reimbursed for their investments other than money, and how many people actually make $500,000 a year. </p>

<p>So while I don't really feel like most of the moneymongers on the site are out of line, I do think many of them aren't quite aware of how the world <em>actually</em> works.</p>

<p>Time is all we truly have, if you break it all down. That's what makes being rich a good thing... if people see it that way. Having money affords you more time to do whatever you would like and not be living in the poor house for doing it.</p>

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On the other hand, I think that many people on this site, while very intelligent, are also inexperienced with what actually constitutes a decent salary, how people are reimbursed for their investments other than money, and how many people actually make $500,000 a year.

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coming from a family where the yearly income is more than $500,000 i can honestly say that it is not enough. i mean, i want a lot of stuff as it is, and my father always tells me that "we don't have the money." so yeah, i want to make more than that...</p>

<p>311Griff,</p>

<p>The problem is that many people give up their time in order to earn more money, but don't really save in the meantime. Ever heard of the phrase "golden handcuffs?" It's an imperfect example, but it shows what can happen to people who are earning decent salaries at the expense of their time.</p>